Judging A Book By Its Cover . . .

When I began thinking about the cover design, I was open to ideas but really wanted something that captured the spirit of the novel, the characters, and the era. Something with a bit of an Art Deco flair, without running the risk of coming across as too Gatsby-esque, which is probably always going to be a challenge whenever the subject matter involves bootlegging and racketeers. John Beato, the graphic designer that I worked with, and I were very cognizant of that two-edged sword: imagery that is identifiable to the casual reader as representative of the Roaring Twenties and Depression-era Thirties but avoids coming across as too cliched. 

We began by using a font for the title that reminded me of the lettering from an odd issue of Apparel Arts from the 1930s. It might not be recognizable to the casual reader but I thought it added an authentic 1930s “feeling” to the cover. You can see the original inspiration below. 

With the title logo in place, we then added a bit of Art Deco framing. While it may be a bit cliched, it is a bit of unique design with the four charms or vices - depending on your point of view - at the four corners of the cover. 

We then added an era-appropriate wall-papering within the Art Deco framework. It’s visible but still subtle and as a result, despite the gilded frame and wallpapering, the focus is still on the smoldering police line-up photo from November 1934, featuring a rare glimpse of the Schultz gang’s upper echelon, along with a few of their Pleasant Avenue confederates - from left to right, Marty “the Wolf” Krompier, Frank Levorsi, Emmanuel Cellari, Abraham “Bo” Weinberg, Abraham “The Misfit” Landau, and Jacob Katz. 

Landau, of course, was gunned down alongside the Dutchman at the Palace Chophouse in Newark on October 23, 1935. Krompier was shot several times inside a Times Square barbershop about an hour after Schultz and Landau were targeted across the river. Somehow, despite being shot in both shoulders, the abdomen, and the groin, Marty the Wolf lived to tell the tale, unlike his compatriots.  

Then, of course, there is Bo Legs. Abraham “Bo” Weinberg, it should be noted, was the celebrated ace torpedo of the Schultz organization and a prime suspect in the gangland slayings of such notables as Jack Diamond, Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll, Joe Masseria, and Salvatore Maranzano.  Of course, it was Weinberg’s close connections to the downtown mobs that may have led to his demise. Charles “Lucky” Luciano wrote years later that Weinberg was grabbed by the Schultz gang after leaving a meeting at Willie Morretti’s house in the Palisades, whereupon it had been agreed that Weinberg would turn over the lucrative Harlem numbers racket to the Italians in return for maintaining his 10 percent interest in the racket. According to gangland legend, Schultz retaliated by putting a “kimono” on Weinberg - his feet were encased in cement and he was unceremoniously dumped into the East River. Schultz consigliere and counsel Dixie Davis later wrote that Weinberg was shot in the back of a Packard by another infamous Schultz gunman, Lulu Rosenkranz. Weinberg’s younger brother George testified to these events during Jimmy Hines’ corruption trial in 1938 and claimed that he was never told exactly what happened to his brother. Of course, Pretty knows but he’s not one to talk. . .