Why Must Read Double Cross: The Explosive Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America?

First and foremost, if you're looking for a well-researched biography on Sam Giancana, this isn't it. I'm an avid readerof 20th century Mafia activity in the US, and was looking for the best account of Sam Giancana and how his Outfit fit into the big picture. The mistake I made was that I didn't pay very good attention to the writers of the book, which was told mostly from the perspective of his little brother. It's clear Chuck Giancana had a deep admiration for his big brother throughout his life, so bear in mind that the story is told from the lens of a man who gives nothing but the greatest adulation to his brother and his "accomplishments". To put bluntly, Chuck simply believed everything his big brother told him, and he put it down on this book. I've read bits and pieces over the years about Sam Giancana, and if there was one preconceived notion that I had already developed on Sam coming into this book, is that the man had a penchant to exaggerate his accomplishments and his place in society. Quite simply, he was a blowhard. Keep in mind that this man truly believed he was the lone-individual that got Jack Kennedy elected. Now did Sam Giancana head one of the most dangerous mafia organizations in the US for multiple decades? Absolutely; that's difficult to dispute and that's been proven. But did he have a significant influence on the American political apparatus (outside of famously corrupt Chicago)? I don't particularly think so. Throughout this book, Chuck passes off many a conversation where Sam lays claim to controlling various politicians, particularly presidents. There's multiple claims that the Outfit was in close, or controlling multiple White Houses. And some of these claims are verifiably false. Take for example the infamous Democratic National Convention of 1944 in Chicago, the one that famously put Harry Truman in as VP of the 1944 presidential ticket over Henry Wallace. Giancana boasts in the book that it was their connections with corrupt politicians like Chicago Mayor Ed Kelley that were directly responsible for pushing to get Truman on the ticket. It was argued that they could do business with Truman because of his questionable rise through politics. However that was absolutely false. It's been proven by historians that FDR discreetly showed up in Chicago by train during this week of the DNC in 1944, and shared with DNC chair Robert Hannegan that he indeed wanted Truman as VP. Now the explicit reasoning is debatable, however it wasn't the Outfit's inner-working of the Chicago political machine that pushed Truman in. And there are multiple other examples throughout this book. So I guess my point being is that, given some of these claims, it's difficult to take everything Sam Giancana stated as fact. I do believe that he was a powerful mafia don, and that his organization did push hard in politics (at least as far as they could). However I think his belief that he single-handedly controlled virtually everything was false. This means he likely wasn't lying, but simply had an inflated view of how he controlled the things around him. I will say however that the CIA connection and his potential role in the assassination of Jack Kennedy was highly interesting. The resulting circumstances of Sam Giancana's assassination as well as the mysterious deaths of many of those in his orbit around the time of mid to late 1970s hints of CIA involvement, rather than mob-retaliation. This is where I give credit to Chuck Giancana in this book, is that I feel he ties the various theories together well at the end of the book. Overall not a bad read, but just realize that many of the stories you want to hear about regarding Sam Giancana aren't entirely verified, and just be sure to not take all of this as fact. I felt that this was part fiction, if anything. But begs a lot of questions.