EVERYBODY PAYS Two Men, One Murder and the Price of Truth

Hardback. On the warm, early autumn night of September 27, 1972, on a quiet tree-lined street, one man was about to die. And two others, strangers before this evening, would become locked in a reluctant but inevitable relationship that would span more than a quarter-century and transform their lives. Though both were products of Chicago's West Side, the two men couldn't have been more different. One was cultured and charismatic, a dark and complex prince of organised crime, an assassin who enjoyed his work. The other was a modest man of modest means, an auto mechanic who wanted little more than a steady pay cheque. 25yr old Bob Lowe was the sole witness to a brutal murder. The victim was a neighbour, blown away by the blast of a sawen-off shotgun. The killer was Harry Aleman, one of the most notorious men in mob history. And Lowe could be the person to finally put Aleman behind bars. Promised refuge as a protected witness, Lowe agreed to testify. But through a tangled web of politics and payoffs, Aleman was acquitted, and Lowe feared retribution. Disillusioned and depressed, he spiralled into a world of alcoholism, drugs, and crime, losing his family and his self-respect. Finally, after 25yrs, he emerged to confront Aleman, and his own personal demons, in a dramatic, history-making trial. The authors tell the story of extraordinary sacrifice on the part of an ordinary man, appalling police and judicial corruption, life inside a flawed witness protection programme, and ultimate vindication. A riveting account of politics and power, of a poisoned legal system, of the revealing truths behind witness protection plans, and of life and death inside and outside the mob. 276pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. in Nr. F. dw.