Following an extensive, three-year investigation, Lamar White Jr.’s upcoming book, The Original Gangster, chronicles the extraordinary life of longtime New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, revealing one of the most fascinating untold stories of the 20th century.

The Original Gangster is about the blurred lines between the upperworld and the underworld; about the makings of celebrity and what it means to be an American; and about the ways in which gossip and conspiracy can distort our history, undermine our democracy, and manipulate our system of justice.