Hell-Bent
One Man's Crusade to Crush the Hawaiian Mob
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $25.99
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- $25.99
Publisher Description
World-class beaches, fragrant frangipani, swaying palms, and hula girls. Most folks think of Hawaii as a vacation destination. Mob-style executions, drug smuggling, and vicious gang warfare are seldom part of the postcard image. Yet, Hawaii was once home to not only Aloha spirit, but also a ruthless, homegrown mafia underworld. From 1960 to 1980, Hawaiian gangsters grew rich off a robust trade in drugs, gambling, and prostitution that followed in the wake of Hawaii’s tourist boom. Thus, by 1980—the year Charles Marsland was elected Honolulu's top prosecutor—the honeymoon island paradise was also plagued by violence, corruption and organized crime. The zeal that Marsland brought to his crusade against the Hawaiian underworld was relentless, self-destructive, and very personal. Five years earlier, Marsland’s son had been gunned down. His efforts to bring his son’s killers to justice—and indeed, eradicate the entire organized criminal element in Hawaii—make for an extraordinary tale that culminates with intense courtroom drama. Hawaii Five-O meets Wiseguy in author Jason Ryan’s vigorously reported chronicle of brazen gangsters, brutal murders, and a father’s quest for vengeance—all set against an unlikely backdrop of seductive tropical beauty.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist and author Ryan (Jackpot) recounts the story of a man on a mission to find justice for his son's murder and take down the Honolulu crime syndicate believed to be responsible. The sordid saga begins in 1975 with the shooting death of Chuckers Marsland amid a plague of violence and corruption in Hawaii with gangsters shaking down gambling operations, offing rivals, and partying with Don Ho. Amid those suspected of the murder are Eric Naone, a violent bodyguard, Ronnie Ching, "thief, pimp, drug dealer, and professional killer," and Raymond Scanlan, a corrupt ex-cop with a missing service weapon. Enter "abrasive, aggressive, tough-talking" Charles Marsland, grieving father and civil attorney turned head city prosecutor, who is intent on speaking out about the legal system's "incompetence, cronyism, outright corruption." In addition to avenging his son's death, Marsland seeks to prove that local businessman Larry Mehau is the shadowy godfather of the Hawaiian mafia. The book culminates in a trial against the major suspects after a confession by the notoriously deceptive Ching hoping to exchange information on Mehau's criminal activity for a plea bargain. Ryan's well-researched account expertly weaves historical fact into an engrossing true crime narrative to present a fascinating piece of Hawaiian history at odds with its idyllic image highlighting the efforts of a truly unsung hero.
