Umbrella Mike
The True Story of the Chicago Gangster Behind the Indy 500
Description:... He was known as "Umbrella Mike": a hard man among the beautiful people. He moved among the elite of New York society with little notice, his sharply cocked fedora, his broad Irish face and his ever-present cigar setting him apart from the celebrities and socialites.
Umbrella Mike is Michael Joseph Boyle, the corrupt leader of Chicago's most powerful union and himself a Chicago gangster on friendly terms with Al Capone. Passionate about high-class automobiles, Umbrella Mike was one of the few who could afford the luxury of racing during the hardship of the Depression. In 1937, dogged by adverse publicity and a barrage of disasters, the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup was held on Long Island.
Brock Yates -- noted editor, columnist and sports analyst and commentator -- remarkably chronicles the dramatic events that unfolded during this most controversial of races -- pitting against one another a Nazi poster child, a German-hating Swiss, and the brilliant American underdog who has a trick or two up his sleeve.
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