While FBI agents wait for information which might reveal the identity of one of the armed robbers they have been chasing for six months, they decide to set up a surveillance operation in South Miami. On April 11, 1986, Michael Platt and Bill Matix drive into the FBI dragnet. After a brief car chase, the robbers engage the agents in the bloodiest shootout in FBI history.

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After a robbery spree in October and November of 1985, Michael Platt and Bill Matix go dark until January of 1986. They return to their favorite territory in South Miami, but they run into trouble when a witness provides crucial help to the police. Platt and Matix escalate their violence, which leads to their first big mistake. FBI investigators make progress, but they still need a key piece of information in order to crack the case.

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In October of 1985, two armed robbers, Michael Platt and Bill Matix, begin targeting banks and armored cars in broad daylight in South Miami. They wear masks and army fatigues, and they have no problem opening fire in public places. Platt and Matix aren’t the most successful robbers in criminal history, but they have no fear, and they leave behind no clues for investigators.

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Frank Lucas experiences a rough ride in the second half of the 1980s, and he hits rock bottom in the early 1990s. But when he is at his lowest point, one of his brothers throws him a lifeline. Frank finally leaves the heroin business, but he still struggles in the legitimate world… until he achieves worldwide fame as the subject of the Hollywood film “American Gangster,” though the movie stirs up nearly as much controversy as it does money at the box office.

Check out these great books about Frank Lucas, Bumpy Johnson, and Harlem crime:

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“Original Gangster” by Frank Lucas and Aliya S. King

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 In 1975, the law finally takes down Frank Lucas. Frank faces decades in prison, and he makes a decision to work with New Jersey prosecutor Richie Roberts to reduce his sentence. When Frank returns to Harlem, his empire is in ruins, his family is scattered, and his prospects for the future are bleak. The early 1980s are a pale reflection of Frank’s heyday in the early 1970s.

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“Original Gangster” by Frank Lucas and Aliya S. King

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Hard times arrive for Frank Lucas’s heroin business. In the early 1970s, Harlem gangsters start dying, disappearing, or going to prison as a DEA-NYPD task force rounds up the leading players. Frank is forced to resort to desperate – and macabre – measures to keep his heroin pipeline intact. A rival gangster named Nicky Barnes asks Frank to join a Harlem syndicate called “The Council,” but Frank stays away even as his Thailand connections crumble.

Check out these great books about Frank Lucas, Bumpy Johnson, and Harlem crime:

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“Original Gangster” by Frank Lucas and Aliya S. King

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After Bumpy Johnson dies, Frank Lucas travels to Bangkok, Thailand and sets up a powerful heroin operation. Frank’s new gang, nicknamed the Country Boys, makes millions selling heroin in New York and New Jersey. Frank makes multiple trips to Thailand, and he claims he survives an ambush by gunmen in the jungle when he travels to the source of his heroin. As Frank’s wealth and power grow, he shows off at the epic Muhammed Ali-Joe Frazier fight in 1971, and he soon regrets his decision to step into the spotlight.

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“Harlem Godfather” by Mayme Johnson and Karen E. Quinones Miller

“Original Gangster” by Frank Lucas and Aliya S. King

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Bumpy Johnson, the Godfather of Harlem, goes to prison after the betrayal by Flash Walker. While Bumpy serves time at Alcatraz, Frank Lucas commits two high-profile robberies in Harlem. When Bumpy returns home, he brings Frank into his crew, and Frank wants Bumpy to start a heroin operation. Bumpy refuses, but Frank will soon have the opportunity to start the business himself.

Check out these great books about Frank Lucas, Bumpy Johnson, and Harlem crime:

“Harlem Godfather” by Mayme Johnson and Karen E. Quinones Miller

“Original Gangster” by Frank Lucas and Aliya S. King

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Before Frank Lucas is a household name in Harlem, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson runs the city. During the Prohibition and Depression eras, Bumpy rises through the ranks of Stephanie St. Clair’s gang. Bumpy leads the gang in a war against Dutch Schultz’s gang, but Bumpy needs the help of mob boss Lucky Luciano to win. When Bumpy becomes the Godfather of Harlem, he places his trust in a young man called Flash Walker. The decision costs Bumpy dearly.

Check out these great books about Frank Lucas, Bumpy Johnson, and Harlem crime:

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“Original Gangster” by Frank Lucas and Aliya S. King

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As a police task force revisits evidence from one of the murders in the 1980s, the next series of crimes begins in the same area of Texas that has been haunted for twenty years. In 1997, a young mother stages a daring escape from a kidnapper. Her case leads police to a killer who targets young women. After the passage of time and the advancement of technology, the police learn the identities of the final two victims in the Calder Road field. They refocus on an early suspect, but the old frustrations continue.

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