My Bookshelf: Satan’s Circus by Mike Dash

Satan’s Circus had a cover and title that caught my eye in Border’s. They made me think about The Devil in the White City, which is a favorite book of mine. The book is also set around the same time that The Devil in the White City is set. The book is specifically about the New York City Police Officer Charley Becker’s rise, fall and eventual execution. However, it also does a great job of drawing a picture of a corrupt city and corrupt police department. It’s a dark story about an area of Manhattan called Satan’s Circus where vice and crime ruled. Becker began as an honest cop who came from a farming community. However, his years on the force surrounded by cops who were nearly as bad as the men they arrested changed him into one of them. Read more…