Everybody Pays: Two Men, One Murder, and the Price of Truth Book

When Chicago's deadliest hit man, Harry Aleman, was brought to trial in the late 1970s, not a single one of the city's more than 1,000 mob-related murders had been solved. This time, with a witness willing to testify, prosecutors believed they had a foolproof case. But the mob was difficult to catch for more reasons than one--a strict code of silence, witnesses who turned up dead, and cops and even judges under their control. Bob Lowe, the lone witness to the murder Aleman was tried for, learned this the hard way. Aleman was acquitted the first time around, and wasn't retried (and convicted) until 20 years later. Meanwhile, Lowe and his family were forced to go into hiding not once but twice, and their lives were destroyed. Veteran Chicago Tribune writers Maurice Possley and Rick Kogan have written a searing portrayal of the mob's skewed moral universe, the legal system it corrupted, and a witness-protection system riddled with flaws. In this charged and ultimately redemptive story, only one man emerges a hero. --Lesley Reed Read More