Rogues of Rhode Island

Although small in size, Rhode Island has been home to many small-time and big-time criminals. Rogues of Rhode Island offers a detailed look at these ocean state gangsters, sharing many little-known facts and shedding light on the personalities behind the crimes. Here is a glimpse of just some of the rogues featured in the book: Raymond Patriarca, Sr.: He left school at age eight to shine shoes and be a bellhop. In his teens, he's deeply involved in ignoring prohibition laws. Hi-jacking, assault, auto theft, safe cracking, and armed robbery are all going to be on the sheet. Buddy Cianci: A criminal with style, a sense of humor, and the ability to tell harsh truths in a nice way has become a rare art form. It used to be the way things worked. Buddy Cianci not only broke the mold, but in numerous ways caused the mold makers to go on an extended vacation. Doris Duke: Sometimes having connections comes in handy. This is especially true if you might have killed somebody. Doris Duke played this incident well. Claus Von Bulow: Sometimes someone is cleared of all criminal charges and you still know they're up to something sneaky. This is true even when they're likable, even while doing obviously creepy things. That was how Claus Von Bulow lived his life. Craig Price: We do know Craig had been arrested at 11 or 12 for petty theft. That sounds like kid stuff. What puts him on this list was not kid stuff. On July 27, 1987 - when he was almost 14 -he stabbed Rebecca Spencer 58 times.