Cunning, wealthy and flamboyant, this book traces Al Capone's life from his Neopolitan heritage, his childhood on the streets of Brooklyn, and his rapid rise as the nation's chief bootlegger, which all shaped him into the most powerful and notorious ganster of the Prohibition. Simultaneously presenting the facade of a family man and civic benefactor, he was also the man of the St Valentine's Day Massacre. This biography attempts to find the real man behind the myth, drawing on interviews with family, friends and colleagues. It also covers contemporary American society and culture and, more specifically, the corruption and violence of 1920s Chicago. It is also the story of Capone's nemesis, US Department of Justice agent, Eliot Ness.