Title: Hell-bent
Description: "World-class beaches, fragrant frangipani, swaying palms, and hula girls. Most folks think of Hawaii as a vacation destination. Mob-style executions, drug smuggling, and vicious gang warfare are seldom part of the postcard image. Yet, Hawaii was once home to not only Aloha spirit, but also a ruthless, homegrown mafia underworld. From 1960 to 1980, Hawaiian gangsters grew rich off a robust trade in drugs, gambling, and prostitution that followed in the wake of Hawaii's tourist boom. Thus, by 1980--the year Charles Marsland was elected Honolulu's top prosecutor--the honeymoon island paradise was also plagued by violence, corruption and organized crime. The zeal that Marsland brought to his crusade against the Hawaiian underworld was relentless, self-destructive, and very personal. Five years earlier, Marsland's son had been gunned down. His efforts to bring his son's killers to justice--and indeed, eradicate the entire organized criminal element in Hawaii--make for an extraordinary tale that culminates with intense courtroom drama. Hawaii Five-O meets Wiseguy in author Jason Ryan's vigorously reported chronicle of brazen gangsters, brutal murders, and a father's quest for vengeance--all set against an unlikely backdrop of seductive tropical beauty. "--

"Hawaii Five-O meets Wiseguy in author Jason Ryan's vigorously reported chronicle of brazen gangsters, brutal murders, and a father's quest for vengeance--all set against an unlikely backdrop of seductive tropical beauty"--
Subjects: Organized crime, Administration of Criminal justice, Criminal justice, administration of, Law, hawaii, TRUE CRIME / Organized Crime, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, HISTORY / United States / State & Local / West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)
Places: Hawaii
People: Charles Marsland (1923-2007)