In 1951, millions of Americans watched a televised Senate hearing where a powerful mobster refused to show his face, so the cameras fixed on his nervous, fidgeting hands. That broadcast did more to dismantle the mystique of organized crime than any wiretap, and those hands belonged to Frank Costello, the prime minister of the underworld.

This deep dive tracks how Costello took the mafia from a street gang to a sophisticated enterprise, building cross-ethnic alliances, amassing Prohibition wealth, running a vast slot machine empire, and ultimately making a decision that broke every rule of the mob.

• Rejecting old-world prejudice to partner with Luciano, Lansky, and Irish bosses
• The shadow navy that smuggled liquor during Prohibition
• His obsession with high-society legitimacy and political influence
• Franchisi ...