King of the Mountains

In 1897 the young Italian peasant Giuseppe Musolino was falsely convicted of a crime and sentenced to 21 years at hard labor. He soon escaped, and began hunting those who had played a role in his false conviction, extracting an ominous and lethal revenge, killing as many as 25 people. For three years he eluded a massive manhunt conducted by hundreds of police and even a full regiment of the Italian army. He soon became a hero to the common people of southern Italy, who risked imprisonment themselves to hide, protect, and sustain him. When he was finally captured his trial had to be moved to a location 600 miles north because the government believed no jury in the south would convict him. At the time of the trial The New York Times wrote that he was "the most remarkable being that has ever stood behind the bars of Italian justice." This is the first and only book in English to report the incredible story of Italy's famous Il Brigante."

EDITORIAL REVIEWS

"a gripping account of an Italian peasant accused of a crime he didn't commit...[a] well-written tale."
-- Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

"[An] electrifying true tale, which at times reads like the strangest fiction."
-- Italian American Digest, New Orleans

"well researched...a factual account of this intriguing slice of Calabrian history."
-- Sarah Mastroianni, Panoram Italia, Toronto

"Considered by historians as either 'Italy's Robin Hood' or a depraved assassin, this well-researched book lets you decide."
-- Ambassador Magazine, National Italian American Foundation, Washington, DC