The Last Pirate of New York

“Rich Cohen’s The Last Pirate of New York is a compulsively readable nonfiction tale of mystery and murder. He captures the city’s teeming waterfront of the mid-1800s, crawling with every conceivable Dickensian degenerate and then some, with brilliance. He is one of the finest storytellers there is, and The Last Pirate of New York takes its place alongside Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City and Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea. Pick it up; you won’t put it down.”—Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

“The Last Pirate of New York is an absolutely incredible true story. From the opening scene of a blood-drenched ship drifting in the fog, severed fingers lying on deck, to the evocative depictions of the New York waterfront teeming with murderers, mountebanks, and crooks, this is not a book for the faint of heart. Rich Cohen’s research is masterful, and he brings alive nineteenth-century New York in raucous and fascinating detail. This is history at its best, full of drama, crime, dogged detectives, curious characters, smoky taverns, and dark byways. I highly recommend this remarkable book.”—Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost City of the Monkey God

“The Last Pirate of New York is a riveting tale of Gotham City’s first gangster and most notorious serial killer. Rich Cohen, a superb writer and brilliant storyteller, delivers a chilling true-crime narrative—from murders to manhunt, courtroom to gallows. This book takes you to the darkest places of the human soul, and will keep you up all night once you start it.”—Linda Fairstein, author of the Alexandra Cooper crime novels

“A remarkable work of scholarship about old New York, combined with a skillfully told, edge-of-your-seat adventure story—I could not put it down.”—Ian Frazier, author of Travels in Siberia

“With its wise and erudite storytelling, Rich Cohen’s The Last Pirate of New York takes the reader on an exciting nonfiction narrative journey that transforms a grisly nineteenth-century murder into a shrewd portent of modern life. Totally unique, totally compelling—I enjoyed every page.”—Howard Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Gangland and American Lightning

“Rich Cohen has a knack for finding untold stories, and a talent for telling them exceptionally well. The tale of the murderous Albert Hicks is by turns upsetting, surprising, grisly, and peculiarly seductive—in other words, perfect material for this fine and original writer.”—Daniel Okrent, author of The Guarded Gate