Bestselling author William Bernhardt’s tale of historical suspense chronicles the rampage of America’s first serial killer and legendary lawman Eliot Ness’ final case.

In the 1930s Eliot Ness, the famous treasury agent who helped convict Al Capone, accepts a high-ranking public safety position in Cleveland, where the discovery of a dismembered torso soon plunges the city into a state of terror. As the body count rises, Ness pours more energy and manpower into his investigation, desperately trying to live up to his larger-than-life reputation. His obsession slowly erodes his personal and professional life, and his investigation finally leads to a revelation too shocking to reveal to the public. The case remains unsolved, but Bernhardt’s fictionalized account presents a startling solution based on recently uncovered evidence.


From the Compact Disc edition.

1

September 13, 1935

It was just after three in the morning and the glint of moonlight off the metal barrel of Michael Frescone's tommy gun told Eliot Ness he was exactly where he wanted to be.

"Let's get back to the car and radio for backup."

Ness's eyes remained glued to the binoculars. "We don't have time, Sheriff."

"We don't have a choice. Those mob guys are serious trouble."

"They always are."

"They got guns."

"They always do."

"They ain't afraid to use 'em, neither!"

"That remains to be seen."

"Some of Frescone's men are crack shots. Like to brag about how they can hit a Nehi bottle from fifty paces."

Ness pushed a loose strand of hair back into place, slicked-back and parted in the center. "Well, I'm not so sorry with a pistol myself, Sheriff. Won a marksmanship award at the U.S. Coast Guard range."

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Ray Potts looked as though he were about to internally combust. "Do you understand what we're talking about here? There's two of us and a dozen of them. They're heavily armed and they're killers! Frescone has been blamed for at least ten gangland murders. They're transporting illegal hooch worth thousands of dollars and they'll do anything to defend it. These are impossible odds, Ness. Impossible!" Ness glanced at his colleague. In the moonlight, his eyes seemed to twinkle. "Sounds like fun. Ready?"

Ness climbed out of the ditch they were using for cover and headed toward the dock. While he crept forward, he put away his binoculars and unholstered his pistol. He was always more comfortable with a handgun than those bulky machine guns. He'd learned to shoot with accuracy, even from a distance, and he preferred that to the spray-everything-in-sight technique of the tommy gun.

The slope was steep. He had to be careful--and quiet. If the smugglers heard him coming, he'd be a goner. His only chance was to catch them by surprise.

The wind coming off the river chilled him, sending shivers coursing up and down his spine. Seemed no matter how many times he did this, the gnawing in the pit of his stomach, the strange combination of exhilaration and terror, never entirely subsided. Probably just as well. If he ever lost that edge, he might get sloppy. The rest of the world thought he was fearless--well, that was fine. Only he need know better. Only he needed to know that he got scared every time. And it supercharged him like nothing else could.

He chose each step cautiously, testing it before he put his weight down, careful to move as silently as possible . . .

"Stay down!" Potts hissed. "If they see you they'll blow you from here to perdition! Let me tell you--there ain't nothing scarier than staring down the wrong end of a gangster's gat."

"When I worked in Kentucky as a revenue agent, I got shot at six different times," Ness whispered back. "Those hillbillies holed up in the Moonshine Mountains with their squirrel guns gave me more close calls than Capone's whole gang put together."

Ness never wanted to leave Chicago, his hometown, but he was in government service so he had followed orders. After Prohibition ended, he spent about a year working in Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky for the Alcohol Tax Unit within the Bureau of Internal Revenue, chasing down backwoods rumrunners. It was tough work. Things had been simpler in Chicago, when the Volstead Act was still in place. Booze was illegal, period. You saw it, you seized it. And you took the criminals to jail. But Prohibition had been repealed in 1933. Ness didn't object on principle; he enjoyed a drink every now and then. But the new liquor laws complicated his work. He...

 

"One of America's legendary heroes comes to vivid life in William Bernhardt's impressive Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness. This is a terrific story of madness and obsession: The plot is compelling, the writing crisp, and the dialogue evocative. Add to that the disclosure of the real-life identity of America's first serial killer and you've got yourself a winner and then some."

 

"Painted on a broad canvas, William Bernhardt's Nemesis is expertly controlled, rich in imagery, blessed with fine characterization. Great authenticity, utter realism, and some fascinating legal skullduggery are woven together into a supple, elegant thriller. William Bernhardt is a born stylist, and his writing through the years has aged like a fine wine and is now sharper, deeper, and better than ever."

 

"The Untouchables. The Unknowns. The Unspeakable. Evil has many levels. In William Bernhardt's chilling Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness, a real-life American hero descends to the bottom of it, confronting the most dangerous adversary of his career."

 

Nemesis by William Bernhardt
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