Growing up in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn, in the 1930s, your last name was either a shield or a target. For Lawrence “Larry Baccala” Abbandando, it was both. His father, Frank “The Dasher” Abbandando, wasn’t just a local tough guy—he was a premier executioner for the dreaded Murder, Inc., eventually trading his life for his crimes in the electric chair at Sing Sing.
Larry and his brother Frank Jr. inherited a legacy of blood and a neighborhood that whispered their name in hushed tones. But while the father lived by the ice pick, the sons tried to find a different way to navigate the life. They traded the hitman’s grim work for the high-stakes world of bookmaking, labor rackets, and the burgeoning Times Square “peep show” industry. From the grimy streets of Brooklyn to the neon lights of 42nd Street and the sun-drenched scams of South Florida, Larry Baccala lived a life defined by the shadow of “The Dasher”—right up until the family’s violent reputation finally caught up with the next generation. *Newly Revised and Expanded*
