Mississippi Mud: Southern Justice and the Dixie Mafia

by Edward Humes

Book, 2010

Genres

General Nonfiction

Nonfiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Gallery Books (2010), Paperback, 448 pages

Description

NOW UPDATED WITH EXPLOSIVE COURTROOM DETAILS. . . . The riveting true-crime account of the heartbreaking murder that shook a Southern city to its corrupt foundation BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI: After the fatal shooting of one of the city's most prominent couples--Vincent Sherry was a circuit court judge; his wife, Margaret, was running for mayor--their grief-stricken daughter came home to uncover the truth behind the crime that shocked a community and to follow leads that police seemed unable or unwilling to pursue. What Lynne Sposito soon discovered were bizarre connections to the Dixie Mafia, a predatory band of criminals who ran The Strip, Biloxi's beachfront hub of sex, drugs, and sleaze. Armed with a savvy private eye--and a .357 Magnum--Lynne bravely entered a teeming underworld of merciless killers, ruthless con men, and venal politicians in order to bring her parents' assassins to justice.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member gypsysmom

Mississippi Mud reveals the dark underbelly of Mississippi life. Two upstanding citizens of Biloxi, MS, Vincent and Margaret Sherry, were slain in their house in a typical hired assassin style. Vincent was a Circuit Court judge and Margaret was active in city politics. Their bodies were discovered

by their best friend and Vince's law partner, Pete Halat. When their oldest daughter, Lynne Sposito, was contacted she immediately assumed that Margaret's attempts to clean up the Strip and oust the current mayor were the reason for the killings. Lynne was therefore wary that the Biloxi Police Department which was controlled by the mayor would be able to solve the murders. As it turned out, the Biloxi PD did mess up the initial investigation and it was only because of Lynne's relentless probing that the case continued to be investigated. She even hired a private investigator at a substantial cost. Eventually, charges were brought against a number of hardened criminals who had conducted a scam against gay men from prison. However, one of the people involved on the outside was not charged because of a lack of evidence.

This book goes into substantial, sometimes excessive, detail about the investigation and trial. But it was a fascinating read and ultimately satisfying. The details revealed about the scam and prison life in Angola, one of the worst prisons in the US, were especially interesting. According to the book the scam even reached into Canada with one MP being caught up.

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