The Killing Fields of East New York

“Horn unspools a fast-paced and at times crackling yarn about the Brooklyn prosecutors and F.B.I. agents who pursued predatory lenders and brokers, as well as the bought-and-paid-for federal officials who enabled them… . The Killing Fields of East New York is a compelling reminder of the catastrophic consequences of white-collar crime.” —New York Times“By narrowly focusing on East New York, Horn … accomplishes a rare feat: making white-collar crime and government malfeasance the riveting centerpiece of a work of true crime.” —The Nation“Her vivid descriptions of East New York’s descent, and her persuasive identification of the forces behind it, are as stirring as they are infuriating. This sobering account shines a vital light on an underdiscussed chapter of recent American history.” —Publishers Weekly“A badly needed look at a societal problem that goes largely unaddressed while politicians outdo each other with tough-on-crime rhetoric…Horn provides an invaluable roadmap to how, and why, urban “renewal’’ can go tragically wrong.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review“Horn connects the dots as diligently as any detective between 1960s-era housing legislation, corruption in the mortgage and banking industries, and an explosion in violent street crime in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood ….” —The Progressive“The Killing Fields of East New York is a dense and fascinating read, laying bare so many of the issues that continue to plague America’s cities and the ways in which race and class are wielded against people who strive to create healthy communities. The subject matter is sad, dark, frustrating, and complex, but Horn’s coverage shines a much-needed light.” —BookReporter.com“In our age of sky-high housing costs and corporate takeovers of neighborhoods, Horn’s book is more than a gripping read—it’s a reminder that every city, neighborhood, and block has a story, one that’s still being written to this day.” —P.E. Moskowitz, author of How to Kill a City“Horn (Damnation Island, 2018) presents a thoroughly researched narrative … Her investigation uses numerous resources including extensive interviews. Readers will be drawn into the conversational style that places them in a world that illustrates just what happens when money and power fall into the wrong hands.” —Booklist“Journalist Stacy Horn offers a more complex diagnosis of East New York’s decline with her searing investigation of a white-collar criminal conspiracy that lined the real estate industry’s pockets while destroying a onetime affordable enclave for working- and middle-class families.”— Kristen Martin, book critic and author of The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow: The Dark History of American Orphanhood

Stacy Horn is a journalist and author of nonfiction books, including Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad & Criminal in 19th Century New York and The Restless Sleep: Inside New York City’s Cold Case Squad. Her last book, described on The Bowery Boys podcast as “your page-turning horror read for the summer,” turned out to be excellent preparation for the horror read she was to write next. Mary Roach has hailed her for “combining awe-fueled curiosity with topflight reporting skills,” while others have described her work as “immaculately researched” and “several notches above the typical reporter’s insights.” Horn’s commentaries have been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, and she lives in New York City.

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