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What rare set of circumstances and deeds could have led a smart, athletic Italian-German boy, and later his son, to both have their death sentences ordered by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda? Shifty Shuller and his son, Nick, a young retired submarine officer and graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, are criminals facing a possible death penalty by New York State. In addition, the major Mafia families in the nation have an open hit contract on them.
This novel traces two generations of Mafia Dons. The complex Shifty Shuller, the patriarch of the Shuller crime family, is immensely likable, intelligent, spiritual and fascinating, a man of conflicting moral values. His accession in the Mafia and incredible success as the “Secret Don” and legitimate businessman are chronicled during his sixty years importing heroin while also making millions legally. The title character Nick is Shifty’s son, who comes home from early retirement as a Naval Officer to run his ailing father’s businesses. After convincing his reluctant father he could run the incredibly lucrative crime business while staying insulated from danger, Nick begins his rein as the second generation “Secret Don” of the Shuller crime family.
In New York on September 11, 2001, Nick experiences the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He is enraged and obsessed with turning his peculiar talents to helping America catch or kill Osama bin Laden, becoming... the patriotic don.
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Allan Shiflet
