During the 1600s the Crown Jewels of France were stolen. They were stolen again in 1791. In the early 1900s they were stolen for a third time and ended up in the possession of the Masserias a newly formed mafia family vying for the power to control the streets of NYC. This power struggle resulted in a raging war between the Masseria and Maranzano crime families. It was a time when the Sicilian "Black Hand" was being phased out and replaced by the new, emerging, American mafia families. It was also a time when the Crown Jewels of France disappeared and were never seen again, until they were stolen for a fourth time. WHO IS THE MAFIA There are some who believed that the words Mafia and La Cosa Nostra applied specifically to the Sicilians. These words have been broken down into Morte Alla Francia Italia Anela. The word mafia has been interpreted as death to the French, who during the 12th century invaded and occupied the island. Then, during the 13th century, Sicily was again invaded by the Germans, Greeks, Austrians and Spanish. After living in fear for hundreds of years Sicily emerged with the most active, controlled and regimented criminal organization known to man. The mafia adapted a family concept based on honor, respect, fear, obedience, silence, and numerous other principals the basis of which was loyalty. Problems that arose during this time often resulted in a vengeance or a vendetta. The problems were usually compromised by a knife or rope, and in later years it became the lupara or shotgun. THE SITUATION During the late 1800s and early 1900s as America was being shaped, it provided the Sicilian Mafia with an excellent opportunity to take roots as Mussolini attempted to annihilate the Mafia or LCN from Sicily. The criminal cartel, also called, the Black Hand, fled to American where they were joined by thousands of hard working Italians who were doing nothing more than looking for a better life. The Mafia grew throughout America making its mark on just about every major city in the country. This book is about the French, Italian and American mafia. The theme encompasses the 1920s as well as the world of the Mafia the way it exists today. During the 1920s and early 1930s thousands of murders and over a million gallons of illegal alcohol were attributed to the workings of the Mafia. New York City was a center for these activities and a very large percentage of the murders, deaths, and illegal distribution of alcohol took place on the streets of New York. The majority of the illegal alcohol came from Westchester County, a rural area just north of the city. THE CALDER MINES In this episode Ross's business at Yankee Investigations again gets him involved in murder, the French mafia, the American Mafia and the "Rainier Blue Diamond", part of the French Crown Jewels. The Calder Mines is a story that originated in the U.S. during the 1920s and lay dormant for three quarters of a century. It is the story of the killings that took place over eight decades ago and were just recently revealed. THE BLUE DIAMOND The story tells of hidden mafia money and a locked attaché case that held the Blue Diamond. The Blue Diamond's hiding place remained unknown until? The diamond was just a little smaller than the Hope Diamond. Now, during the 21st century, the diamond was being sought by a NYC mafia family, the French Mafia, the FBI, the French Government and Michael "Mickey" Ross. The theme of the Calder Mines involves this precious blue stone and the story travels from New York City to the Isle of Corsica and back to New York. Ross attempts to continue his lifestyle of traveling to the Hamptons to his summer home on the ocean while conducting an investigation to find the precious stone. The Calder Mines is an action packed book and has an appealing storyline that will hold your attention during each and every chapter. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I did writing it. RICH