''Power on Earth'' is a biography of

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

-linked

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

banker and accused murderer

Michele Sindona Michele Sindona (; 8 May 1920 – 22 March 1986) was an Italian banker and convicted felon. Known in banking circles as "The Shark", Sindona was a member of Propaganda Due (#0501), a secret lodge of Italian Freemasonry, and had clear connecti ...

written by

Nick Tosches Nicholas P. Tosches (; October 23, 1949 – October 20, 2019) was an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet. His 1982 biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, '' Hellfire'', was praised by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as "the best rock and roll ...

. Based on his own in-depth research, including several interviews with Sindona himself while he was in prison awaiting trial, Tosches tells Sindona's rise from poor beginnings to becoming one of the world's most powerful bankers. It also details his connections with the Gambino crime family, the

Vatican Bank The Institute for the Works of Religion ( it, Istituto per le Opere di Religione; la, Institutum pro Operibus Religionis; abbreviated IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, is a financial institution situated inside Vatican City and run by a ...

, the

Franklin National Bank Franklin National Bank, based in Franklin Square on Long Island, New York was once the United States' 20th largest bank. On October 8, 1974, it collapsed in obscure circumstances, involving Michele Sindona, renowned Mafia-banker and member of ...

in Long Island, New York, and the murder of

Giorgio Ambrosoli Giorgio Ambrosoli (; 17 October 1933 – 11 July 1979) was an Italian lawyer who was gunned down while investigating the malpractice of banker Michele Sindona. Liquidating Sindona’s financial empire Appointed by the court as liquidator ...

, a lawyer overseeing the liquidation of his banks.

Foreign Editions

* (Italian)
Il mistero Sindona
le memorie e le rivelazioni di Michele Sindona'' (Published in Milano by editor SugarCo in 1986. 316 pages) Dewey class: 332.1 * (German) ''Geschäfte mit dem Vatikan. Die Affäre Sindona.'' München 1987. Books by Nick Tosches 1986 non-fiction books Arbor House books Non-fiction crime books {{crime-bio-book-stub