Simon Read’s new book, “The Many Murders of Michael Malloy,” is now available, telling the remarkable true story of Michael Malloy, a homeless Irish immigrant from Donegal who repeatedly cheated death.
Michael Malloy, now a well-known figure in true crime lore, was targeted by a group of five men in early 1933 in a bizarre scheme. These men, infamously known as the “Murder Trust,” plotted to kill Malloy to collect on a lucrative life insurance policy.
However, their seemingly straightforward plan to prematurely end Malloy’s life was continually foiled by his astonishing resilience.
What ensued was a horrific sequence of events involving poisoned liquor, shots of antifreeze, rotten oysters, sardine sandwiches filled with glass, exposure to sub-zero temperatures, and even being struck by a taxi. Despite all of this, ‘Iron Mike’ Malloy stubbornly lived to be around 59 or 60 years old.
While details of Malloy’s early life in Donegal are scarce, the book illuminates his arrival in the United States as an anonymous individual. An alcoholic with no means, he relied on the generosity of his local speakeasy. In a desperate move, the bar’s owner, Tony Marino, along with an undertaker, a grocer, a taxi driver, and a local gangster, conspired to eliminate Malloy.
Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and drawing from police records, court transcripts, and sensationalized tabloid coverage, The Many Murders of Michael Malloy chronicles a crime so intricate and audacious that authorities initially dismissed it as unbelievable. However, the undeniable evidence ultimately revealed ‘the most grotesque chain of events in New York criminal history’, solidifying Malloy’s place as a true crime legend.
The Many Murders Of Michael Malloy: The unbelievable true story of the Irishman who refused to die by Simon Read is out now on Paperback, €18.99 | ISBN: 9781804583005
New book tells story of legendary Donegal man ‘who refused to die’ was last modified: June 4th, 2025 by
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