Just about to start this book.Looks like a decent read..

Tim Newark 2007-The Mafia At War.Allied Collusion With The Mob


Does anybody know who the two on the left is.And is that Winston Churchill with a tommy gun.

Thanks for posting the review, DeNiro. And in the photo, you're seeing FDR, Meyer Lansky, Charlie Luciano and yes, Winston Churchill with the Thompson. That's a real photo. Churchill famously posed with a Thompson before WWII, when he was between political offices.

KING OF THE GODFATHERS by Anthony M. DeStefano.

This biography of Joe Massino's reign over the Bonanno Family is a rarity among Mob books--it's well written, meticulously researched, and avoids the lurid, tabloid prose that infects most Mafia bios. It's a bit short on the details of Massino's early life and his entry into the Bonanno Family. But once he got in, he rose through a combination of good judgment, good luck and (initially) restraint. Massino had a knack for choosing the right sides and rackets. He apparently avoided the drug-trafficking that was so rampant in the Bonannos, and the Sicilians ("Zips") who were pushing it. When he made captain, he stayed loyal to boss Philip (Rusty) Rastelli, and allied himself with Dominick (Sonny Black) Napolitano against three rival captains who were plotting to unseat him. Then, after the Donnie Brasco revelations, he moved against Sonny Black. Then he eliminated Cesare Bonventre, leader of the Zips. Then he was alone at the top. Massino also avoided arrest until he was about 40 years old--pretty good for a full-time gangster. Once he became Don, the temptations of excess, combined with rampant disloyalty, undid him. Almost all his close campari, starting with brother in law "Good Looking Sal" Vitale, turned rat. Facing a death sentence after two convictions, Massino himself turned rat. He was forced to turn over $10 million in assets--more than $7m in cash. He now lives by himself in a federal prison.
Lest you think he was a pretty "smart" Don, consider this "Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" stuff:
--Early on, he and a buddy planned to rob the Shah of Iran's sister of several million in jewels. They bluffed their way into her NYC residence by lugging an empty box and claiming they were delivering a TV. The security guard let them in. Then Massino's accomplice pulled a gun and shouted, "Hands up." Problem was, he pulled the trigger, too--wounding the guard, whose cries forced them to drop the box and leave empty-handed.
--He and Sonny Black brought off the massacre of the three rival captains successfully. But then Massino, anxious to show comradeship with the Gambinos and his pal John Gotti, farmed out the burial to two Gambino dunces (one of whom was Gotti's brother Gene). The dimwits buried one of the victims, Alfonse (Sonny Red) Indelicato, with his hand sticking out of the ground. Instead of disappearing forever, he was found in less than a week, setting in motion the entire chain of investigations and prosecutions that led to Massino's downfall.
--Sensing that indictments would be coming down on him, Massino asked an associate if he could hide out in his father's place in the Poconos. The father agreed. Massino hid out successfully. But then this mighty and wealthy Mafia Don shoplifted a bottle of aspirin and was caught. He used his fake name, Joe Russo, and was actually let go by the police. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."

Many thanks to PB for tipping me to this excellent book, which I highly recommend.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it TB.

It was so refreshing to read about the Bonanno family of the 1970's, from a point of view OTHER than Pistone's or Bill Bonanno's, wasn't it?

Anyway, when I saw that Jerry Capeci gave it a blurb as the "best and final word on the matter of the Bonanno family," I knew it would be top notch (Capeci NEVER praises the writings of his contemporaries).

Footnote- This book was originally published as THE LAST GODFATHER, in hardcover. It's been re-issued in paperback as KING OF THE GODFATHERS to avoid confusion with a terrible book of the same name.

Since I gave up on The Godfather's Revenge (Awful, Awful Awful ), I guess I'll purchase King of the Godfathers.

ive ordered this now thanks tb and pb sounds great cant wait to get in to it

I have just started reading the last gangster by George Anastasia about the philly mob im only a chapter in so i cant really make a coment but its not bad so far has anybody else read this?

I've read it and enjoyed it a great deal. George Anastasia is kind of like the Jerry Capeci of the Philly mob.

im glad you have said that pb its very in depth already which is a good sign for me

THE BROTHERS BULGER by Howie Carr

Despite occasional lapses into tabloid prose, this is a pretty competent bio of the two brothers: Billy, a Massachusetts politician who became President of the State Senate and one of the most powerful politicos in the state; and older brother Whitey, the notorious mob leader.
Billy, called "the corrupt midget" by his foes, probably wasn't more corrupt than the average Mass. state rep (which is to say, pretty corrupt). Apparently his lust for power didn't leave him a lot of time for stealing. Except for having to return some money he made on a weird real estate deal, Billy was content to profit from steering state business to his law firm, accepting junkets, etc. After leaving public office, he was appointed president of UMass, which he treated as an extension of the State House--patronage, padded payrolls, etc. He was finally forced out after various investigations, but about the only charge that stuck was lying about not having a phone conversation with his brother. Before he left UMass, Billy managed to vastly jack up his pension, termination allowance, etc. A regular good old boy. His is an interesting political story, but not out of the ordinary by Mass. standards.

Whitey got to the top of the Boston crime heap by being less stupid and more ruthless than his Mafia counterparts. He also cultivated several spectacularly corrupt FBI agents. In return for feeding them tidbits of info about other criminals, the agents protected Whitey's rackets, tipped him to investigations and potential rat-outs, and may have killed for him. Later he simply paid them off, and got more favors. Eventually, Whitey's FBI connection enabled him to eliminate all opposition by having the taxpayers, in the persons of his FBI pals, kill or arrest them. Brother Billy's political influence helped the FBI guys to get high-paid jobs at Boston Edison when they left the Bureau.

But, other than pulling a few strings for Whitey when he was (infrequently) jailed, Billy was smart enough to keep arms-length from his notorious brother. He tut-tutted and blarneyed away questions about their filial connection, but it never seriously hurt him.

Tipped off by the FBI and others, Whitey took it on the lam in the 90's and hasn't surfaced since. He stashed away plenty of money, and apparently is living well. Billy is fat, happy and retired on those overblown pensions and perks. I still believe crime doesn't pay, but "The Brothers Bulger" is stressing my convictions.

Just started reading this.Probley the most important mafia book of its day.

This is my first-ever post... and I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding-- I mean, to this bulletin board service-- and I hope your first child is a masculine child.

However, since I can't guarantee the gender of your offspring, a few book reviews will have to do as my first, respectful offering...

Here are a few titles that I haven't seen mentioned yet.

Joe Dogs: The Life & Crimes of a Mobster by Joseph Iannuzzi

The author of this book was a Florida-based associate of the NYC Gambino Family who ultimately turned against that organization and testified against its members in Federal Court. His main point of connection with the Gambinos came in the form of a button man named Tommy Agro, who was apparently a rather vicious gangland specimen indeed. However, it's interesting to note that Iannuzzi also cruised and schmoozed with others, up to and including even the famous Joe N. Gallo-- much to Joe's ultimate regret...

This book makes for an interesting read, as it provides one with a perspective that is more akin to that of the street soldier who deals with violence frequently and directly than the lofty administrator, who is more likely to be found scheming than actually pulling triggers, swinging baseball bats, or wielding spluttering chainsaws.

The scenarios depicted by Joe Dogs are frequently gritty, nasty, and violent, and so this book is necessarily more sensational than scholarly insofar as its literary formula is concerned.

It's hard to say how great a fountain of truth and veracity Mr. Iannuzzi may or may not have been, or how accurate his biography might be. Ultimately, I would suspect that he probably lies just about as much as any other gangster would-- meaning that he lies a lot. Caveat emptor!

My Life in the Mafia by Vincent Charles Teresa

This book, once trumpeted as being the most insightful written account of the doings of traditional North American organized crime families, was ultimately doomed to be exposed as being more well-stocked with baloney than a corner delicatessen. However, it's still worth reading (despite the proven embellishments of its motor-mouthed author), as there are all kinds of more verifiable tidbits to be found here and there-- some of which include major players such as Raymond Patriarca and Carmine Galante.

Vinnie Teresa, like Joe Valachi before him and the dozens who followed him, became a government witness deluxe. At one point, he even gave sworn deposition to a congressional committee, which, to everyone's delight, he regaled with all sorts of unlikely stories that included accounts of such shenanigans as his use of piranha fish to stimulate reluctant loan shark debtors to cough up the vig. But again, much of what he had to say was ultimately questionable. Not that the feds balked all that much at the time...

Vinnie has also managed to stay in the Witness Protection Program-- a thing that Joe Dogs can't claim to have accomplished.

All in all, this is an okay read, especially if you're interested in the guys and their games as were to be found in New England about thirty years ago.

Sam the Plumber by Henry A. Ziegler

This is a very interesting book even though it is not as juicy as the two titles above. Essentially, it consists of bits and pieces of transcripts that reproduced the conversations recorded between Sam DeCavalcante and various minions of his eponymous family, which are presented alongside filler material provided by the author. This filler material purports to explain just what Sam and those crazy boys from Jersey were actually talking about at the time-- and I think the author did a pretty good job of it, all things considered.

This book made me squirm as I read it, not that there's anything by way of explicit blood and guts to be found within its pages. Instead, I found myself feeling uncomfortable at times to see poor Sam expose his true, somewhat callow and egregious nature, to something as harsh, heartless, and unforgiving as a an aggravatingly well-planted FBI bug. You just can't help but feel sorry for this hapless paisan, Sam the Plumber.

As the book winds on, we find that this minor don is something of an emotional whirlwind. He is by turns grandiose or humble, ecstatic or depressed, commanding or overwhelmed. But I'll give the guy this much: he was indeed true to the code and creed of his corrupt way of life.

Although it's fun to see Sam cavorting at times-- once having two different women on two different phone lines, and switching back and forth between them to tell them how much he loved them and how special they were-- the most important sections of the book deal with Sam's liaison with the Really Big Boys of the National Commission, a group that Sam is clearly overawed by.

Sam ends up serving as a would-be intermediary to the crafty Joe Bonanno during the infamous Banana War, and it's very interesting to watch the gyrations that ensue as Sam even tries to subvert an undecided Bonanno solider into abandoning his loyalty to his boss, Joe Bananas.

Therefore, this book will probably appeal to those of you who have already read and enjoyed Joe's autobiography, A Man of Honor, and are already acquainted with Joe's haughty and disdainful attitude towards Sam and the way that Joe fumed at even the idea of talking seriously with such small fry.

By reading this book, we get a whiff of Sam's take on the whole business of being the message boy of his gods in the city. In keeping with his moody comportment, Sam is by turns fairly glowing with pride or he is burdened by the great responsibility of it all. And most of the time, one can tell that he's also scared silly. But then, I'd have been scared too!

I do recommend that people interested in the Banana War read this one. It's solid gold.

and finally we have:

Mafia Kingfish by John H. Davis

This book was mainly written to try and "prove" that Carlos Marcello-- the Big Daddy in the Big Easy-- was up to his quivering jowls in the assassination of JFK. To this end, the author does an acceptable job, although I am not willing to sit here and write that I believe all of his theories are correct. However, it does make for an interesting read, especially if one is given to speculation concerning the apparent conspiracy that killed the president. But to this reviewer, the background provided by Mr. Davis as to the origins and makeup of the New Orleans family-- said to be the first mafia family in the United States-- is the most fascinating material in the book.

Carlos Marcello was easily one of the most interesting of the great dons of yesteryear, and the near-flamboyance of both Carlos and the organization he heads comes across loud and clear. It's strange to say that the NOLA mob had attributes that fairly mirrored the environment from which they sprang: exotic New Orleans. But there you have it.

This becomes especially apparent when one takes stock in just how much de boys seem to enjoy talking about food!

This book is also interesting in that we get to see what sort of connections Carlos had with his counterparts in the Big Apple-- especially Frank Costello-- and also as we come to find that while Carlos was probably one of the most autonomous bosses in the United States, he was still sometimes subject to the influence of the national commission. An account of the famous raid at the La Stella restaurant in 1966 is provided to this end, and it makes good reading in itself.

Frankly, I wish Mr. Davis had decided to write a more general sort of book about the wily Uncle Carlos, and to have refrained from trying to tie the old boy to every sensational political murder of the 1960's this side of Rafael Trujillo. But because the style of the writing is so coherent-- and as free of sensational influences as a document of this nature could hope to be-- I do recommend it.

And that's it for now, goombata... see you in church!

Welcome, Eddie! I enjoyed your reviews. Hope you'll post more reviews, and post on the other boards.

Great first post, Eddie! I echo Turnbull's welcome to you.

Finally finished "FIVE FAMILIES" by Selwyn Raab!
Took me a little while but it was worth it. I found this book to be excellent. Mr. Raab knows his stuff but i have seen him on Mafia shows before so i already knew that before i bought the book!
Although some parts of the book cover famaliar ground i particularly enjoyed his accounts about GasPipe Casso's reign and Joe Massino's rise and downfall!
Anybody who has'nt read this?
Buy it yesterday
Brilliant!

I read this also,a great book isn't it,so much information and well written.

The best-ever Mob book. A must!

Hopefully its there at Waterstones, I'm going to go tommorrow and get it.

Its in the nottingham store im always in there looking for new true crime books on the mafia..

I intend on buying this book in the next few weeks. Book about the infamous hitman."Ice man"

hahaha...I' always,these days,too drunk to talk,or even spell correctly.

I meant too drunk to read.

hahaha pissy!!!!

I have just bought this one De Niro!
Cost me a tenner in Waterstones...for a paperback??

Cool,let me know how it is won't you..

Will do mate

i have just ordered this book, Cullotta (The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness) by Dennis Griffin and Frank Cullotta sounds like a pretty good book to me ill let you know what it was like.

Has anybody else read this? if so what are your thoughts?

NIAGARA FALLS — A book that showcases the exploits of criminals like the late mob boss Stefano Magaddino and killer William Shrubsall might not be everyone’s idea of the best way to interest tourists in Niagara Falls.

But the authors of “Niagara Falls Confidential: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in the Honeymoon Capital of the World” think visitors will enjoy it.

“We went for the kind of stories that you won’t find in any other history book about Niagara Falls,” said Mike Hudson, who wrote the book with his wife, Rebecca Hudson.

“There’s a big feeling in the Falls that stories like this will discourage tourism. I disagree. I think people who visit a new city like to read about things like this. I think people who live in the Falls will be interested, too.”

According to Hudson, Niagara Falls has a disturbingly rich history of crime and corruption.

Among the characters whose stories are detailed in the 120-page book:

• Magaddino, who died in 1974, by far the most powerful Mafia boss ever to operate in Western New York.

• Shrubsall, an honor student who bludgeoned his mother to death with a baseball bat in 1988 and later faked suicide and fled to Canada to avoid prosecution for rape.

• “Big Ed” Delahanty, a hard-drinking major league baseball star who went over the Horseshoe Falls and died in 1903.

• James A. “Jimmy” LiBrize, a colorful attorney whose gruesome 1969 murder remains a mystery.

• Frederick E. Toy, an Army sergeant from Niagara Falls who was decorated in 1891 for taking part in the massacre of an estimated 300 Indians at Wounded Knee, S.D.

The book, published by a small new company called Tuscarora Books, went on sale Friday for $19.95.

A Niagara Falls tourism official said she isn’t exactly thrilled about the book but isn’t upset about it, either.

“It’s not what we would focus on,” said Kate Scaglione, director of marketing and communication for the Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. “We’d rather focus on tamer things, like our city having the oldest state park in the United States, the Maid of the Mist being the oldest tourist attraction in North America, and Niagara Falls being the northernmost stop on the Underground Railroad.

“But there are odd little tidbits that have happened over the years, and I can see people having some interest. It’s part of the folklore, like Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio coming here.”

Hudson, 51, editor of the Niagara Falls Reporter weekly newspaper, is no stranger to the concept of stirring things up. In the 1970s, he toured nationally and recorded as the lead singer of the Pagans, a punk rock band.

He later became a writer, starting the Reporter in 2000 with publisher Bruce Battaglia. The newspaper has battled publicly with politicians — notably Mayor Vince Anello — and Hudson said he was once beaten up by a group of Laborers Local 91 supporters after writing a series of articles that criticized the union.

He and Battaglia hope to publish at least nine other books, including some about local sports and one detailing decades of corruption involving Laborers Local 91

Could be a great book

Picked this up at Barnes & Noble while I was in California:

The Case Against Lucky Luciano: New York's Most Sensational Vice Trial ,by Ellen Poulsen

I read this book after it was mentioned several times on this board (thank you, PB and others).
Most people who are familiar with Charlie Luciano's life know that his conviction and 30-50 year sentence for "compulsory prostitution" (Mann Act, so-called "White Slavery") was a trumped-up deal, managed by DA Tom Dewey (later Governor of New York, later twice GOP Presidential candidate) to get Luciano personally. Ellen Poulsen goes over the case in a rather selective way that adds little new to that conclusion.

More than a third of the book is given over to a description of how the prostitution rackets worked in NYC in the Thirties, It was a vicious but tidily run industry, in which madams paid "bookers" (not pimps, but employment jobbers) to have whores assigned to them. The bookers and madams paid "bondsmen"--busted lawyers and bail bondsmen who corrupted cops and magistrates. If a paid-up madam was raided, the bondsmen would get her and her girls out of jail, or the charges dropped. If they didn't pay, they'd have the charges pumped up and rigged against them. Non-payers also were beaten and abused. The hookers paid most: at a time when the Depression dropped the price per trick to $3 or even $2 a throw, the girls seldom kept more than $1 per john.

It was a big racket, but its operation was too diffused to allow anyone to really run it--the accusation against Luciano. While he undoubtedly profited from prostitution, he was scarcely the "kingpin" that Dewey made him out to be. The testimony against him was offered by drug-addicted hookers and other lowlifes who'd make the witnesses against Gotti look like daily communicants. Quite a few recanted their testimony after the trial. The trial record showed tenuous connections and a lot of hearsay evidence--"my booker said he heard Charlie say that he was going to reduce all madams to employees"--that kind of stuff. Nonetheless, the jury was out for only five hours before convicting Luciano and all his co-defendants.

Poulsen never takes a stand on the "justice" or "injustice" of Dewey's proceedings against Luciano--she just presents selected parts of the testimony, along with selected parts of various characters' bio, in a manner that's so matter-of fact as to be boring at times--an unusual accomplishment given the sensational nature of the case. That piecework approach left me unsatisfied. While she outlined Luciano's life and part of his career, she never invoked the broader context. For example, while describing the bare bones of the assassinations of the "Moustache Petes" Masseria and Maranzano, which Luciano organized with Meyer Lansky's help, she never tells us about the Castellemmarese War--the biggest event in 20th Century US Mob history--or the Commission that resulted.
Not a great read.

The Outfit-Gus Rosso



Just brought this and will be reading soon.Hope its good.Ive heard many good things about this..