There are already some threads about books, but I thought we could make a sort of guide/list for people who are looking for recommendations, I could update it according to your suggestions or eliminate books that you think contain too much misinformation and aren't good. I classified the ones I know according to countries (and according to different cities for the USA)

USA:


CITIES WITH COSA NOSTRA FAMILIES


New York:

“The Five Families” by Selwyn Raab
"The first family" by Mike Dash
"The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891–1931" by David Critchley


Chicago:

1) “The Black Hand: terror by letter” by Robert Lombardo (for 1905-1930)
2) “The Outfit” by Gus Russo (mostly 1920s-beginning of the 2000s)
3) “Family Secrets: The Case That Crippled the Chicago Mob” by Jeff Coen (2000s)

“The boys in Chicago Heights” by Matthew Luzi (for the Chicago Heights faction)



Detroit, Michigan:

1) “The Violent Years: Prohibition and The Detroit Mobs” by Paul Kavieff (Prohibition period)

“The Purple Gang: Organized Crime in Detroit” by Paul Kavieff (1910-1945)

2) “The Detroit True Crime Chronicles: Tales of Murder and Mayhem in the Motor City” by Scott Burnstein (for the post-Prohibition period)



Buffalo:

“DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime” by Thomas Hunt and Michael Tona (2 volumes)



Philadelphia:

1) "Before Bruno & How He Became Boss: The History of The Philadelphia Mafia" by Celeste Morello (3 volumes; 1880-1959)
2) “Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob - The Mafia's Most Violent Family” by George Anastasia (after 1959)


Cleveland:

"The Sly-Fanner murders" by Allan May
“The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn Sugar and Blood” by Rick Porrello
"To kill the Irishman" by Rick Porrello


Kansas city:

1) “Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family” by William Ouseley (1900-1950)
2) “Mobsters in our midst” by William Ouseley and Monroe Dodd (1950-2011)


New England:

“Animal: The Bloody Rise and Fall of the Mob's Most Feared Assassin” by Casey Sherman (Providence faction)

“Gangsters of Boston” by George Hassett
"The Underboss" by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill
(Boston faction)



Tampa:
“Cigar City Mafia” by Scott Deitche

Milwaukee:
“The Milwaukee Mafia: Mobsters in the Heartland” by Gavin Schmitt


St.Louis:

1) “Egan’s Rats” by Daniel Waugh (for 1890-1925)
2) “Gangs of St. Louis: Men of Respect” by Daniel Waugh (Prohibition period only)
3) “Crooks kill, cops lie” by Tim Richards (after Prohibition)



Denver:

“Mountain mafia” by Betty L. Alt and Sandra K. Wells



Rochester:

“The Hammer Conspiracies” by Frank A. Aloi


Still missing books about: New Orleans, San Francisco, San Jose, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, San Jose, Dallas


CITIES WITHOUT AN OFFICIAL COSA NOSTRA FAMILY:

Youngstown, Ohio:

“Crimetown U.S.A.: The History of the Mahoning Valley Mafia: Organized Crime Activity in Ohio's Steel Valley 1933-1963” by Allan May (I was told there will be a second volume about the period after 1963”



Warren, Ohio:

“Welcome to the Jungle Inn: The Story of the Mafia's Most Infamous Gambling Den” by Allan May



Hamilton, Ohio:

“Little Chicago” by Jim Blount (1919-1942)



Canton, Ohio:

“Murder of a Journalist: The True Story of the Death of Donald Ring Mellett” by Thomas K. Crowl (Prohibition period only)



Toledo, Ohio:

“Nothing personal, just business” by Kenneth Dickson (Prohibition period only)



Miami, Florida:

“Gangsters of Miami” by Ron Chepesiuk



Minneapolis, Minnesota:

“Minneapolis Underworld” by Elizabeth Johanneck



St.Paul, Minnesota:

“John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul” by Paul Maccabee (1920-1936 period)



Bradford, Pennsylvania:

“Bootleggers, Bullets and Blood: Prohibition and Gangsters in the Roaring Twenties” by Sally Costik (Prohibiton period only)



TEXAS (history of organized crime in the whole state):

“Last of the Texas Outlaws: From Prohibition to the 1980s” by Frank Lettere Macias




CANADA:

“Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada” by Stephen Schneider



MEXICO:

“Narcoland: The Mexican Drug Lords and Their Godfathers” by Anabel Hernandez and Iain Bruce




COLOMBIA:

Not sure which book about the Medellin cartel is the best (open for suggestions)

“At the Devil's Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel” by William C. Rempel (for the Cali cartel)

“The Takedown: A Suburban Mom, A Coal Miner's Son, and The Unlikely Demise of Colombia's Brutal Norte Valle Cartel” by Jeffrey Robinson (for the Norte del Valle cartel)



HAWAII:

“Hell-Bent: One Man's Crusade to Crush the Hawaiian Mob” by Jason Ryan




BRITAIN:

London: not sure which book to choose


Liverpool:

1) “The Cartel: The Inside Story of Britain's Biggest Drugs Gang” by Graham Johnson
2) “Young Blood: The Inside Story of How Street Gangs Hijacked Britain's Biggest Drugs Cartel” by Graham Johnson


Nottingham:

“Hoods” by Carl Fellstrom


Glasgow: not sure which book to choose



TURKEY:

“The Turkish Mafia” by Frank Bovenkerk and Yucel Yesilgoz




JAPAN:

“Yakuza: Japan's Criminal Underworld” by David E. Kaplan and Alec Dubro




CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES WITH THE TRIADS ACTIVE:

“The Dragon Syndicates: The Global Phenomenon on the Triads” by Martin Booth


INDIA:

"Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Women Who Ruled the Ganglands" by Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges
"Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia" by Hussain Zaidi
"Byculla to Bangkok" by Hussain Zaidi


IRELAND:

"Badfellas" by Paul Williams (for a general picture of history of Irish organized crime)
"Crime wars" by Paul Williams (some chapters contain more or less the same information as "Badfellas", others have additional information though, about international drug trafficking, Christy Griffin's gang etc)
"Evil Empire: The Irish Mob and the Assassination of Journalist Veronica Guerin" by Paul Williams (focused on the 90s and John Gilligan's gang)
"Murder Inc.: The Rise and Fall of Ireland's Most Dangerous Criminal Gang" by Paul Williams (specifically about crime in Limerick)
"Cocaine Wars" by Mick McCaffrey (about the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud)

Sicily - Excellent Cadavers - on par with 5 Families by Rayb as the best I've read. About the max trial and Borsellino/Falcone.

Chicago - Acardo - Roemer

Cuba - Havana Nocturne - TJ English - Lansky, Tampa

Irish - Paddy Whacked - TJ English
The Westies - TJ English

Chicago - Supermob : Sidney Korshak - Gus Russo - unbelievable book about a connected union fixer/attorney who infiltrates every strata of society including casino's, the White House, teamsters and major Hollywood studios. Highly recommend this one.

LA/Crips - Monster - Kody Scott

Boston - Black Mass - Lehr/Oneil - about Whitey Bulger.

Philly - Black Mafia - Griffen

Aside from Five Families that covers all of NYC history I think there should be a book that focuses specifically on organzied crime after RICO until now. Kind of sick of hearing about "the origin of the mafia" kind of books because we've all heard it soooo many times.

There a lot of books on recent things that happened in organized crime but it would be cool to see a book like five families cover more in depth 1970-present. 2 cents nicca.

Dwalin do u know is that Celeste morello book about how Angelo Bruno became boss available for kindle? I cant find it anywhere, dying to read it?

Yeah a Good Read Accardo by roemer

Wiseguy, Murder Machine and Donnie Brasco should be right after Five Families imo

Add "Mafia and the Machine" for KC, "
"The Trafficantes, Godfathers from Tampa, Florida: The Mafia, the CIA and the JFK Assassination" for Tampa, and "The Silent Don: The Criminal Underworld of Santo Trafficante for Tampa as well".

I havent read the last two but I've been eyeing them. Got held off because cigar city mafia badly needed some punctuation and an editor and hell Tampa is a little confusing when you're used to usual LCN. Anyways...

Consider adding "A Bad, Bad, Boy". Might not sound like it but its actually a biography of Frank Bompensiero the San Diego (LA family) captain. I guess that would go under San Diego alhough maybe someone who has read it can tell me if it covers LA too.

There's also Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family. Mob City for Reno.

I dunno shit about NY books other than the thousand gotti retreads make me want to eat nails.

The company she keeps was good. She was close with gingello and drove for carlo g

Im gonna order the rochester book...

Buffalo and kansas most boring mobs

Buffalo has a bloody and powerful history before RICO came into effect. Kansas City was powerful too but not as nearly bloody as Buffalo, Extortion.

There many books out there on the mob, only a few are excellent, some are good, while the rest adds things or leaves things out to flow with the writers view points.

Dwalin, There are a few books on Los Angeles, a couple on the LA family, while the rest talks about other families operating or trying to take over the LA area. There are no books on Dallas, San Jose, and San Francisco families, but are mentioned in books about other families doing business with them. I know Johnny of San Jose was going to write a book about his life as an associate to that family a few years ago, but decided not to. I heard Frankie Cigars kid was going to write a book on San Francisco but I have not heard anything since then. I have to look up that Reno book you mentioned, before Las Vegas, the Genovese, Profaci, Buffalo New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Kansas City families all had interests in that city starting from the early 1920's till Las Vegas became big in 1950 or so.

Mr. Untouchable (the Nicky Barnes book) by Evan Wright

American Desperado (Jon Roberts/Cocaine Cowboys) Evan Wright

These are two of the best true crime books out there. For anyone who wants to take a step outside of the traditional mob book, these are well written with heavy detail all fact checked, and tell the stories of two of the most successful independent gangsters of all time

Just joined this site and hoping to get some possible info at some point on some things, as well as learn what I can. Anyway, There may be another Milwaukee mob book in the works.