A couple of weeks ago a new channel arrived on Sky Digital over here called the Crime and Investigation channel. My g/f's hobby is research into serial killers so there's plenty to keep her occupied, but there was a fantastic documentary on the other night about Joe 'The Rat' Valachi.

I will be honest when I say I didn't know too much about Valachi prior to the programme; I knew that he was the first wiseguy to flip from reading The Luciano Testament (and Lucky was not a happy bunny about it all!) and I knew, as part of my own research into the Kennedy Assassination, that he testified at the McClellan Committee. But I never realised the depth of omerta that he'd revealed at the hearings, including the structure of the Genovese Family. From the symbolism of the 'making ceremony' to the everyday gritty operations of your average mafia soldier, I mean this guy gave it all up.

I'd like to know more about him and perhaps watch the McClellan Committee tapings. I'm going to try and find the Valachi Papers by Peter Maas tomorrow in town, but will probably end up ordering it online. Can anyone recommend any sites with more info on Valachi? Wikipedia's site is rather scant as are their links to external Valachi sites.

Try this site:

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/mob_bosses/valachi/war_4.html

The Maas book is one of the best Wiseguy readings written. Once you get hold of it you'll enjoy it. Here's my review of it:

Valachi Papers. By Peter Maas. Usually whilst reading accounts of Wiseguys straight from their own mouths can be perturbing, you want to believe what they say is true, but their whole life revolves around scheming, lying, cheating and the whole ‘respect’ thing etc. So you usually take what’s said with a pinch of salt, conversations and events may not have gone like the Wiesguy wants you to believe. The Valachi Papers is different. For Joe Valachi has an amazing recall and sharpness of memory as both Maas and law enforcement officials will attest to. Everything is confirmed and it leaves you with piece of mind and even a little trust for Valachi.

It’s an excellent book into the ‘rats’ life, from his earliest burglary days, through the Castellamarese War, Vito Genovese ascension to power and finally the brutal act in prison in which he bludgeoned an innocent man whom he mistook for another inmate, a Mafia hitman was actually out to kill him because they wrongly believed he was an informer.

In the confinement of prison where their was no escape, he had two options, die by the hands of the Mafia and be forever branded a rat in his death, or actually become a rat and live. The rest is history.

Thanks for the link, Turnbull, and thanks to Turi for the review. I didn't manage to get hold of the book in town so I'll order it from Amazon.

I'm sure that the Valachi Papers will provide an interesting comparison with Henry Hill's books

I'm with Turi... its a book worth reading. DO NOT waste your time, however, watching the movie of the same name (starring Charles Bronson). (Its baaaaad).

I second that--totally! However, there's a bit of unintended humor in that film. Unlike the GF Trilogy, where FFC was fanatical in his attention to deail (especially the use of cars), "The Valachi Papers" makes some memorable car-gaffes:
In one scene, where Bronson is driving a '34 Ford at night, he's passed by a '71 Dodge station wagon. Later, while behind the wheel of what appears to be a '41 Buick, we see a '68 Checker Cab pass by. Near the end, they show the famous, aborted Apalachin, NY, Mafia convention. The "crawl" (lettering on the screen) says, "October 1957." Immediately, two New York State Troopers pull up--driving '59 Fords. (Boy, those cops always get first dibs on the new models!)