CONFESSIONS OF A MAFIA BOSS - GASPIPE
by Philip Carlo

A G.E.D. in English Composition would have served him better.

Thanks again SC, but I won the book in the auction. Your offer is greatly appreciated though!

Don Cardi

A Man of Honor by Joe Bonanno – it's a self serving autobiography, but its fun reading to see his side of the story.
By SC


Black Book and the Mob (The) by Ronald A. Farrell and Carole Case. Definitive history of gambling in Nevada and how the Mob came to dominate it. Makes "Casino" read like a dime novel.
By Turnbull


Bloedsporen: een Reis naar de Mafia (Bloodtracks: a Journey to the Mafia) by Danny Ilegems and Raf Sauviller

This book was written by two Belgian writers, it's in Dutch, I tried to find English translations but couldn't find them.

It deals with Silvio Berlusconi and his Forza Italia (the book was published in '95 so not exactly up to date), the very beginning of the mafia, the 60s and 70s in which Milan would to become Italy's biggest Northern-Italian mafianest, the late 70s and the 80s of Toto Riina and heroin, uptil 1995. Also, the immigration of the Sicilians in the 50s and 60s in the BENELUX who came to recognise that Holland and Belgium are walhalla for criminals.

Very interesting for Dutch and Belgian people who are fairly new to the subject of organised crime (This is only my second book), but not particularly interesting for those who have read more about it.
By Michael Corleone 14.


The Boardwalk Jungle by Demaris - a little long in some spots, but some good insight into the Mob in Atlantic City.
By SC


Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story By Bill Bonanno. As with most books written by former mobsters, this book is a bit self-serving. But, it is an interesting read, especially the parts about how the mob got Kennedy elected, and then how and why they took him out.
By Rocky


Boss of Bosses by Joseph F. O'Brien and Andris Kurins. Life and downfall of Paul Castellano, told by the FBI guys who wiretapped his mansion. Pretty good.
By Turnbull


Capone, by John Kobler - a factual, easy-to-read life story of Big Al.
By SC


Capone by Laurence Bergreen. Most recent bio of Snorky has many interesting updates and theories. Kobler's book is the better read, but this is pretty good.
By Turnbull


Casino by Nicholas Pileggi, upon which the fim is based (with all the characters real names) and for which he also wrote the screenplay.
By Plawrence


Complete Idiot's Guide To The Mafia (The) by Jerry Capeci.
Really good book for a starter, it just tells the basic facts, La Cosa Nostra's history, family structure, etcetera. Everything's told by “subject”, so it's not chronologicly like an encyclopedia. Can at times get a little boring, there's a lot of dates, events and info that you have to absorb, but still a really good book for starters. By Michael Corleone 14.
Comrade Criminal by Stephen Handelman details life in modern (published in 1993, so modern minus about twelve years) Russia after to collapse of the Soviet Union. It tells how the different gangs came from, how they've evolved, and what kind of scams they run. It also deals a lot with political corruption but, because it's in Russia and it's twelve years old, those parts aren't really all that interesting.

Overall Comrade Criminal is a pretty good bood, I'd give it a B-.
By Cancerkitty.


Donnie Brasco: My Undercover life in the Mafia by Joe Pistone. If you like your true crime or more specifically Mafia books you're more than likely to enjoy this. Amazingly, Joe Pistone under the alias of Donnie Brasco infiltrated the Bonanno Family in New York posing as a jewel thief for 6 years. Pistone is a hero for the work he has done, his case alone sent away many mobsters to prison and his testimony in later cases such as the Commission case helped in sending some of the top echelon members of the New York Mafia. Some even suffered a fate worse than prison. Sonny 'Black' Napolitano, a Capo, was whacked based on the relationship he had with Donnie because he treated him as a made guy.

From start to finish the book is gripping, much better than the film which is rather inaccurate. But hey, that's Hollywood. From the Colombo's to the Bonanno's to the Wiseguy bosses in Florida and Milwakuee, Pistone gives his account of his undercover life. Not to be missed.
By Turi


For The Sins Of My Father (2002) by Albert DeMeo, son of Roy DeMeo, a notorious hitman in the Gambino family in the 1960s.
By Plawrence


Frank Costello: Prime Minister of the Underworld by George Wolf - some good insights.
By SC


GOTTI: Rise And Fall (1996) by Jerry Capeci and Gene Mustaine. This book is a pretty good read I'm on page 164. It has all the info on Gotti from when he first started out in the mob as a truck highjacker up to the case that put him in prison and all the stuff inbetween based on facts, recorded conversations and personal interviews with Gotti. By scarfacetm.


Honor thy Father by Gay Talese. Intimate account of the relationship between Joe Bonanno and his son Salvatore (Bill). Not a Mafia book per se, but a uniquely close perspective on this father/son relationship.
By Turnbull


King of the Mountain: Life and Death of Giuliano the Bandit. (1988) by Billy J Chandler. Readers of the Sicilian will recall Salvatore Guiliano immortalised by Mario Puzo in the fictional novel based on the real life bandit's life. King of the Mountain does a great job of commentating on the bandit's life and the struggle he led to fight the Mafia, award Sicily with independence and even contemplated annexing the Mediterranean island to America. It's the most unbiased account of his life available, whilst he was the Sicilian Robin Hood to some people he was also a terrorist in the eyes of others. The massacre at the Portella Della Ginestre is given exceptional importance in documenting Giuliano and leaves the reader to decide what happened. Overall an outstanding book on an outstanding person. Che Guevara still captures the hearts of many today – why shouldn't Giuliano.

So die all who betray Giuliano
By Turi


The Last Gangster (2004) by George Anastasia, the story of Ron Previte and the recent demise of the Philadelphia mob.
By Plawrence


The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano by Gosch Martin A. Gosch & Richard Hammer - informative, fact filled.
By SC

Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life by Robert Lacey - THE book to read about Lansky.
By SC


Made Men: The True Rise and Fall of a New Jersey Mob Family By Greg B Smith

On it's own it's just non fictional account of the New Jersey Mafia and most of it is based around one of the latest mob informers of that region, associate Ralphie Gaurino. This alone makes it a decent read for the avid Mafia enthusiast. Though it is not too exciting. What did higher my rating of the book were the relevant Sopranos name-dropping and similarities to the real New Jersey wiseguys. It's quite interesting realising that actual plot lines and characters from the Sopranos were stolen from current Mafia members from NJ. Not many shows would be audacious enough to that.

Overall, it's a good book worth reading, like I said, for the avid Mafia fan and made better if you're a fan of the Sopranos. Don't expect anything too exciting or a 'can't put down book'.
By Turi.


Mafia: The First 100 Years - Balsamo & Carpozi
Not a recommended book for a newcomer, due to it reading much like a novel for the first half, and not like non-fiction should do, for me. It gives an overall view of how the heads of the families work, without really giving any info on the specifics. Perhaps starting out on somebody in particular is a better way to go about it, and then broaden out to find other things about it. But if you're a newcomer to the subject, this is not recommended.
By Capo De La Cosa Nostra


Mafia U.S.A. by Nicholas Gage - somewhat outdated now, but some good general stuff here.
By SC


Mob Star: Story of John Gotti. by Gene Mustain, Jerry Capeci. This is probably the best Gotti book available which isn't saying much when the main rival is by the same authors. It's a fairly decent book with plenty of information on Gotti and his crew but a lot of it is questionable.

The main problem with the book is that it's outdated. First printed in 1988 before the Gotti saga had ended or at least semi ended when the once named Teflon Don for his ability to avoid conviction finally was put away. This "updated" version is only updated with a few extra chapters at the end and they very much feel like they've been rushed and just slapped on. Probably because John Gotti had recently died at the time and the authors wanted to cash in on it.

This book could have been a lot better if instead of sticking a few extra chapters at the end, the whole book was reworked. Because up to chapter 28 it is still based on information from 1988. You read it and you think they could have at least updated it with all the information provided now.
By Turi


Mob: Stories of Death and Betrayal from Organized Crime by Clint Willis

This is a great compilation of stories taken from the Mafia's greatest books, both fiction and non fiction. This book is great for beginners because it gives you pretty much a manual to the Mafia in novel form and written by some of the Mafia's greatest writers. It is also just genuinely enjoyable considering that, among books like Underboss, by Peter Maas and The Godfather, by Mario Puzo, there were also stories from other books that I had never even heard of like Defending the Mafia, by Frederic Dannen and The Don is Done, by Jeffery Goldberg. Together this a genuinely good book great for beginners and experts.
By Moscarelli


Murder Machine: A True Story of Murder, Madness and the Mafia. By Jerry Capeci and Gene Mustain. It's an average book at best. The lead character we follow is Dominick Montiglio, nephew to the Gambino Capo, Anthony Gaggi, loyal to the Castellano side of the Family. Montiglio tells his story, seeking pity and then ultimately his decision to rat and plays the victim. He's a very boring guy and most of the book is tiresome to get through.

There's plenty of good books on the Mafia I'd choose before reading this.
By Turi


My Life in the Mafia by Vincent Teresa. Absorbing account of day-to-day life in the New England Mob. Very good details of fascinating scams. Many interesting asides on other Mob families.
By Turnbull


Outfit (The) by Gus Russo
This is a very informative book, about 400 pages, I believe, of the Chicago Outfit history. This is pretty much everything you need to know about the outfit and its stretch to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington. And of course, its untimely fall, head first into the ground. It is a story of a rebel among rebels, one of the most powerful criminal organizations and widely outcast by most of the underworld. The Outfit is your manual to the Chicago Underworld.
By Don Genco


Playboy's Illustrated History of Organized Crime by Hammer - a truly wonderful general book (the stories are overly simple, but the pics and drawings are superb).
By SC


Red Mafiya by Robert I. Friedman deals with Russian organized crime in the Non-Russian world, mostly in the United States. I liked this one a lot better than Comrade Criminal because it focused more on the United States. The book profiles several different Russian gangsters and goes into detail on their different crimes. It's a pretty scary subject considering the nuclear situation.

I'd give this on a B+.
By Cancerkitty


Unless you have major interest in Atlantic City, stay away from this one. Not only is it long in some spots, it can also be extremely boring.
By Plawrence


Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America (The) by Albert Fried. Well researched account of Jewish gangsters, who were often bigger than Italian gangsters.
By Turnbull


Underboss: Sammy the Bull. By Peter Maas. For the avid Mafia reader this is a must. Sammy does blow his own trumpet a bit, but rightly so. He was a Wiseguy held with a lot of respect and power. Peter Maas does a great job keeping it balanced and fair throughout with his commentary. But most of it is written straight from Gravano's mouth and that's why it's so good to read.

Some points are controversial. Like in Boss of Bosses, the book on Castellano that was written by the FBI going after him, they claim to have implanted the bug in his Todt Hill mansion by a covert break in operation. In Underboss, the Bull refutes this. I guess it's up to us to decide what really happened.

Sadly the book only covers upto the Bull going into witness protection and then a slight update of him leaving it. But haters of him will be pleased to know Gravano, is now back in jail on drugs charges. He's unlikely to see freedom again. He ruined the fresh opportunity open to him to begin a new life. With the extraordinary deal the government gave him for his ratting, maybe this latest chapter on Sammy's life is well deserved.
By Turi


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.
By Turi


Way of the Wiseguy The by Joe Pistone. Flyweight addition to "Donnie Brasco" is still a quick and lively read.
By Turnbull


Wiseguy By Nicholas Pileggi, is the book that paved the way for the hit movie 'Goodfellas' to be made. We listen to the story of gangster Henry Hill as he tells us of his glorious days in the Mafia starting with when he was a kid in the 50's to when he became a major player in the 70's. The book shows you the rise and fall of a real gangster.
By Patrick

The Outfit by Gus Russo
This is a very informative book, about 400 pages, I believe, of the Chicago Outfit history.This is pretty much everything you need to know about the outfit and its stretch to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washinton. And of course, its untimely fall, head first into the ground. It is a stroy of a rebel among rebels, one of the most powerful criminal organizations and widely outcast by most of the underworld. The Outfit is your manual to the the Chicago Underworld.

"The Gangster Chronicles"
By Michael Lasker and Richard Alan Simmons


"We Only Kill Each Other: The True Story of Mobster Bugsy Siegel"
By Dean Jennings


Don Cardi

SC who else was in the "Public Enemies of the 1930's" collection?

Anyone know if this one is worth reading?
Is it only about the mob, or does it feature all kinds of ethnic organized crime?

"Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935" by Patrick Downey

Has anyone read this book?

But He Was Good to His Mother : The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters
by Robert A. Rockaway




Don Cardi 8)

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.

Just Brought.



£1.98 inc postage on Ebay