Has anybody read

"Five Families: The Rise, Decline and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires" - Selwyn Raab

I was thinking of getting this,what do people think of this

Thanks

Haven't read it myself, but many experts say it's one of the best books around.

I'll defintley be getting it,it looks like an interesting read with a lot of imformation

I read "Five Families" several months ago, and I found it to be one of the most informative books on the Mob. Absolutely indespensible.
Raab covered the Mob for the NY Times for many years. He starts with a fairly short history of the Five Families that many here will be familiar with. His history doesn't add much. But he absolutely excels in his accounts of the families from about 1970 to the present. Those were the years that he covered the Mob, and his exhaustively detailed accounts for the first time helped me to follow and make sense of the endless machinations and personnel changes in the families. He also explains the workings of many of the multi-family rackets (like the "Cement Club" and the waterfront operations) that yielded billions. Raab also, for the first time, presents a cogent explanation of how the RICO Act and its wiretapping provisions work; and how law enforcement, after a long learning curve, used RICO so effectively.
A challenging but highly rewarding read.

Thanks turnbull,sonunds interesting

Raab's book is superb.

Anyone read "Mobsters, Unions and Feds" by James Jacobs.

i am reading it at the moment, helping my dissertation immensely...the same can be said of "five families".

i just found this 1 on a website and was wondering if anyone has read it or seen it? i only read 1 review for it and it got bad ratings but anyways here it is.

Thanks for the recommendation, Turnbull. I'll most definitely be ordering it.

Speaking of which, as I was looking it up on Amazon.com, you know how when you're gonna order something, they usually recommend another book to go along with, similar in interest? The one they recommended with "Five Families" is a book called "Gangster City : The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935." I was wondering if anyone has read it, and if they recommended it.

After people's reccomendations just ordered:

I was looking through here, reading about the different books, and had a question. I got the book Cosa Nostra, History of the Sicilian Mafia, by John Dickie. I been reading it and it seems that the American mafia is thought to be different than the Sicilian mafia. Is there a book for beginner's that deals with the American mafia that anyone could recommend? Cosa Nostra is the first book I've read other than Mario Puzo's novels so I don't know much about anything other than what I read on here or look up online.

The Day Michael Collins Was Shot, by Meda Ryan.

The Day Michael Collins Was Shot is a book about General Michael Collins, Commander-In-Chief of the Free State Army, and Director Of Intelligence for the Irish Republican Brotherhood or IRB (which is now known as the Irish Republican Army or IRA.)

Michael, or Mick as he was called by his friends, fought in the War Of Independence against British soldiers, where he bombarded the Dublin GPO.

This book, however, focuses more on the Civil War that occurred in Ireland after the War Of Independence. Michael was asked by Eamon de Valera, an American living in Ireland and the Commander-In-Chief of the IRB to negotiate with the British Government for an independent Ireland, free of British rule, but Mick could only manage to get 26 of the 32 counties in Ireland, so there was a split in the IRB, anti-treatyites (de Valera and the IRB) on one side and pro-treatyites (Mick Collins and the Free State Army) on the other side.

Mick Collins was shot in the head at long-range by his own countrymen and former friends and comrades of the IRB. He died on the 22 August 1922. The Free State Army is now the official army of the Republic Of Ireland, but they are a neutral army and decide not to go to war. The IRB (now known as the IRA) are still an unofficial army of Ireland, using violence to rid their beloved country of British rule.

Me thinks Peter C. you might have a bit of the Isle in you!?!

If so, "Brits Out!"

If Turnbull recommends it ... it must be good. Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions/reviews on here. There is a lot of crap out there, so it is nice to be able to get opions of books from other like-minded people before wasting time reading them.

I bought a book called The Mafia by Claire Sterling a few months ago expecting great things. I thought it would take the reader through a complete history of the Sicilian and American Mafia. It glossed over these details, but the author seemed more concerned with how many kilos of heroin and coke the Mob seemed to import and export.

Nothing about Albert Anastasia and his activities, or Meyer Lansky, Charlie Luciano, Vito Genovese ...just narcotics, narcotics, narcotics on every single page.

Don't get me wrong, Ms Sterling's research is impeccable but I have to say I wasn't gripped.

I sturggled through and finished it but it's not a book I will read again. I think I'll take some of the recommendations on this thread instead.

Tíocfaidh ár lá!

Some day, some day

Are you Irish, stavka?

I updated my home library list of mob-related books and wanted to share it here:

• "Accardo: The Genuine Godfather" by William F. Roemer, Jr.
• "American Mafia: A History of its Rise to Power" by Thomas Repetto
• "Barboza" by Joe Barboza & Hank Messick
• "Big Bankroll, The: The Life and Times of Arnold Rothstein" by Leo Katcher
• "Boardwalk Jungle, The" by Ovid Demaris
• "Brotherhood of Evil: The Mafia" by Frederic Sondern, Jr.
• "Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc.: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia and an Ill-Fated Prizefighter" by Ron Rossi
• "Capone" by John Kobler
• "Coffey Files, The: One Cop’s War Against the Mob" by Joseph Coffey and Jerry Schmetterer
• "Complete History of the Mafia, A" by Jo Durden Smith
• "Crime Boss Killings: The Castellammare War" by Art Montague
• "Crime Incorporated" by William Balsamo & George Corpozzi, Jr.
• "Donnie Brasco" by Joseph D. Pistone
• "Dutch Schultz Story, The" by Ted Addy
• "Enforcer, The: Spilotro - The Chicago Mob’s Man Over Las Vegas" by William F. Roemer, Jr.
• "Everything Mafia Book, The" by James Mannion
• "Family History, A: The Sopranos" by Allen Rucker
• "For the Sins of My Father" by Albert DeMeo
• "Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Trilogy" by Nick Browne
• "Frank Costello" by Henry A. Zeiger
• "Frank Costello: Prime Minister of the Underworld" by George Wolf
• "Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, The" by Jimmy Breslin
• "Gang Wars" by Helena Katz
• "Gangs & Gangsters" by Hank Messick & Burt Goldblatt
• "Gangster" by Lorenzo Carcaterra
• "Gangsters, The" by Timothy Jacobs
• "Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935" by Patrick Downey
• "Gangsters and Hoodlums: The Underworld in the Cinema" by Ramond Lee & B.C. Van Hecke
• "Gangsters: From Little Caesar to The Godfather" by John Gabree
• "Godfather, The" by Mario Puzo
• "Godfather Book, The" by Peter Cowie
• "Godfather Companion, The" by Peter Biskind
• "Godfather Journal, The" by Ira Zuckerman
• "Godfather Legacy, The" by Harlan Lebo
• "Godfather Legacy, The - Revised and Updated" by Harlan Lebo
• "Godfather Movies, The: A Pictorial History" by Gerald Gardner & Harriet Modell Gardner
• "Godfather Papers, The" by Mario Puzo
• "Goodfella’s Guide to New York: Your Personal Tour" by Henry Hill
• "Goombata" by John Cummings & Ernest Volkman
• "Gospel According to Tony Soprano, The" by Chris Seay
• "Honor Thy Father" by Gay Talese
• "Idiot’s Guide to the Mafia, The" by Jerry Capeci
• "Joey" by Donald Goddard
• "Killers of Murder, Inc., The" by David Hanna
• "Killing of Joey Gallo, The" by Harvey Aronson
• "Last Don, The" by Mario Puzo
• "Last Gangster, The" by George Anastasia
• "Last Testament of Lucky Luciano, The" by Martin A. Gosch & Richard Hammer
• "Legs Diamond" by Sam Curzon
• "Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life" by Robert Lacey
• "Luciano Project, The" by Rodney Campbell
• "Luciano Story, The" by Sid Feder & Joachim Joesten
• "Lucky Luciano: The Father of Organized Crime" by Cat Klerks
• "Lucky Luciano Story, The" by Ovid Demaris
• "Made Men" by Greg B. Smith
• "Mafia!" by Fred J. Cook
• "Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family" by John H. Davis
• "Mafia Encyclopedia, The: From Accardo to Zwillman" by Carl Sifakis
• "Mafia is Not an Equal Opportunity Employer, The" by Nicholas Gage
• "Mafia Marriage" by Rosalie Bonanno
• "Mafia U.S.A." by Nicholas Gage
• "Man Who Invented Murder, Inc., The: Bugsy Siegel" by David Hanna
• "Man of Honor, A" by Joseph Bonanno
• "Meyer Lansky: The Shadowy Exploits" by Art Montague
• "Mickey Cohen: Mobster" by Ed Reid
• "Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti" by Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci
• "Mobs and the Mafia, The: Illustrated History of Organized Crime" by Hank Messick & Burt Goldblatt
• "Mobsters and Gangsters: Organized Crime in America" Time-Life Books
• "Most Evil Mobsters in History, The" by Lauren Carter
• "Murder, Inc.: The Story of the Syndicate" by Burton Turkus & Sid Feder
• "Murder Machine" by Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci
• "My Life in the Mafia" by Vincent Teresa
• "On the Run: A Mafia Childhood" by Gregg and Gina Hill
• "Overlook Film Encyclopedia - The Gangster Films" by Phil Hardy
• "Pictorial History of the Mafia" by Don Maclean
• "Playboy’s Illustrated History of Organized Crime' by Richard Hammer
• "Raging Bull" by Jake LaMotta
• "Revolt in the Mafia: How the Gallo Gang Split the New York Underworld" by Raymond V. Martin
• "Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America, The" by Albert Fried
• "Sicilian, The" by Mario Puzo
• "Sixth Family, The" by Peter Diapoulos and Steven Linakis
• "Sopranos: Selected Scripts From Three Seasons" by Warner Books
• "Tao of Bada Bing, The: Words of Wisdom from the Sopranos" by HBO
• "Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons and Gangster Dreams" by Rich Cohen
• "Uncle Frank: The Biography of Frank Costello" by Leonard Katz
• "Underboss" by Peter Maas
• "Valachi Papers, The" by Peter Maas
• "War of the Godfathers" by William F. Roemer, Jr.
• "Way of the Wiseguy, The" by Joseph Pistone
• "Westies: Inside the Hell’s Kitchen Irish Mob" by T. J. English
• "When the Mob Ran Vegas" by Steve Fischer
• "Wise Guy: Life in a Mafia Family" By Nicholas Pileggi
• "Wiseguys Say the Darndest Things" By Jerry Capeci

Wow that's brilliant SC. Thanks for sharing.

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

Man that is some collection i have aroung 15-20 mafia related books and i thought i had alot.

Has Any body read this booked,just ordered and was wondering what others think on this Book


The Mafia Killed the Presidant

Thought that I would revive this topic from the old boards.

Has anyone read this book?



The inside story of the law's battle to remove the influence and corruption of organized crime from Sin City's streets and casinos.


In the 1970s and thru the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit was the dominant organized crime family in Las Vegas, with business interests in several casinos. During those years the Outfit and its colleagues in Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Cleveland were using Sin City as a cash cow. Commonly referred to as the “skim,” unreported revenue from Outfit-controlled casinos was making its way out of Vegas by the bag full and ending up in the coffers of the crime bosses in those four locations.

The skim involved large amounts of money. The operation had to be properly set up and well managed to ensure a smooth cash flow. To accomplish that goal, the gangsters brought in a front man with no criminal record to purchase several casinos. Allen R. Glick, doing business as the Argent Corporation (Allen R. Glick Enterprises) purchased the Stardust, Fremont, Hacienda, and Marina. They next installed Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal as their inside man, and the real boss of the casino operations. Rosenthal was a Chicago native and considered to be a genius when it came to oddsmaking and sports betting. Under Lefty’s supervision the casino count rooms were accessible to mob couriers.

But even with the competent Rosenthal in charge, there remained room for problems. What if an outsider tried to muscle in on the operation? Or just as bad, suppose one of their own decided to skim the skim? To guard against such possibilities the Chicago bosses decided to send someone to Vegas to give Rosenthal a hand should trouble arise. The successful applicant had to be a person with the kind of reputation that would deter interlopers from horning in, and make internal theft too risky to try. But the mob’s outside man had to be capable of action as well as threats. In other words, he had to be a man who would do whatever it took to protect the Outfit’s interests. So, in 1971, 33-year-old Tony Spilotro, considered by many to be the “ultimate enforcer,” was sent to the burgeoning gambling and entertainment oasis in the desert. Spilotro, sometimes called “tough Tony,” or “the Ant,” was a made man of the Outfit and a childhood friend of Rosenthal. He was known as a man who could be counted on to get the job done.

Being an ambitious sort, Tony quickly recognized that there were other criminal opportunities in his new hometown besides skimming from the casinos. Street crimes ranging from loan sharking to burglary, robbery, and fencing stolen property were all in play. It wasn’t very long before Tony had his hands into every one of these areas. As the scope of his criminal endeavors grew, Tony brought in other heavies from Chicago to fill out his gang. The five-foot-six-inch gangster was soon being called the “King of the Strip.”

Federal and local law enforcement recognized the need to rid the casinos of the hidden ownership and control of the mob, and shut down Spilotro’s street rackets. They declared war on organized crime and the battle was on. It was a hard fight, with plenty of tough guys on both sides. But it was a confrontation the law knew it had to win.


The Battle for Las Vegas relates the story of that conflict, told in large part by the agents and detectives who lived it.



Don Cardi

I've recently seen a translated book, "Cose di cosa nostra" by Falcone. did anybody read it?

The one written together with Marcelle Padovani?

I've that book in my collection. It's a very nice book. It contains a lot of info about Falcone himself and how he did his work. Maybe it's to difficult to understand the book if you don't know all the names/situations in Sicily at that time, but than still it's a good read.

Has anybody read either of the new "mafia cops" books ?

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

"The Brotherhoods," by Guy Lawson and William Oldham

This fairly new book is nominally about Steven Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, the two NYC detectives who were recently convicted of giving secret info and doing hits for Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso, the Luchese underboss who turned rat. I say "nominally" because it's mostly about the Mob. There lies the book's weakness and strength. On the one hand, it's almost obsessively detailed--tedious at times. No nuance of Mob life, or of someone's background, escapes author Lawson, an investigative journalist, or misses comment from Oldham, a former NYC detective turned Federal investigator who ultimately nailed the two cops. On the other hand, if you can bear with the details, you get some fascinating, in-depth stories about Mob guys and their activities, especially Casso, Little Vic Amuso and a bunch of others whose names are familiar.

Caracappa rose to become Detective First Class and head of the NYPD's organized crime unit. Eppolito, a former bodybuilder gone to fat (he was seen briefly as "Fat Andy," one of the guys Henry Hill introduced near the beginning of "Goodfellas"), was his partner. Caracappa, slim and silent, was the diametric opposite of Eppolito, whose bragging extended to writing a book, "Mafia Cop," about his family's Mob connections. Both of them literally got away with murder during the NYPD's most corrupt periods. Despite being investigated numerous times, they were never indicted or even suspended, and got more than $350k from the Mob before retiring to Vegas.

But by far the most fascinating character in the book is Burton (Downtown Burt) Kaplan, a crooked businessman and fixer who was the intermediary twixt Casso and the cops. Kaplan, a multitalented entrepreneur (jewelry, clothing, refrigeration) could have been and sometimes was a successful legitimate businessman. But he was also a degenerate gambler and serial, can't-stay-away-from-it criminal: pot, stolen securities, anything to make a quick, illegitimate buck. Despite innumerable arrests and even more numerous breaks from the law, he couldn't stay away from the criminal life. His antics eventually led him to ask for help from Christy Tick Furnari, a high-up Luchese, and to his eventual assignment to Casso. Together, they made zillions. Ironically, Casso turned rat, but his pathological lying and bad behavior in prison led the Feds to void their deal with him. Kaplan never ratted.

This is a good read if you're dedicated to Mob stuff and can stay with it.

I've noticed there's not much info on Aniello Dellacroce. I've read Mobstar, Five Families and Underboss, and each book touches on him a little but, but nothing major. Is that because there is actually not much know about Neil or what? Obviously just about every book will mention him a little, but is there any book out there that has a good bulk of info on him?

Not much at all. I've done extensive searches looking for information about him, and basically came up empty. And as you pointed out most books just touch on him and do not go into his background at all.

A very interesting mobster that I would love to find out more information about.


Don Cardi

"Mr. Neil" got some coverage in "Boss of Bosses" and "Murder Machine," but as you and DC observed, he really hasn't gotten the attention a figure of his stature deserves. Perhaps it's because he spent five critical years in prison on a tax rap, which probably caused Gambino to pass him over in favor of Castellano (the fact that Castellano was his cousin and brother in law didn't hurt Big Paul either). Maybe, too, it's because he was ill with brain cancer for quite a while. About all you get in most books was that he was Gotti's mentor and protector.

Had John Gotti not been so high profile, we'd really know next to nothing about Dellacroce, which is just the way he would have wanted it.

Much is unknown about the soldiers and capos of that era, because publicity was just unheard of in those days.

Other than reading about who the actual bosses were, the general public knew nothing about "the life" in those days.

Unless someone like a Jerry Capeci or a Selwyn Raab were to take on a project that actually focused on Dellacroce, we're not likely to find out anything new about him.

I wish they would. It'd be a very interesting read.

Minnesota Rag

Government Corruption-The (mostly) Jewish syndicate of Minneapolis. Bigoted publishers( one soon to be murdered) of scandal sheets and the Chicago Tribune.


Stopping The Presses-The Murder Of Walter Liggett

Another tale of Murder and corruption in Minnesota.
Written by The daughter of Walter Liggett.
She witnessed her Fathers death.




The soon to be deceased Walter Liggett on trial (framed) for statutory rape. Note the shiner. He'd recently been beaten by members of the "Minneapolis Combination".




Journalist Walter Liggett

Gunned down in front of his wife and daughter in the alley behind their apt.

18th St and Park ave S. Minneapolis 1934.