Gangster bios generally are garbage. Gangsters aren't the types to leave their collected letters and papers to university libraries for people like us to peruse. Authors fictionalize dialog or incidents, and almost always pass on hearsay as "facts"--the more sensational, the more often repeated.

I've read only four that I think are very good:

Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life, by Robert Lacey. Hands down the best gangster bio ever. Lacey's research is incredibly diligent, with many interviews of people who knew and worked with Lansky, as well as public and private records. Hundreds of footnotes and citations. A well-rounded, nuanced and fair assessment of Lansky's career--no sensationalism, no Robin Hood BS.

Capone, by John Kobler. Despite Capone's huge public profile, very little first-hand info exists about his life and career--most of what we "know" is from sordid, sensationalized newspaper accounts. Kobler sifts through this stuff to provide a better rounded picture of Snorky and the many people around him. He's also very good about the sociology of Italian immigrants and how urban rackets evolved in American cities before and during Prohibition.

King of the Godfathers, by Anthony M. Destefano. More is known about Joe Massino than the earlier mobsters because of extensive media coverage and government records--including confessions and trials of turncoats. Destefano, an excellent writer, handles all this information in just the right amount of detail, helpful in making clear the many machinations of the Bonanno Family, and he does it in an evenhanded way. Many good photos, too.

Capone, by Lawrence Bergreen. This author isn't quite as succinct as Kobler, but he had access to some additional info on Scarface Al from family members--and plenty of not-seen-before photos. He's particularly good on details of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and the murder of Big Jim Colosimo.

Your favorites?