THE AMERICAN MAFIA - Book Notes
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ATTENTION publishers and authors of books on organized crime: Send review copies along with press releases and author background info to: Thomas Hunt, P.O. Box 322, Middlebury, VT, 05753. |
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Gangsters of Miami26 July 2010 |
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After examining the Gangsters of Harlem and the Black Gangsters of Chicago in rapid succession, journalist Ron Chepesiuk has turned his attention to the Gangsters of Miami. This is another well written and comprehensive regional underworld history. In a fast-moving and readable narrative, Chepesiuk exposes the roots of organized crime in southern Florida, moves quickly through Prohibition and the rise of gambling, and settles in for a detailed discussion of the regional drug trade. Like his first book (which featured a disappointing section on the early Mafia presence in East Harlem), Gangsters of Miami spends little time on the early stages of the Italian-American criminal syndicate in southern Florida. The author decides that the first extended visit by a big-time mobster to Miami was made by Al Capone in 1928, and a number of the book’s early pages are filled with a simplistic retelling of Chicago gangland lore. The author surprisingly neglects the well publicized Miami arrests of New York-based Mafia chief Joe Masseria and his lieutenant Charlie Luciano in 1930. Chepesiuk does note the investments of a number of Mafiosi in Miami-area rackets. And he touches on the related underworld histories of Tampa and Havana, Cuba. The drug trade, involving Russian organized criminals, Cuban exiles and ethnic gangs from South and Central America, is the focus of much of Chepesiuk’s attention. Like his other works, Gangsters of Miami is a must-have for those interested in the criminal history of the region. |
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Mob history with Cajun flavor26 July 2010 |
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Frenchy Brouillette’s memoirs are a heaping helping of Cajun-style underworld history. Penned with coauthor Matthew Randazzo V, Mr. New Orleans is a personal guided tour through the Big Easy, with special attention paid to all that is sleazy and tawdry. The book should not be mistaken for a volume of academic history. Though considerable research apparently was done on the New Orleans underworld, tales are presented with the goal of titillation rather than education. No discernible effort was made to find the verifiable details within the legends or to challenge the accuracy of sources. The authors’ stated intention was to “preserve the spirit and history of the near-extinct New Orleans outlaw and the shadowy black market society he inhabited,” and that has been accomplished. In a stream of obscenity-laced recollections, Brouillette describes his long career as a muscle-building, motorcycleriding agent of “fun.” Whether a customer’s idea of “fun” was liquor, drugs, woman, gambling or whatever, Frenchy, who benefited from a family connection to an important Louisiana politician, was able and willing to provide. Brouillette claims to have associated with local Mafia boss Carlos Marcello and considers him a personal hero. He speaks of the notorious crime boss with frequency and familiarity and provides details of Marcello’s relationship to his apparent crime boss predecessor Sylvestro “Silver Dollar Sam” Carollo. Frenchy also spends a fair amount of time on the underworld connections to the Kennedy Assassinations. He links assassin Lee Harvey Oswald with the Marcello clan and moves on to blacken the reputation of crusading prosecutor Jim Garrison (not among Frenchy’s favorite people). He charges that Garrison was far from the determined anti-mob public servant portrayed in the movie JFK and was actually corrupt, lazy, paid-pal of the local New Orleans underworld. It will be difficult for many — perhaps impossible for some — to accept that a muscle-bound Crescent City pimp had access to the better known names in New Orleans government and entertainment and served as a confidant of a powerful mob boss. That’s all really beside the point. Mr. New Orleans seeks to preserve an experience. Somehow gross exaggerations—even occasional fibs—seem to fit well within that experience. | ||
Detailed look at Reles's life and death16 Jan 2010 |
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A complete telling of Abe Reles's life, his underworld career as a Murder Inc. assassin and his spectacular death, this book is also a study of the various investigations into Reles's supposed accidental drop from a hotel window and a careful examination of Reles-homicide theories. The legendary snitch goes out the sixth-floor window of the Half Moon Hotel on Page 74, leaving Elmaleh plenty of time to critique the various views of that event. The author does so authoritatively. He dismisses the official view of the day and points an accusing finger at other underworld turncoats. There is a somewhat disturbing inconsistency in Elmaleh's work. The author, who died in 2008 before this book was published, often referred to primary source material to tell the Reles story, However, on a number of occasions, he referenced popular published works, seemingly without making an effort to confirm story details. Frequently, these retellings are not accompanied by the critical analysis Elmaleh provides elsewhere. The discussion of Reles's early career, including his relationship with Mafia big shot Albert Anastasia, is interesting reading, but deeper and more consistent research would have made it more valuable. |
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Experiencing Joey16 Jan 2010 |
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The Mad Ones: Crazy Joe Gallo and the Revolution at the Edge of the Underworld by Tom Folsom Employing a fast-paced, almost attention-deficit writing style, Folsom delivers a well researched and expertly crafted biography that allows readers to experience rather than merely observe the life of "Crazy Joey" Gallo and his siblings. The author jumpily connects real world incidents and fictional references, as he weaves compellingly through the rackets career of the Gallo brothers. The book's dance-around style limits its usefulness as a Gallo reference work. However, The Mad Ones is an engrossing and entertaining voyage. | ||
Illuminating, though biased16 Jan 2010 |
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Mafia Son: The Scarpa Mob Family, the FBI, and a Story of Betrayal by Sandra Harmon Harmon provides an intimate look at the Scarpa family and its long-term function as a link between organized crime and federal law enforcement. She details the underworld careers of Colombo crime family mobsters Greg Scarpa Sr. and Gregory Scarpa Jr., the amoral personal life of the elder Scarpa and his work as an informant for the FBI. The book is fast-moving, and many of its revelations are shocking. In the book's Postscript chapter, Harmon describes herself as "someone who has gotten almost too close to this story." She is almost right in that assessment. Harmon was a participant in some of the events she describes, and she seems far too willing to go out on a limb in support of incredible claims made by Scarpa Jr. She does not directly discuss the antagonistic relationship between local and federal law enforcement in Brooklyn, but she repeatedly reveals bias for the Brooklyn district attorney's office and against the federal investigators and prosecutors. Though a partisan account, Mafia Son still has much to offer as an exploration of the family and "professional" relationships of these career criminals. |
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Thrilling storytelling and authoritative history16 Jan 2010 |
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Here for the first time is a complete narrative history of the Morello Crime Family, the earliest documented Mafia organization in New York City. It is a unique combination of thrilling storytelling and authoritative history. Building on four years of research into U.S. Secret Service archives, court transcripts, prison files and other sources, Dash tracks the history of the Giuseppe Morello's clan from its origins in Sicily, through early adventures in Louisiana and Texas, to the establishment of a Mafia empire based in New York City. The author also examines the sensational counterfeiting trial that brought an end to Morello's reign over the Mafia. There is good reason to quarrel with Dash's choice of title and with his repeated discussion of that choice within the book. The Morello crime family came to life decades after earlier documented Mafia organizations in New Orleans. Dash's insistence that the Morello group was the earliest American Mafia organization to "survive" also seems indefensible, as there is little direct evidence for the group's existence beyond about 1915. Dash, himself, seems uncertain whether the Morello group evolved into the Lucchese crime family or the Genovese crime family. (This reviewer believes the Gambino crime family also can claim to be a direct descendant.) While other small factual and logical problems spring up from time to time, The First Family is well constructed on a sturdy foundation of scholarly research. Those interested in Mafia nonfiction will find it difficult to put down. | ||
Realistic but unexciting31 March 2009 |
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The Last Undercover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance with Evil by Bob Hamer Hamer vividly describes the job of an undercover agent. He takes the reader through a host of assignments, illustrating the preparations, the dangers, the disappointments and the triumphs of the job. By the final pages, the reader feels as though he/she has personally experienced undercover work and dealt with the personalities on both sides of the law. Unfortunately, the experience is less than exhilarating. At times it is terribly distasteful. The description of Hamer's efforts to reveal criminal behavior within an organization of adult male boy-lovers might not have been so objectionable if it hadn't been made into the central theme of the book. Much of Hamer's recurring, frank, boy-lover discussion is bound to offend the reader initially and possibly to bore the reader after the offense wears off. Hamer spends the book repeatedly popping back and forth between the boy-lovers investigation and his other work. There is little rationale for all that popping around, and it gets annoying, particularly in areas when the other work is far more interesting. Those expecting Donnie Brasco will be very disappointed. The author himself notes that he spent his career waiting for "that one great undercover assignment ... full of danger, excitement, and intrigue... That call would never come." Hamer did have some dangerous encounters with the underworld, but his discussions of them are brief and always give way to the continuing boy-lovers saga. |
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Some new info, but disjointed and unhelpful31 March 2009 |
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Open City: True Story of the KC Crime Family 1900-1950 by William Ouseley Ouseley does a competent job outlining KC Mafia history to 1950. The major players, criminals and political bosses, are all discussed, and the significant historical events are described in detail. However, his limited writing ability, a lack of consideration for fellow historians and his sketchy awareness of Mafia history outside of Missouri cause problems for readers. The author deserves credit for attempting to trace the evolution of organized crime to the region's very early history and for spending time on the mysterious Nick Gentile, whose memoirs provide glimpses of early Mafia history in the U.S. This sort of thing was lacking in Frank Hayde's otherwise excellent "The Mafia and the Machine." But Ouseley does not weave the early history into a coherent narrative. Criminal activity in the early 1900s is presented as isolated incidents. The author fails to find causal links or common themes and so does not justify the inclusion of the material in his book. The writing throughout is not up to par. There are many examples of poor structure and countless typos, which distract the reader and erode confidence in the author. (The reader cannot make it through the Table of Contents before encountering an error.) There are also a few factual errors in discussions of organized crime history beyond the confines of Kansas City. Most disturbing for crime historians is the book's tiny and very general bibliography. It isn't possible that Ouseley wrote this book based upon the presented sources alone. His refusal to document his findings makes the original material within the book's covers virtually useless to historians. Another glaring problem with Open City is the scope of the book. Ouseley, a federal agent who investigated organized crime in the region, certainly had access to abundant information on the KC Mob in more recent years. His decision to focus on the 1900-1950 period is a curious one. Perhaps Ouseley intends this book to be Volume 1 of a continuing history. | ||
Top-notch historical resource31 March 2009 |
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The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931 by David Critchley This is a groundbreaking New York Mafia history reference work. Though not without a few errors (both of commission and omission), this book corrects many of the factual problems that have crept into Mafia histories through the past century and presents the most accurate picture yet of the early Sicilian-Italian underworld in New York. The author examines every detail with a highly critical eye, assembling his history from vital records, police and prison records and court transcripts. He also puts fellow Mafia historians under the microscope, meticulously analyzing the flaws in their research and their reasoning. The text is enhanced by the addition of dozens of images, many of which are published here for the first time. Researchers will be delighted to find that more than 100 of the book's 348 pages are dedicated to endnotes, bibliography and annotated index. "Origin" is somewhat handicapped by the author's revisionist agenda, by his ivory-tower writing style and by its own misleading title and oppressive price tag. Casual readers will probably wish to steer clear. However, this is a must-have for any crime historian. |
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Roots of the Capone Outfit07 December 2008 |
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The First Vice Lord: Big Jim Colosimo and the Ladies of the Levee by Arthur J. Bilek Bilek delivers an authoritative look at pre-Prohibition Era Chicago. The reader watches in astonishment as a variety of well-intentioned crusades to clean up the Windy City's most notorious neighborhoods actually serve to encourage coordinated efforts among the purveyors of vice and give rise to vast criminal empires. The author, a member of the Chicago Crime Commission's board of directors and an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Loyola University, pays special attention to the waxing and waning influence of Colosimo and his criminal and political allies. And he explains the significance of Colosimo's divorce and remarriage, events that occurred just before his May 1920 assassination. A few problem areas exist between the book's covers. I hoped for greater detail in discussions of the local Mafia, of the Unione Siciliana and of the genesis of the Colosimo-Torrio relationship. The book also would have benefited from a closer edit. But these are relatively small matters. In The First Vice Lord we are treated to a generally well written and well thought out examination of the roots of the Prohibition Era Capone Outfit. | ||
Nitti bio stumbles repeatedly26 September 2008 |
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Frank Nitti: The True Story of Chicago's Notorious Enforcer by Ronald Humble If author Ronald Humble had limited himself to Chicago gangster Frank Nitti’s life story, the result would have been an informative biography. But Humble strayed, getting himself and his book into trouble. Humble got off on the wrong foot when he labeled Paul Kelly (Paolo Vaccarelli) an “Irish thug” on Page 4. He tripped in his description of Joe Valachi as the first Mafioso to break the code of omertá. And he stumbled in his discussions of the early Mafia Commission. Humble’s book was bruised by his odd decision to delve into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The book’s subject, Nitti, ended his life decades before that assassination, just as JFK was taking command of PT-109 during World War II. The author moved with somewhat greater skill and confidence through the details of Nitti’s life and career. He looked briefly at Nitti’s early family life and moved to the Enforcer’s position within the Chicago-area underworld organization (the Outfit) of Al Capone. Nitti was credited with planning many of Capone’s signature events—perhaps too many for credibility’s sake—such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the beating deaths of Scalise, Anselmi and Guinta, and the assassination of Brooklyn NY gang boss Frankie Yale. Humble spent considerable time on Nitti’s feud with Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, and the author lent his support to the theory that Cermak’s violent death in the presence of President-elect Franklin Roosevelt was not the near-miss of accepted history but a deliberate assassination of the Chicago mayor. As is the case with other Cermak conspiracy theories, Humble neglected to explain why Chicago gangsters had to target the Chicago mayor for assassination in Miami, Florida, in the presence of the president-elect and the Secret Service. (Surely better options were available.) One of Humble’s more difficult sells was his portrayal of Nitti as the “most media-glamorized gangster in history.” Humble cited references to the gangster in “more television-series episodes and motion pictures than any other specific modern gangster.” The figures might be accurate, but they are certainly inflated by the multiple episodes of the old Untouchables television drama, in which a Nitti caricature was the weekly villain. In many sections, Frank Nitti: The Story of Chicago’s Notorious Enforcer reads like a repetitive and largely unconvincing argument of the significance of its subject. That is unfortunate and unnecessary, because the Nitti history—often lost between sensational and sometimes irrelevant discussions—is far more interesting. |
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An insider's look at Kennedy history07 June 2008 |
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Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot This is a unique look at the Kennedys from within the Kennedy camp. We witness the major events of our era through the eyes of Robert Kennedy and the close-knit "band of brothers." While this book doesn't settle the issue of the John Kennedy Assassination, it establishes who the Kennedy clan and its allies felt was responsible. RFK firmly believed "they" killed his brother. Whatever the reader's opinion of the event, it is interesting to view RFK's life and career as products of that belief. I was impressed both with the level of research and with the writing style. Though a great deal of information was presented, Brothers moved along very quickly. | ||
Revealing... to a point03 April 2002 |
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A Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph Bonanno Mr. Bonanno provides an insider's view of organized crime - particularly the variety imported from Sicily - in the United States. It is a subject on which he is a unique authority as the longtime head of one of the country's major crime "families" and a Castellammarese Sicilian immigrant. He also enlightens readers somewhat with regard to what he perceives to be Sicilian traditions and the concept of "honor." Of course, Mr. Bonanno does not illuminate much of his own involvement in illegal enterprises, which is certainly extensive. The reader is forced to assume that the criminal activities described in great detail are ones Mr. Bonanno oversaw himself. A great many recognizable names are mentioned, but the boss took care not to seriously offend anyone who was still alive and kicking at the time the book was published. His precautions, however, were insufficient to prevent the portions of his book dealing with the Mafia's ruling Commission from inspiring Rudolph Giuliani's landmark Commission RICO Case. The book reaches back into the author's personal history from about the dawn of the 20th Century (some family history predates that) and the history of organized crime since the bootlegger wars of the Prohibition days. It advances into more modern times, though the recent information becomes sketchy. As a first-hand account by an influential, long-time Mafia boss, this is a must-read for those deeply interested in the history of the American Mafia. But it may disappoint more casual readers. And some may find objectionable the author's insistence that his criminal activity has been "honorable," his often sexist and racist views and his tendency to flatter himself (a tendency that was apparently passed on to his son, who also wrote a glowing autobiographical account of his work in the "family"). |
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Breaks new ground... but not deeply25 July 08 |
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Mountain Mafia - Organized Crime in the Rockies by Betty L. Alt and Sandra K. Wells This is a fast-moving, easy-to-read survey of Mafia history in Colorado, from the early 1900s gangs of the state's southern region through the Denver reign of the Smaldone family. Details are provided for the fledgling "Black Hand" period and a number of regional underworld feuds. The authors, Betty L. Alt and Sandra K. Wells, deserve thanks for delving into this subject, so long neglected by crime historians. The book is somewhat lacking in depth and context, however. The authors note that Colorado gangsters had strong connections to gangs elsewhere in the U.S. But this intriguing theme is not explored in detail. Beyond family ties, little time is spent discussing how the gangs formed and why some of them battled others. Additional attention could have been / should have been given to the various factors peculiar to southern Colorado that caused Mafia organizations to take root there. The authors kindly provided notes and bibliography, but (alas) no index. On its own merit, the book deserves no more than low-passing grade. However, the authors score extra credit for the uniqueness of their work. Hopefully, this pioneer effort will prompt other historians to examine the Trinidad, Pueblo and Denver, Colorado, underworlds, and to add color and perspective to this sketch by Alt and Wells. | ||
Painstaking look at American labor racketeering8 July 08 | ||
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Mobsters, Unions, and Feds: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement by James B. Jacobs James B. Jacobs writes clearly and with authority on the criminal exploitation of the American labor movement. His book goes beyond a mere survey of the history of labor racketeering to explore the issue from every conceivable angle. It looks at the various criminal methods employed; the depth of Mafia penetration into some of the larger American unions; as well as the efforts of law enforcement, legitimate union organizers and anti-mob dissidents. Prosecutors' successful uses of RICO weaponry are detailed, as are the deficiencies in RICO processes. Of particular interest to readers of Mafia titles, Jacobs provides concise explanations for the ways organized criminals insinuate themselves into and extract money from labor unions. He follows up with actual historical examples. Jacobs' writing style is scholarly but not beyond the reach of a casual reader. However, the subject matter does eventually drift away from mainstream interests, as Jacobs engages a target audience likely comprised of lawyers, legislators and grad students in fairly technical discussion. That audience, in addition to the more dedicated underworld historians, will appreciate the many endnotes and the healthy bibliography. |
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Reppetto sequel is good Mafia primer25 June 08 | ||
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Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia by Thomas Reppetto Reppetto follows up American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power While this is a fine introductory level primer on the past half-century of American Mafia history, it holds little of value to those better acquainted with Mafia history and it generally leaves less of an impression on the reader than its prequel. Part of the problem seems to be Reppetto's repeated loss of focus. The thesis of "Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia," expressed in that title and in the book's introduction, is that law enforcement has had successes against organized crime over the past 50 years. But that message is undetectable through several chapters of the book. Its absence in the book's final pages is particularly bothersome, as Reppetto allocates that space to recommendations for greater Mob (not law enforcement) success in the future. It is possible that the book wasn't initially written with that "Bringing Down the Mob" thesis in mind. Readers would be better off ignoring it and approaching this as "American Mafia - Book 2." Reading is also complicated by some story backtracking, but such things must be expected when a broad and multifaceted subject is dealt with in 300 pages. All things considered, "Bringing Down the Mob" is a suitable companion volume for Reppetto's earlier work and a good reference for newcomers to the subject. | ||
Some value, but sure to offend Americans10 May 08 | ||
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Mafia in Havana by Enrique Cirules Cirules' book contains abundant pro-Castro propaganda that is sure to offend many Americans. However, much of his flag-waving is easy to spot and just as easy to ignore. When he's not applauding the communist revolution, Cirules provides some valuable history. If he fails in convincing the reader of decades of outright collusion between U.S. Intelligence and organized crime, he at least succeeds in establishing the shared motivations of the two groups and in documenting their cooperative effort to remove Fidel Castro from power. Cirules uses Cuban government archives, U.S. documentation and interviews with Cubans who were personally acquainted with American and European mobsters on the island. He is generally able to use those different sources as checks and balances on each other. Charlie Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Santo Trafficante, Albert Anastasia, Vito Genovese and many other big-name gangsters are featured. Moving through the book is sometimes difficult. Passages often seem repetitive and some idiomatic expressions are jumbled. It isn't clear if these were problems with Cirules' writing style or if they were introduced in the translation to English, but it appears that the translation was done somewhat clumsily. The value of this book to researchers is limited by its lack of an index and by its repeated use of questionable quotes attributed to Charlie Luciano (Those from "The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano"). Fortunately, "The Mafia in Havana" includes endnotes enabling us to separate the wheat from the chaff. |
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Politics and crime merged in Kansas City13 Feb 08 |
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The Mafia and the Machine: The Story of the Kansas City Mob by Frank Hayde In telling just over a century's worth of history, Hayde did considerably more than merely hit the high points - the Union Station Massacre, point-shaving allegations against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Strawman case, and the shocking assassination of a political boss within a Democratic headquarters. Hayde also provided rich detail on little known events, such as the Election Day riots of the 1920s and 1930s and the River Quay war, without ever allowing his narrative to become bogged down. The result is the most complete picture yet of the Kansas City underworld and of the mutualistic relationship between organized politics and organized crime. Drawing from court testimony, interviews and law enforcement surveillance, Hayde was able to tell plenty of the history through the actual words of the people who made that history. The big names on the seedier side of Kansas City's last century are all to be found within the covers of The Mafia and the Machine: several generations of Pendergasts; loyal machine politician Guy Park; Mafia front men Johnny Lazia and Charlie Binaggio; mobsters Joseph "Scarface" DiGiovanni, James Balestrere, Tano Lococo, Tony Gizzo and the Civellas - "Uncle Nick," "Carl the Cork" and "Tony Ripe." Crimefighters were not neglected. Hayde discussed the efforts of crusading journalists and grassroots organizations and those of investigative agencies from the Kansas City Police Department all the way to the federal bureaus commanded by Harry Anslinger and J. Edgar Hoover. U.S. President Harry Truman, an admitted product of the Pendergast Machine, was handled frankly and fairly by the author. At the back of his book, Hayde kindly provided short biographies of the dozens of individuals who played a prominent role in Kansas City's underworld history. He also included a partial bibliography. As thorough and well crafted as the book is, there are some missing elements. There is no index (click here to acquire a simple index for the book), and the Table of Contents' brief titles often provide little or no clue as to the subject or time period dealt with in individual chapters. Researchers on the topic of Kansas City organized crime could also be frustrated by the lack of notes and the incompleteness of the bibliography. I have just one other critical observation: Hayde might have illuminated further the births of both the local political machine and the criminal society closely related to it by beginning his account at an earlier date. The State of Missouri was on the front lines of the American Civil War and was deeply divided over the issues of slavery, secession, and federal coercion of the South, factors known to have contributed to the rise of late 19th Century outlaw groups such as the James-Younger Gang. This greater context is lacking, as is a feel for how the founding of the Kansas City Mafia related to similar but earlier organizations in other regions. If Hayde had probed back into the political realities of the Civil War era and into the early evolution of the Sicilian criminal society in the U.S., he might have been in a better position to answer the natural question, "Why?" As it stands, The Mafia and the Machine is solid history and interesting reading. | ||
Finally a new and interesting work related to Luciano29 Nov 07 | ||
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The Case Against Lucky Luciano: New York's Most Sensational Vice Trial by Ellen Poulsen This work reveals the methods used by racketeers, including Luciano and his close underworld allies, to organize and monopolize prostitution in the New York City region. In addition, it sheds new light on the actions of law enforcement and personnel from Special Prosecutor Thomas Dewey's office, some of whom employed exploitive methods similar to those used by the racketeers when dealing with the female witnesses in the case. Finally, it also provides a frank look at the witnesses themselves - prostitutes, madams, drug addicts. Author Ellen Poulsen (who also wrote Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang) probes deeply into the lives and careers of such personalities as "Cokey Flo" Brown, Jennie "the Factory" Fischer and Peggy "Wild" Ventimiglia. While discussing the profound mistreatment of the female subjects, Poulsen keeps her distance and avoids becoming judgmental or preachy. Her objectivity actually serves the subject far better, allowing the numerous offenses against the women to accumulate and develop into condemnation within the mind of the reader. There is also plenty in this book about Luciano, himself, and about colleagues like "Socks" Lanza and "Tommy the Bull" Pennochio. Poulsen explores the working relationships between the gangsters and some of Luciano's later wartime partnership with the United States government. The book itself is well designed. It has an eye-catching cover, an easy-on-the-eyes type and plenty of photographs. Researchers will also be happy to find endnotes and a bibliography. The book also features 12 pages of index, though this could have been more helpful with subentries for the often referred to subjects. (The Luciano entry, for example, references 113 out of the possible 246 pages in the book.) Flaws in this work are few. But some comments unrelated to the trial seem casually researched and very out of place. At one point, Poulsen engages in a summary of American Mafia history and quickly dismisses the traditional (but undocumented) belief that an organization known as Unione Siciliana operated in New York. Poulsen says the organization never existed in New York, and to defend her position, she cites a vague "consensus by experts." She also blankly states that Johnny Torrio and Al Capone conspired on the Chicago murder of Jim Colosimo, a terribly abrupt end for an underworld mystery that has lingered through many decades. It probably would have been better to ignore these peripheral matters. In her core subject matter, Poulsen is on much firmer ground and is far more thoughtful of her steps. The Case Against Lucky Luciano is recommended for those curious about Depression Era organized crime, the plight of the women who - willingly or not - became involved with it, or the careers of Mafia bigshot Charlie Luciano and Special Prosecutor Thomas Dewey. |
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An essential reference work, informative and readable09 Sep 07 |
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The Complete Public Enemy Almanac: New Facts and Features on the People, Places, and Events of the Gangsters and Outlaw Era, 1920-1940 by William J. Helmer and Rick Mattix The book breaks down criminal history into its component parts, dealing with characters and events through the use of individual biographical essays and sprawling chronologies. Every serious outlaw of the period - from Accardo, through Capone, Dillinger and McGurn, to Abner "Longie" Zwillman - is represented. At the same time, the work ties elements together and probes more deeply into causes and effects through an impressive collection of articles on topics such as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Castellammarese War, criminal use of the Tommygun, the evolution of investigative techniques, early efforts toward bulletproofing... The Almanac is amply illustrated with photos and other images, many of which have not been available before. A treasure of information awaits those who dig to the back of the book. There will be found a collection of gangster quotes, including the last words of Dutch Schultz; gang membership lists; and a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of Gangster Era books, which itself is worth the price of admission. Casual presentation and an often laid-back writing style provide comfortable cover for this work of genuine scholarship. But there is a negative aspect of that useful mask - a quick flip through the pages could leave an observer questioning the professionalism of the book. Design elements surely would have benefited from closer attention. Much of the book is presented in a loose sans-serif type that seems out of place in a reference work. Tight, serif typestyles appear every now and then without explanation, serving only to highlight the informality of the rest of the text. Article backgrounds and borders are similarly inconsistent. In addition, the nesting of multi-page articles within collections of biographical essays and long chronologies makes sequential reading difficult. (A name index of 37 three-column pages is available as a navigational tool.) On the whole, these few negatives do not detract in any substantial way from the authors' achievement. The Complete Public Enemy Almanac is a must-have for crime historians and a useful and informative guide for the True Crime reader. | ||
Interesting, readable, generally believable11 May 07 |
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Mafia Allies: The True Story of America's Secret Alliance with the Mob in World War II by Tim Newark The excited interest he generates during his well documented discussion of mob-Navy collaboration to secure Atlantic coastal waters and docks fizzles out somewhat as the story moves overseas. While Newark is able to document U.S. and British desires to embrace the Old World Mafia while breaching Hitler's Fortress Europe, the author seems less certain of himself in this area. He relates some accounts of Mafia complicity with Allied forces but then admits his own doubts about them. Newark's myth-busting conclusion is well grounded in fact but anticlimactic. A couple of caveats: Overall, this book is well organized and well executed. It is a solid offering on the subject. |
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Some problems but overall a good book06 Apr 07 |
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Gangsters of Harlem by Ron Chepesiuk Breaking with my usual pattern, I'll discuss the book's negatives before its positives. My inspiration for the change is author Ron Chepesiuk's decision to put his weakest section first, a decision that nearly caused me to toss "Gangsters" aside by Page 25. The book's opening, which deals with the Italian gangsters of East Harlem in the 1900s, contains some inaccuracies and makes some troubling assertions:
Despite these errors and others (which I suspect were the result of Chepesiuk's reliance on some slapped-together mass-market works), the tales of Morello, Lupo, Terranova and Gallucci certainly will appeal to the casual reader. But why Chepesiuk decided to lead off his book with this stuff rather than use bits of it to backfill stories occuring later on remains a mystery. Chepesiuk's division of his chapters into what appear to be arbitrary subsections - some no more than a paragraph or two in length - was bothersome. However, it probably benefits those readers who are intimidated by gray text and reassured by an abundance of places to stop reading and put the book down. Now for the good news. "Gangsters" starts moving with the Harlem Renaissance of the Jazz Age. Tales from this period are easily worth the price of admission. Chepesiuk explores colorful underworld characters like Dutch Schultz, "Mad Dog" Coll and Owen Madden, and renowned entertainers like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Louie Armstrong. The reader is likely to be left wanting more from this exciting and culturally rich era (though some Milton Mezzrow material sounds like it was drawn from a drug-culture website or from Mezzrow's own notoriously unreliable autobiography and is very difficult to accept). Chepesiuk finally hits his stride as he discusses the rise of the African American gangster in Harlem and the various underworld rackets, including the evolution of the drug trade's focus from heroin to marijuana to crack cocaine. He provides detailed biographies of the more noteworthy figures, like Bumpy Johnson and Queenie St. Clair, Frank "Black Caesar" Matthews, "Untouchable" Nicky Barnes, Pee Wee Kirkland and Frank "Super Fly" Lucas. At this point, the author seems more determined than he was earlier to set the historical record straight. He challenges some old legends and "Gangsters of Harlem" becomes a valuable resource. On the whole, "Gangsters" is a well written and entertaining work. I do recommend it... from about Chapter 2 on. | ||
Biography explores mob's birth in 19th Century New Orleans19 Feb 07, 03 Mar 13 |
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NEWS RELEASE: The American Mafia was born in the Crescent City of the 19th Century and came of age with the 1891 betrayal and murder of gang organizer and financier Joseph P. Macheca, according to a just released Macheca biography. Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon “Joseph P. Macheca was a major force in the underworld of his day,” Mr. Hunt explained. “But it is important to view his crimes in an appropriate context. Gilded Age New Orleans was very much a wild, frontier town. During our research, we often encountered situations in which no substantial difference could be found between the actions of respected community leaders and the actions of outlaws. On some occasions, the motives and methods of professional law enforcers were indistinguishable from those of lawbreakers. "We believe Macheca, longing for acceptance from the local establishment, allowed political bosses to push him deeper and deeper into underworld conspiracies. When the bosses decided he had become more of a liability than an asset, they simply disposed of him.” Making use of archival records, published and unpublished histories, as well as Macheca family traditions, Deep Water exposes political corruption from antebellum Louisiana through the bloody Reconstruction Era, illustrates the squalor of 19th Century immigrant communities and details the various intrigues and underworld rackets of the period. Deep Water has been positively received by experts in Louisiana history and criminal research. Peter Dale Scott, crime historian and author of numerous works including Deep Politics and the Death of JFK, said, “[Deep Water] will force a reassessment of a famous event in the history of American organized crime.” Louisiana historian Julie Eshelman-Lee described Deep Water as a “brilliant work” and a “wonderful contribution to Louisiana... history.” Crime researcher and author Rick Mattix said Deep Water “shows a marvelous objectivity.” Deep Water's first edition was published in hardcover and paperback by iUniverse, an affiliate of Barnes & Noble. The book's second edition was published in paperback by Createspace, and is also available in Kindle and PDF electronic formats. For information visit the book’s website: jpmacheca.blogspot.com. |
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Brasco returns to tie up loose ends30 Jan 07 |
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Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business: Shocking Declassified Details from the FBI's Greatest Undercover Operation and a Bloody Timeline of the Fall of the Mafia by Joe Pistone with Richard Woodley I must admit I was skeptical that Pistone could find enough loose ends in the Donnie Brasco story to fill another book. However, while there is some repetition, the ex-agent provides enough new information to keep us very interested. And, frankly, the repetitive parts are quite entertaining - Donnie Brasco's thrilling adventures are worth recalling. The first portion of the book is basically a summary of the Donnie Brasco deep-undercover experience with many of the gaps filled in. Some details apparently had to be kept secret until court cases had been processed. Pistone also takes the opportunity to correct some impressions created by the movie based on his bestseller. He takes issue with some of the sentimental and self-critical Johnny Depp moments in the film. "I never experienced any doubt, uncertainty, or reservation," he writes. "I did not make Lefty [Ruggiero] a Mafia gangster... Lefty and his Mafia underground nation is America's enemy. I was an American FBI agent... In the end, I was proud to bring Lefty to justice, and I'm even more proud of the devastating short- and long-term effects on the Mafia that people have credited, in part, to my work." Pistone recalls for us the criminal activities ("unauthorized by the Bureau") he engaged in while undercover as "Donnie," an associate of the Colombo and Bonanno Crime Families. His admitted crimes include a murder conspiracy, hijacking and a number of other offenses. But Pistone admits he would have gone further in order to protect himself. Underworld associates like Brasco might be called upon by Mafia superiors to perform gang "hits." Pistone decided that, if confronted with a situation in which he had to kill an underworld character or face the certain wrath of the mob, "...the wiseguy would go. I knew the FBI would not stand behind me on something like that. Well, let me call it what it is - murder in the first degree." The situation nearly came up in 1981, first in the murder of the Three Capos (when Bonanno bigshot Joseph Massino nixed Brasco's participation) and then as Brasco was assigned by Bonanno caporegime "Sonny Black" Napolitano to assassinate Bruno Indelicato. Indelicato went into hiding, and Pistone was pulled from his assignment before the nightmare scenario had a chance to develop. The rest of the book is devoted to Pistone's post-Brasco experiences as a courtroom witness against the Mafia. Working with prosecutors, like then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani of New York, he participated in some blockbuster trials, including the Bonanno Family case, the Pizza Connection, the Mafia Commission case, the conviction of Bonanno boss "Big Joey" Massino, and the Mafia Cops trial of 2006. Pistone's description of the trials is anything but bland. He provides compelling and often gory detail, while recounting the defeats of the mob through the past 25 years. Pistone has a different co-author for "Unfinished Business," former Delaware prosecutor Charles Brandt who wrote "I Heard You Paint Houses." However, the writing style - using casual phrasing and rhythms that would be at home in city street corner conversations - remains uniquely Pistone. This is an informative and entertaining book. | ||
Probing the various ethnic gangs of Detroit's Prohibition Era underworld05 Dec 06 |
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The Violent Years: Prohibition and the Detroit Mobs by Paul R. Kavieff He discusses the warring factions of the Sicilian Mafia, as well as Polish and Irish ethnic gangs and the predominantly Jewish Purple Gang. He suggests credible causes for underworld conflicts, such as the Giannola-Vitale war, and shares the specifics of gang crimes and underworld hits. Kavieff is not at all stingy with facts, but he still writes efficiently and keeps the story moving quickly - possibly a tad too quickly for a casual reader. The book weighs in at just about 200 pages of easy-to-read type. The Violent Years is a must-read for organized crime historians and those interested in the Motor City's past. |
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'Superthief' explores the career of master burglar Phillip Christopher |
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10 Sep 06 |
Superthief: A Master Burglar, the Mafia, and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History by Rick Porrello We share Christopher's real-life experiences in family, business, underworld and prison situations. His lengthy and continuing rollercoaster ride through the criminal justice system is particularly educational. Christopher seems to have encountered every unfair advantage and unfair disadvantage built into that system. Due to its frank handling of its subject matter, I suspect this book will cause those who have invested in electronic security systems to lose quite a bit of sleep. The thwarting of alarms, the acquisition of secret allies among security company employees and within local police departments and the prying open of safes and vaults are all discussed in detail. Porrello-Christopher stop just short of providing a primer for aspiring safe-crackers. The various elements of the 1972 burglary at the United California Bank in Laguna Niguel, the biggest bank heist in U.S. history, are expertly rendered. Those are the book's positives, but unfortunately they are not the whole story. While I enjoyed Superthief and remain a Rick Porrello fan, there are some noticeable flaws in the book. For one, it is difficult to accept many of Christopher's statements as fact. Examples: his Robin Hood-like escapades as a child thief, botched jobs that were always someone else's fault and the high esteem in which mob bosses, union leaders and even prison personnel universally held him. Porrello provides little obvious help as we strive to separate the wheat from the chaff. There is rare corroboration in the form of a quote from a girlfriend or a law enforcement officer, but Christopher's story appears to have been left pretty much just as he told it. Another problem stems from Porrello's inclusion of the word "Mafia" in the title. Phillip Christopher was never a "made" guy, and the Mafia has a very small, supporting role in the book. Some of the more interesting Mafia episodes of the time/place are tossed in as asides, though Christopher had nothing to do with them. The Mafia remains off in the distance and out of focus. Though Christopher spent a lifetime living this story and Porrello spent five years writing it, what lies between the front and back covers seems thin and could have been better crafted. A bit of narration in the middle chapters could have helped drive home the importance of the Laguna Niguel heist. The reader is liable to plow right through it, judging it to be a disappointment. Insight also is lacking. While we are thrust inside Christopher's mind, we find little in the way of illumination there. He committed burglaries, he repeatedly tells us, because he wanted a lot of money. (Willie Sutton reborn.) We're dragged along into deceit, infidelity and murder without knowing why. We readers are left in the uncomfortable position of being within the mind of a person we cannot understand and do not like. At the bottom line, this is a good story, entertaining and informative, requiring minimal effort and investment from the reader. It should someday become an exciting movie. However, it falls far short of its considerable potential as a window into the mind of a career criminal. | |
'Last Godfather' outlines Massino career14 Mar 06 |
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Just out in paperback, The Last Godfather: The Rise and Fall of Joey Massino by Simon Crittle Crittle does a fair job of generating and maintaining reader excitement with a near-stream of consciousness writing style. That style, however, could be frustrating for readers looking for sequential history. One of the results of the author's oh-by-the-way and let-me-go-back-to tendencies is a book that frankly doesn't merit even the 256 pages it has been given. There is plenty of repetition (readers might get the impression that Massino was guilty of eighty murders rather than eight). Some excerpts of court testimony are provided. But a few of those fail to illustrate the author's points and come across as mere filler material. For me, the book missed the mark by failing to provide more underworld context. Former Bonanno boss Philip Rastelli, for example, comes across as just another name and isn't given as much attention as the demolition of a couple of gas containers in Maspeth, Queens. While we are told that the Bonanno family is a vast criminal network with affiliate organizations in at least three nations, we are essentially shown just a handful of guys in a couple of old buildings on Long Island. These omissions are not a problem for readers familiar with the mob, and Crittle's book seems to be intended as the latest installment in a series of journalistic accounts of the New York underworld, building on the still-warm bios of John Gotti However, the most frustrating lack of context occurs in the overall theme of the book. From the cover on, Crittle constantly repeats the "last godfather" and "last of the old world gangsters" theme (the mentions call to mind the similarly ridiculous titles of 1981's "The Last Mafioso" and 1988's "The Last Days of the Sicilians"). He doesn't fully explain how Massino was the "last" of anything at all or why we should be interested. Only in the final pages, after acknowledging that Massino already had been replaced by the time the book was written, does he finally come clean: "Time will only tell who'll be the next Last Godfather..." |
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Cleveland mob history by super storyteller09 Mar 06 |
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Some long-overdue comments on Rick Porrello's The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn Sugar and Blood One other thing is undeniably true - Rick Porrello can tell a story. This carefully researched 1995 book deals capably and at length with Cleveland-area underworld rackets and conflicts from just before the start of Prohibition through the 1970s. It succinctly (just over 200 pages) chronicles the long mob histories of the Porrello and Lonardo clans. My two minor quarrels with this effort are that the author was apparently not interested in Ohio mob developments before the arrival of his ancestors and the Lonardos and that the apparent underworld feud between the two rival clans seems to have been given a quick coat of whitewash. | ||
Important history, but tough reading09 Mar 06 |
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Two other worthwhile books have received little more than regional attention. They are the two volumes of Celeste A. Morello's Philadelphia history: Book 1 of the set, which deals with the period 1880-1931, was released in 1999. Book 2, 1931-1946, hit the shelves a couple of years later. As a crime historian, I treasure these books. As a reader, however, I was a bit disappointed. Morello appears to be a far better historian/researcher than she is a writer. She apparently had difficulty weaving an overabundance of facts into a coherent story. Accounts of underworld incidents often interrupt other accounts or character descriptions. While those aspects of the books diminish the reading experience somewhat, they barely put a dent in the author's overall achievement. Morello seems to have a rare understanding of the Sicilian psyche and illustrates the importance of old-country rivalries in making sense of underworld conflicts. Due to her willingness to tap into records neglected by other researchers, to her critical eye, and to her grasp of Sicilian tradition, the two volumes of Before Bruno contain a wealth of information that won't be found elsewhere. |
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Downey delivers well researched, readable account of NY mob20 Jul 05 |
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In Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935 by Patrick Downey Gangster City deals with organized crime before, during and just after Prohibition. Without neglecting the popular Mafia characters of the period, Downey gives appropriate weight to other ethnic criminal organizations. "Legs" Diamond, "Mad Dog" Coll, "Killer" Madden and Monk Eastman take their rightful places in Big Apple organized crime history. New York-based readers should enjoy Downey's second appendix. In it, he pinpoints the city locations of major underworld events. The book also features a decent index and sixteen pages of photographs. The book would have benefited from a couple of maps. | ||
Plenty of data, plenty of semicolons18 Jul 05 |
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John Dickie's Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia Dickie notes the reestablishment of Mafia authority in Sicily following the Second World War and describes intergang friction on that island from the 1960s to the present day. Dickie's work is the latest to illustrate England's fascination with the Sicilian Mafia. Though the book's jacket claims it is the "first English language history of the Cosa Nostra," readers of James Fentress's "Rebels and Mafiosi" (which certainly seemed to be in English when I read it a few years ago) will experience some deja vu. The book appears to have been very well researched. The subject matter might be a bit too heavy for the casual reader, and Dickie does not help matters with his academic writing style. If you are fond of short sentences and are fearful of semicolons, this one's probably not for you. The book contains a helpful bibliography, a good index, sixteen pages of photographs and a few maps. |
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with this survey of post-Apalachin Mob history. Once again, he does a good job summarizing a massive subject, moving from the Apalachin conclave revelations through the exposures of underworld influence in Las Vegas gambling and the Teamsters union to the breakups of international drug conspiracies and the Mafia Commission. Reppetto writes with authority and in a fast-paced style, made necessary by the vastness of his subject.
(Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2008). Author Frank Hayde left no stone unturned as he assembled a comprehensive and readable history of the Kansas City underworld. He neatly tied together generations of political shenanigans by the influential Pendergast political machine and numerous murders and illicit business ventures by the local Sicilian-Italian Mafia organization.
(Little Neck, NY: Clinton Cook, 2007). Finally something new and interesting for the Luciano shelf! The Case Against Lucky Luciano is certainly not another rehashed biography of the oft-discussed crime boss. Expertly written, carefully researched and well considered, it is a detailed analysis of the vice trial that finally put Luciano behind bars. 
(Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 2007). Authors William J. Helmer and Rick Mattix have produced an extensive and essential reference work on the Gangster Era (1920-1940).
(St. Paul, MN: Zenith Press, 2007). Author Tim Newark establishes himself as an authority on military-underworld cooperation during the Second World War and on the historical context of that unholy alliance.
(Barricade Books, 2007). While I have some problems with this book's content and structure, overall, I liked it a lot. It is interesting reading and - at least in parts - a useful historical reference.
, co-authored by an organized crime historian and a Macheca family descendant, challenges the legends of the mob’s earliest days and establishes the facts of the 1890 Hennessy assassination, the 1891 Crescent City lynchings and the underworld’s kinship with corrupt political machines of the period. Building upon a decade of research, authors Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon stitch together the details of Macheca’s life, interests, family and death. They tackle historical misrepresentations of Macheca as a foreign-born Mafioso, proving he was a native Louisianan, a Confederate patriot and a street warrior for the conservative Democratic cause, as well as a cunning and brutal gang leader.
(Philadelphia: Running Press, 2007). Two decades after wowing us with Donnie Brasco-related revelations, former undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone returns to tie up some loose ends.
(Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2001). Historian/engineer Paul R. Kavieff handles his complex topic capably and professionally, providing us with a window into an active and influential Detroit underworld often neglected by other writers. The author of "The Purple Gang" broadens his focus for this, his second book, to explain in detail the activities and interrelationships of the Detroit area's significant Prohibition Era criminal organizations.
is the highly engaging and very readable life story of master burglar/drug trafficker Phillip Christopher. Through the frequent use of the first-person, author Rick Porrello provides a look inside the mind of a professional criminal. We are treated to the details of Christopher's life -- from his Catholic, blue-collar upbringing in the Collinwood district of Cleveland, Ohio, through his spectacular criminal successes and equally spectacular blunders, to his declining years as an easy target of state and federal law enforcement -- in what is purported to be Christopher's own words.
is a fast-moving account of the rise and fall of Bonanno Family boss Joseph Massino. Crittle presents the details of Massino's crimes, rackets and relationships and explains the power wielded by the man known as the "last godfather."
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This isn't the most impressive-looking OC book, and New York/Chicago/LA snobs are likely to dismiss Cleveland as no more than a mob backwater. But "you can't judge a book by its cover," and Ohio was certainly one of the more important regions for American Mafia development.
(Barricade Books, 2004), Downey sifted through New York's municipal archives in an effort to make sense of the city's criminal history. That he undertook such a project is impressive in itself. That he delivered a coherent and readable book on such an enormous topic is amazing.
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2004) tracks the Mafia underworld back to Italian unification efforts in the 19th Century. It explores the growing influence of the Sicilian criminal element and its flight overseas in the 1920s to escape Fascism.
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