City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime

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.Hard Bastards
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Kate Kray

August 14, 2002
I have read a few books about fighters, gangsters and football hooligans, but I have to say this is definately one of the better ones although it could have done with a bit more info on each of the people interviewed
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.Dave Courtney's Heroes and Villains
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Dave Courtney

September 08, 2005
This book is an amazing insight into the underworld and the best book I have read since Till Death Us Do By Part by Garry Jackson and The Face by Garry Bushell.
Like all the books by Dave Courtney it is entertainng and a page-turner. A book so hot that it burns your fingers.
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.Brutal: Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Kevin Weeks, Phyllis Karas

April 05, 2007
This book is an amazing insight into the underworld and the best book I have read since Till Death Us Do By Part by Garry Jackson and The Face by Garry Bushell.
Like all the books by Dave Courtney it is entertainng and a page-turner. A book so hot that it burns your fingers.
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.Fallen Angel: The Unlikely Rise of Walter Stadnick and the Canadian Hells Angels
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Jerry Langton

May 19, 2006
A difficult book to follow,i kept loosing the plot as to who i was reading about.Stadnick pops up from time to time and meets someone who knows someone else, and after reading 3-5 pages of them and their friends,family and what they have for breakfast along will come stadnick again and we are back to square one.
Maybe as i have only read it once i am the one with the confused disposition.If i was you i would certainly spend my money on ice-cream for your kids at the sea-side rather than on this as it would be more enjoyable!!
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.Donnie Brasco: Unfinished Business
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Joe Pistone

June 05, 2008
This is a readable book which goes into some detail about things not covered in the original work. It also shows just what courage and dedicaiton Joe Pistone had in working undercover in describing some events he did not include in the original work. The book goes on to give an insiders account of the trials he was a witness for (and plenty for which he was not) and discusses some of the tactices the FBI used to ensure convictions. It also covers what became of him in his career after he was revealed to be an agent (and the FBI does not smell of roses here). In all an interesting read, though at times it is a little difficult to follow as he writes extensivly about every major mafia trial from the early 1980's onwards and sometimes it is difficult ... Read More:
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.Bound by Honour
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Bill Bonanno

September 30, 2000
This book gives a fascinating insight into Bill Bonnano's life in the eponymous crime family.The writing is methodical and the book moves along at an easy pace. Bill Bonnano is at pains to point out how mafia life in the Bonnano family was governed by strong traditional rules and values which were passed down from generation to generation over hundreds of years.The Bonnano creed of conservative mafia values is clearly at odds with modern "celebrity" gangsters such as the late John Gotti. Bill Bonnano is at pains to point out that breaks in these traditions have caused great damage to the mafia.The content is riveting and contains several revelations on the mafia's links to leading political figures and in particular their role in the murder of John.F.Kennedy.Those ... Read More:
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.Underboss Sammy the Bull
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Peter Maas

1997-04
This is an interesting look at the mob from someone who was a made member of the Cosa Nostra. Sammy the Bull Gravano is no angel and he pulls no punches, as he regales the reader with his tale of growing up on the mean streets of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn as the dyslexic son of Italian immigrants. A high school drop-out, Sammy graduated from local street gangs to the Cosa Nostra, taking a blood oath of silence. So much for promises.

This book is a series of taped interviews that are edited by the author, who interposes little analysis but serves to connect the dots. The feel of the book is gritty, and Sammy the Bull Gravano comes across as a reasonably intelligent person who made a knowing choice early on to enter into a lifestyle that was fraught with murder, ... Read More:
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.Nipper Read: The Man Who Nicked the Krays
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Leonard Read, James Morton

November 07, 2002
Leonard 'Nipper' Read will certainly go down in history as one of the best detectives Scotland Yard has ever seen; this book explains why.

As a constable in 1947, Read spent more time out of uniform, than in it; his modest height ensured that he was much in demand for undercover work. Rising through the ranks of the CID, Read's splendidly written book describes the hard life of a young detective in post-war England. Read rose to the occasion; seconded to the Great Train Robbery team, he went on to tackle the formidible might of the Kray brothers and win.

The book is recounted with Read's typical modesty, apportioning praise to others, whilst never mentioning his own impressive stack of commendations. But it is not all praise; when ... Read More:
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.Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia: a True Story by an FBI Agent
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Joseph Pistone

1997-02
I first read this book in late 1987 and was impressed with Joseph Pistone's portrayal of his undercover exploits within the New York Mafia.The book is compelling and I found it was gripping from start to finish.The characters he meets along the way, particularly Lefty, are given real dimension and colour,you feel you know them as individuals by the time you finish this book.The movie was ridiculous, forget about it.Anyone who thinks Joseph Pistone would attempt to bribe a Mafia member away from La Cosa Nostra, let alone a staunch supporter like Lefty,is misguided.When you realise that a few games of Backgammon in a wiseguy hangout led ultimately to the success of this FBI operation, it puts into perspective just how creative and ingenious Pistone was in his role.Do the ... Read More:
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.Born to the Mob: The True-Life Story of the Only Man to Work for All Five of New York's Mafia Families
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Frankie Saggio, Fred Rosen

May 04, 2004
I bought this book following other reviews, which were mixed. I am not an expert in this area and I am just reading the different books on the different families. However, I found the book interesting but with an abrupt end.

I have read better Mafia books, to sum it up, I would say average.
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