City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime

.Wised Up
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Charlie Wilhelm, Joan Jacobson

December 13, 2004

>>See More Reviews & Details on Wised Up

Used Price: £0.33

Average Rating:

.Nipper Read
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Leonard Read, James Morton

July 05, 2001
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. ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Nipper Read

Used Price: £0.43

Average Rating:

.Escape: From the Kray Madness
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Chris Lambrianou, Robin McGibbon

July 21, 1995
Chris Lambrianou has joined the ranks of former Kray-henchmen-turned-authors with an interesting account of how he got caught up in the whirlpool of organised crime in 1960's London. His story is gripping - and will have you laughing out loud and close to tears within a few pages. Sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the murder of fellow villain Jack McVitie, Chris Lambrianou turned his back on the life of crime on his release from prison and has since become a born again Christian, helping people to avoid making the mistakes he did. The highlight of this book for me was when Chris told of his and Charlie Richardson's hilarious attempt at making a beef curry for a fellow-inmate - Train Robber Bruce Reynolds. This title is a must for ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Escape: From the Kray Madness

Used Price: £1.20

Average Rating:

.Little Man: The Gangster Life of Meyer Lansky
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Robert Lacey

October 24, 1991
Chris Lambrianou has joined the ranks of former Kray-henchmen-turned-authors with an interesting account of how he got caught up in the whirlpool of organised crime in 1960's London. His story is gripping - and will have you laughing out loud and close to tears within a few pages. Sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the murder of fellow villain Jack McVitie, Chris Lambrianou turned his back on the life of crime on his release from prison and has since become a born again Christian, helping people to avoid making the mistakes he did. The highlight of this book for me was when Chris told of his and Charlie Richardson's hilarious attempt at making a beef curry for a fellow-inmate - Train Robber Bruce Reynolds. This title is a must for ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Little Man: The Gangster Life of Meyer Lansky

Used Price: £7.30

Average Rating:

.FRANK NITTI: The True Story of Chicago's Infamous Enforcer (For Beginners)
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Ron Humble

May 22, 2008
Chris Lambrianou has joined the ranks of former Kray-henchmen-turned-authors with an interesting account of how he got caught up in the whirlpool of organised crime in 1960's London. His story is gripping - and will have you laughing out loud and close to tears within a few pages. Sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the murder of fellow villain Jack McVitie, Chris Lambrianou turned his back on the life of crime on his release from prison and has since become a born again Christian, helping people to avoid making the mistakes he did. The highlight of this book for me was when Chris told of his and Charlie Richardson's hilarious attempt at making a beef curry for a fellow-inmate - Train Robber Bruce Reynolds. This title is a must for ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on FRANK NITTI: The True Story of Chicago's Infamous Enforcer (For Beginners)

Used Price: £6.33

Average Rating:

.The Plumber: True Story of How One Good Man Helped Destroy the Entire Philadelphia Mafia
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Joseph Salerno, Stephen J. Rivele

April 23, 1992
Chris Lambrianou has joined the ranks of former Kray-henchmen-turned-authors with an interesting account of how he got caught up in the whirlpool of organised crime in 1960's London. His story is gripping - and will have you laughing out loud and close to tears within a few pages. Sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the murder of fellow villain Jack McVitie, Chris Lambrianou turned his back on the life of crime on his release from prison and has since become a born again Christian, helping people to avoid making the mistakes he did. The highlight of this book for me was when Chris told of his and Charlie Richardson's hilarious attempt at making a beef curry for a fellow-inmate - Train Robber Bruce Reynolds. This title is a must for ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on The Plumber: True Story of How One Good Man Helped Destroy the Entire Philadelphia Mafia

Used Price: £0.01

Average Rating:

.Crimelord: The Licensee - The True Story of Tam McGraw
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: David Leslie

January 04, 2007
I was interested to read about such an enigmatic figure as Tam McGraw, having heard so many others holding forth on the subject (Reg McKay, Paul Ferris et al). I was hoping that this book would cast some light on McGraw's shadowy world. However, the book is largely pre-occupied with smuggling operations undertaken by the Tartan Mafia back in the 90s, with occasional allusions to McGraw's involvement.

There are some interesting anecdotes, though they must be taken with a pinch of salt considering the sources. Unfortunately there are some extensive grey areas. For example, Paul Ferris is rarely mentioned, which considering recent events is unusual. The tone of the book is sympathetic toward McGraw and his henchmen, leaving one with ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Crimelord: The Licensee - The True Story of Tam McGraw

Used Price: £2.75

Average Rating:

.Sharks in the Desert
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: John Smith

2005-08
I was interested to read about such an enigmatic figure as Tam McGraw, having heard so many others holding forth on the subject (Reg McKay, Paul Ferris et al). I was hoping that this book would cast some light on McGraw's shadowy world. However, the book is largely pre-occupied with smuggling operations undertaken by the Tartan Mafia back in the 90s, with occasional allusions to McGraw's involvement.

There are some interesting anecdotes, though they must be taken with a pinch of salt considering the sources. Unfortunately there are some extensive grey areas. For example, Paul Ferris is rarely mentioned, which considering recent events is unusual. The tone of the book is sympathetic toward McGraw and his henchmen, leaving one with ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on Sharks in the Desert

Used Price: £10.04

Average Rating:

.For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Albert Demeo

2003-09
I bought this book on the spur of the moment. It was in the sale and I thought, "What the heck, I've nothing else to read tonight!"

The author Albert DeMeo pulls no punches as he chronicles not only his father's life, the Mobster Roy DeMeo and his steady rise to power in the Mafia in New York but also his own involvement from the tender age of five in a world that was seductively charming as it was dangerous. "For the Sins of my Father" is a brutal, candid, violent, tender portrayal of a life in a huge glass bubble in which escape is not an option for anyone.

However Albert DeMeo is not an apologist for his father's actions, rather he pulls the reader in a world in which corruption is at the heart of everything. Just as you ... Read More:
>>See More Reviews & Details on For the Sins of My Father: A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life

Used Price: £1.67

Average Rating:

.Blood & Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia
City Travel Guides > Books > Mafia and Organised Crime
by: Dave Copeland

April 30, 2007
Got this book from Amazon and absolutely loved it from page one. Dave Copeland wastes no time in immersing us in the underworld of New York's Israeli mafia and their drug dealing and murdering. The factual story is based on the life of Ron Gonen who became an FBI informer in return for places for himself and his family on the witness protection scheme. I had never even heard of the Israeli mafia before reading this book, but Copeland has brough it to life and should by now be negotiating a lucrative movie deal - it's certianly a movie I'd pay to see. All in all, a great book. Buy it.
>>See More Reviews & Details on Blood & Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia

Used Price: £16.11