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.McMafia: Crime Without Frontiers

by: Misha Glenny

April 03, 2008
This a frightening but fascinating book, which brings together the keen-eyed journalism Glenny displayed in the 1990s, with a tale of the kind of organised crime that touches us all, whether we know it or not.

Glenny tours the world, and wisely does not try his hand at thriller-writing as he does so. The stories, and their contexts, are fascinating enough to be simply laid out before us. In each case, the most compelling parts are the history and analysis of how that kind of crime took off, in that place and that time. While there are undercurrents that are common throughout, what stands out starkly are the location and era-specific details of the conditions that allow major crime to flourish. I would have liked to have seen something ... Read More:
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.Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia

by: John Dickie

March 08, 2007
The development of the mafia in Sicily over the last 150 years is described in detail in this absorbing book.
The challenge of writing about a secret, criminal fraternity is obvious. How can you be sure of the accuaracy of your sources and to what extent have popular perceptions of the Mafia been distorted by the media industry that has fuelled its reputation and its mystique? Dickie never fails to acknowledge the difficulty of such a task and never falls into the trap of allowing his writing to become melodramatic or unrealistic. This means that his tale has the air of authority of journalistic prose and brings to life the conditions in which the Mafia arose by focusing on the social and economic events that encouraged its development.
This ... Read More:
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.Flat Earth News: An Award-winning Reporter Exposes Falsehood, Distortion and Propaganda in the Global Media

by: Nick Davies

February 07, 2008
The answer to that question and many others you didn't think you needed to know are all in this fantastic book. It is both illumintaing and at the same time depressing to realise that even the most trusted brands of journalism have become victim, like so much of our media, to the forces of money-making, fast-turnaround and nonsense PR. This book is an startling education for anyone who reads or watches 'news', not just those connected to the industry.
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.Excellent Cadavers: Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic

by: Alexander Stille

June 06, 1996
Stille's book shows a side of Sicily and Italy that most of us are vaguely aware of,but submerge in "Godfather"-style cliches.
The Sicilian mafia are far more horrific than the Hollywood rendition,living off the misery of terrified Sicilians.Stille points out Mafia control of heroin traffiking(leading to the zombie-like world of junkiedom for many young Sicilians),protection rackets,tax fraud and their links with corrupt politicians are a cancer inside Sicilian and Italian society.Note well that the first victims of the Mafia,either in Italy or in the Italian diaspora worldwide,are other Italians-so much for the Mafia as being somehow protecting Italians.
The other side of Stille's story is the suicidal bravery of a small number of Siclilian prosecutors,policemen ... Read More:
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.Defiance: The Story of One Man Who Stood Up to the Sicilian Mafia

by: Tom Behan

November 20, 2007
Stille's book shows a side of Sicily and Italy that most of us are vaguely aware of,but submerge in "Godfather"-style cliches.
The Sicilian mafia are far more horrific than the Hollywood rendition,living off the misery of terrified Sicilians.Stille points out Mafia control of heroin traffiking(leading to the zombie-like world of junkiedom for many young Sicilians),protection rackets,tax fraud and their links with corrupt politicians are a cancer inside Sicilian and Italian society.Note well that the first victims of the Mafia,either in Italy or in the Italian diaspora worldwide,are other Italians-so much for the Mafia as being somehow protecting Italians.
The other side of Stille's story is the suicidal bravery of a small number of Siclilian prosecutors,policemen ... Read More:
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.The Dark Heart of Italy

by: Tobias Jones

March 15, 2007
The author does't know what he is talking about. His vision of Italy, its politics and Italians is naive. It is never a good idea to generalize about a country and its citizens, especially if someone is not an anthropologist and especially if the description carries a judgement in itself. And if you are not a glottologist it is not wise to interpret the language according to the ethimology of the words without placing the latters in their contemporary context and use. In fact it is the use that makes the language, regardless its origin, especially if we are talking about familiar expressions. The author's vision of Italy and Italians is superficial, and I am only talking about the first chapter. The title of the book presents the book itself as a reference book for anyone travelling to ... Read More:
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.Naples '44: An Intelligence Officer in the Italian Labyrinth

by: Norman Lewis

July 31, 2002
Norman Lewis's son is a friend of mine and has been for twenty years. For twenty years I've drunk beer, watched football, told jokes and (in the dim & distant past) chased girls with the son. I even met the father once. It was not until I read the back of a Norman Lewis book last year & saw the picture, that I put two and two together. "Yep, that's my Dad". Astonishing!

I read that book,A Dragon Apparent, and enjoyed it, but not really enough to run out & buy others. I dont read much travel writing in general but it was undeniably well written, interesting & felt it was doing me good. On a whim I bought this one, Naples 44, last week and it is a real step up. Dressed up as a diary of a place in time (there's a clue in the title as to where & when!), each entry is a beautifully ... Read More:
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.Gomorra: Viaggio Nell'impero Economico E Nel Sogno Di Dominio Della Camorra (Strade Blu)

by: Roberto Saviano

2006-10
Norman Lewis's son is a friend of mine and has been for twenty years. For twenty years I've drunk beer, watched football, told jokes and (in the dim & distant past) chased girls with the son. I even met the father once. It was not until I read the back of a Norman Lewis book last year & saw the picture, that I put two and two together. "Yep, that's my Dad". Astonishing!

I read that book,A Dragon Apparent, and enjoyed it, but not really enough to run out & buy others. I dont read much travel writing in general but it was undeniably well written, interesting & felt it was doing me good. On a whim I bought this one, Naples 44, last week and it is a real step up. Dressed up as a diary of a place in time (there's a clue in the title as to where & when!), each entry is a beautifully ... Read More:
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.CRIMINI: The Bitter Lemon Book of Italian Crime Fiction

by: Giancarlo De Cataldo

January 10, 2008
This is an excellent introduction to contemporary Italian crime fiction containing a range of writers at the top of their form who have here produced short stories which are at once highly varied in approach and extremely powerful. The translator, Andrew Brown, has done a terrific job and I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
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.The Paper Moon (Montalbano 9)

by: Andrea Camilleri

June 06, 2008
This is an excellent introduction to contemporary Italian crime fiction containing a range of writers at the top of their form who have here produced short stories which are at once highly varied in approach and extremely powerful. The translator, Andrew Brown, has done a terrific job and I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
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