The Prince of Providence: The True Story of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor, Some Wiseguys, and the Feds

by Mike Stanton

COP: “Buddy, I think this is a whorehouse.”

BUDDY CIANCI: “Now I know why they made you a detective.”

Welcome to Providence, Rhode Island, where corruption is entertainment and Mayor Buddy Cianci presided over the longest-running lounge act in American politics. In The Prince of Providence, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Mike Stanton tells a classic story of wiseguys, feds, and politicians on a carousel of crime and redemption.

Buddy Cianci was part urban visionary, part Tony Soprano—a flawed political genius in the mold of Huey Long and James Michael Curley. His lust for power cost him his marriage, his family, and close friendships. Yet he also revitalized the city of Providence, where ethnic factions jostle with old-moneyed New Englanders and black-clad artists from the Rhode Island School of Design rub shoulders with scam artists from City Hall.

For nearly a quarter of a century, Cianci dominated this uneasy melting pot. During his first administration, twenty-two political insiders were convicted of corruption. In 1984, Cianci resigned after pleading guilty to felony assault, for torturing a man he suspected of sleeping with his estranged wife. In 1990, in a remarkable comeback, Cianci was elected mayor once again; he went on to win national acclaim for transforming a dying industrial city into a trendy arts and tourism mecca.

But in 2001, a federal corruption probe dubbed Operation Plunder Dome threatened to bring the curtain down on Cianci once and for all.

Mike Stanton takes readers on a remarkable journey through the underside of city life, into the bizarre world of the mayor and his supporting cast, including:

• “Buckles” Melise, the city official in charge of vermin control, who bought Providence twice as much rat poison as the city of Cleveland, which was at the time four times as large, and wound up increasing Providence’s rat population. During a garbage strike, Buckles sledgehammered one city employee and stuck his thumb in another’s eye. Cianci would later describe this as “great public policy.”

• Anthony “the Saint” St. Laurent, a major Rhode Island bookmaker and loan shark, who tried to avoid prison by citing his medical need for forty bowel irrigations a day, thus earning himself the nickname “Public Enema Number One.”

• Dennis Aiken, a celebrated FBI agent and public corruption expert, who asked to be sent to “the Louisiana of the North,” where he enlisted an undercover businessman to expose the corrupt secrets of Cianci’s City Hall.

The Prince of Providence is a colorful and engrossing account of one of the most tragicomic figures in modern American life—and the city he transformed.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Politics, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mike Stanton is a very good reporter and Buddy Cianci was describable by many lively adjectives, but The Prince of Providence is an unsatisfying read. Stanton largely failed by embracing the more-is-better philosophy when telling Cianci's story. Clever quips are repeated to an annoying degree; passages are larded with too many quirky anecdotes creating a meandering and packed-on feel; and it felt like Stanton was pandering to Rhode Island readers with his excessive local references.

The early section about young Buddy suffered from Stanton's attempt to paint Cianci as an impish rascal with a sharp tongue. I was never a Cianci fan so the Oh-That-Buddy! treatment was a challenge to read. I nearly put the book aside but was glad I finished because the book improved substantially when Stanton addressed Cianci's dark nature. Here, Stanton removed Cianci's charming veneer and dug deeply and convincingly into the scary abuses Buddy's legions of fans so willingly ignore.

Cianci's admirers shrug off his criminality by saying he transformed Providence for the better and was the only politician with the ability or the will to transform it into the Renaissance city. Stanton ably rebuts such arguments with many stories of prominent business leaders who avoided Providence while Cianci was mayor; unsustainable pension benefits provided to his cronies that haunt the city to this day; tax revenues that went uncollected because of graft; and more.

I'll never understand the blind loyalty and adulation given to politicians (despite their very obvious bad behaviors) but Buddy is a legend in Providence and it's a shame this book is as flawed as its subject.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating biography of a unique mayor

Buddy Cianci, former mayor of Providence, seems larger than life. I remember describing him to a friend from Ohio in the late 90s, and my friend thought that I *had* to be making it all up. Larger-than-life, mayor who brought about an unbelievable Renaissance for Providence, but whose regime was unspeakably corrupt, Buddy is a study in contrasts - and this book captures the good, the bad, and the ugly very well.

[LATOYA JOVENA · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author has obviously done a great deal of research and is quite proud of it. It almost seems like he's "peacocking" his brilliance. He seems to believe that there is no way you'd remember something he said 30 pages ago so he re-explains, over and over.
To top it all off the title is misleading. This isn't Buddy's story, it's the story of corruption in Providence over decades some of which Buddy played a part. No detail is overlooked, unfortunately.
Nevertheless Providence Rhode Island is quite a town. It's like housewives of where ever if all the skanky behavior was coming from super educated rich white men. The mayor was like the crazy queen bee. This would've been brilliant tv if it wasn't elected public office. *sigh*

[Immigration Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy Cianci is a larger than life character with a true life story that is stranger than fiction. A real change agent, a real innovator, and a real (although corrupt) leader who made Providence, RI, a thriving, eccentric, urban center bustling with avant-garde artists (from RISD), intellectual innovators (from Brown University), high end restaurants, public parks, various mobsters and a below-the-radar criminal element, bookstores, tourist attractions, and a good old fashioned hometown spirit -- with an exceedingly high ratio of Dunkin Donuts retail outlets per capita!

If you're interested in municipal government, crime stories, urban development, and hometown pride, read this book! It is an enjoyable journey through the life and times of a man and his city.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hair raising book. Cianci who did transform Providence and ran as the "anti-corruption mayor," angrily denying Mob activity in the city, deemed as stereotypical to Italians, basically just created his own private mob. It's funny because my daughter once took me to an established Italian restaurant on Federal Hill (in the traditional Italian neighborhood) "Joe Marzilli's Old Canteen" which has been around since the 40's. When we walked in, I exclaimed, "OMG, this looks like a set out of The Sopranos!" It was very old-style classy, pink linen table cloths and napkins, little llamps on the table, polite waiters in black and white penquin suits, and a beautiful mural on the retaining wall of an Italian townscape. I was thrilled, and the menu was deliciously old school, too, featuring dishes I hadn't seen in decades. It was not vintage "chic," most everyone there looked like regulars. As it turns out, it WAS one of main meeting places of the supposedly non-existant Providence mob. In fact, there is a)n episode where the Soprano's have to go meet "the guys up North," (the "Atwell Avenue Mob" who are real mobsters. Anyway, that's a side bar, but it shows that art imitates life. ANYWAY, the book is alarming, the level of corruption that went on was mind-blowing. It is a fascinating story, and he is a very interesting man, driven like many by ego ,
and trauma, and he did bring Providence back from the dead. Post Cianci, a convicted felon who died in 2016, is a mixed bag, but a city I would consider living in if I had to stay in the New England area, but I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of the place here. But as story of a the rise and fall of a charismic character and the revival of a city, it was pretty compelling. Written by a journalist, so every fact is loaded in.

[Dave Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astounding, staggering, and stupefying

America's dirtiest mayor, Buddy Cianci is like the Grand Canyon.
You hear about it all your life and think "What's the big deal" until you see it for yourself. I've heard about Buddy for years and years, but I had no idea.
The depth and scope of his corruption is... words fail. This guy ran the entire city like a criminal enterprise. His corruption would have been an open secret if it had been anything like a secret. He was so... mater of fact about it. "That's just how things work in Providence". This guy had a uniformed police officer dive his limousine around to collect his tribute money! An honest to god on duty police officer as people gave him bricks of cash wrapped in tin foil.
You've got to read this to grasp the totality. it's like Gotham City where even the cops & judges are on the take. And if you don't want to 'play ball' who are you going to call? the cops?
-The second most astonishing things is, just how funny and charming Buddy was. A Consummate showman keeping everyone entertained as he winked at the camera.
This guy was the ringmaster of a dirty circus, the P. T. Barnum of corrupt public officials.
...And yet, buddy oversaw one of the greatest urban renascences in American history.

[Mike Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels impossible to read this in today's political climate and not see the parallels between Cianci and DJT. The "anti-corruption" candidate that actually one-ups the corruption of previous administrations, who has a political fall from grace and subsequent comeback despite several legal and ethical boundaries being crossed, who possesses innate showmanship and a need to be loved along with penchant for vengeance towards his enemies, and ultimately is supported by an electorate that is able to look past all of this because hey, at least he's good for the economy. And a connection to Alan Dershowitz to top it off.

I appreciate the detail but some of the anecdotes feel like they go unnecessarily in depth. Still it is a fun read for anyone who has spent time in Providence and wants to learn about some of its wild history.

[David Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author of the book “Lost Restaurants of Providence”, I appreciated the number of restaurants and bars Mike Stanton discusses in his account of a less-than-Divine Providence.

Here are just a few references:

Doorley’s Bar, owned by a relative of Cianci’s predecessor in office Mayor Doorley, was known as Rhode Island’s longest bar and extended a full block between City Hall and The Providence Journal.

Another Doorley favorite was The Plantations Room in the Biltmore, also owned by his cousin. There are quite a few index references under the heading “drinking by Mayor Doorley”!

Buddy announced his first mayoral campaign in the Garden Room of the Biltmore, and at the end of his political career attended a farewell party in the rooftop Biltmore ballroom a week before his sentencing in August 2002 (he also lived in the hotel’s Presidential Suite for a time).

After resigning as Mayor in 1984, Buddy would eat lunch on Fridays at the Barnsider, sitting in a corner and talking about ”how he had let his career slip through his fingers.”

At the Left Bank French restaurant Buddy had martinis with Bill Warner, the architect who developed the plans to uncover the Providence river and build WaterPlace park. They could track the progress of the project from their table there.

My favorite section of “The Prince of Providence” is the account of Buddy’s ascension to power, which is the part of the story I knew least. In particular, Buddy’s work as a prosecutor and later anti-corruption candidate running against Mayor Doorley is vividly limned and is the rise against which his dramatic fall is measured.

I could not write a restaurant history of Providence without discussing the legacy of Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, and Mike Stanton also places Buddy in the context of the restaurants in the city he led for so long. After all, this is the mayor who called his autobiography “Politics and Pasta.” Food mattered deeply to him, and figured prominently in his rise and fall, as evidenced by his relationship to three lost Providence restaurants, explored in the book.

Victory: The East Side Diner
1945 to 1980
360 Waterman Street (Near the Red Bridge)

Buddy knew he would win his first term as mayor of Providence in 1974 when he walked into the East Side Diner the week before the election and everyone in the restaurant stood and clapped. If he had the East Side, he had the city. His comfortable lead on the East Side gave him the votes he needed to win as a Republican in this staunchly Democratic city.

Exile: Trapper John’s
1989 to 1990
75 Plain Street

Few people remember that Buddy once owned his own restaurant in Providence, and a M*A*S*H themed-one to boot. Buddy’s brief personal involvement in the restaurant business in the city came after his first run as mayor from 1975 to 1984 ended with a felony conviction. In 1989, he opened Trapper John’s on Plain Street near Rhode Island Hospital. For a man with such a keen understanding of Providence, he chose a far from downtown location that may have been its downfall, although it was conveniently close to the emergency room.
The Korean War military medic theme was a fun one, and any resemblance to M*A*S*H was purely intentional. A military style ambulance was parked outside, while inside there were army helmet lampshades and camouflage wallpaper.
Yes, gentle reader, I am one of the few who ate there, and you can read about it in “Lost Restaurants of Providence.”

Crimetown: Amsterdam’s
1990 to 1996
76 South Main Street

Amsterdam’s was a mini-chain with two locations in New York City and two in Rhode Island. The Newport restaurant opened in the summer of 1988 at 509 Thames Street in the location of the former Southern Cross and the Providence restaurant followed in April 1990, importing a new level of cool to the city.
The Providence Amsterdam’s achieved local immortality when issues arose with City Hall after Buddy was denied entry at the rope one night by a doorman. That incident recently achieved international infamy when it was discussed in Episode 14 (“Renaissance Man”) of the popular podcast “Crimetown”

Buddy presided over the renaissance of Providence as a restaurant city until Operation Plunder Dome led to his resignation in 2002. Like the restaurants in my book, Buddy was himself lost on January 28, 2016. His marinara sauce lives on.

I highly recommend Mike Stanton’s book as a masterpiece of writing about municipal politics and eagerly await the new play based on it, opening in September 2019 at Tony-award winning Trinity Repertory Company, the theater Buddy saved from the brink.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun mental return to Providence for me. I used to live on Federal Hill, one block off of Atwells Avenue - next to Mediterraneo and across from Andino's - so I saw Buddy very often around the neighborhood, and have always been fascinated by him. And it was kind of disturbing and thrilling to read about all the dirty deals and other events that were going down in locations so close to me.

This is well-researched book and an almost unreal story. Buddy is a larger-than-life character, and it often felt like I was reading episodes of the Sopranos, rather than a real-life story. (Which is ironic because Buddy was one of the biggest detractors of the Sopranos when it came on air because he objected to that portrayal of Italian-Americans.) Seriously, there's characters in this tale with the names Sharky Almagno, Buckles Melise, Bobo Marrapese, and Blackjack DelSanto. Great Prosecutor and FBI tales. Undercover agents and wire-tapping. Parts of it read like a great suspense novel. And Buddy is such a great tragic figure - so capable of greatness, but so flawed in his corruption.

My one issue with the book is that the writing sometimes comes off as a little too reportorial at times (which is understandable, since the author is a reporter for The Providence Journal). I also think that the earlier years could have had better editing. The author kept trying to build suspense as to upcoming events, but then would jump around in time within the next few paragraphs, giving major things away. Also, there were way too many moments in the earlier years where the author tells these random anecdotes from people that go absolutely nowhere. I know that there are a lot of Buddy stories, but he didn't have to include absolutely every one.

That said, in the author's note at the end, he says "Everyone in Rhode Island, it seems, has a Buddy story." And yes, I just complained about too many anecdotes, but I, too, have some Buddy stories to share:

1 - It was rumored that he had 4 toupees - 1 that was a "just got a haircut" toupee, and then one for each successive week with a little more growth. Then he'd start all over again. (This was confirmed in the book - he also had a darker toupee, a "salt and pepper" toupee, and a "tousled" toupee that he wore to blizzards, fires, & crime scenes. He had to give up his toupees when he went to jail.)

2 - Buddy spoke at my college graduation about a month before he was indicted. He was enormously popular, and everyone cheered and chanted "Free Buddy," especially after he announced that all graduates' parking tickets would be forgiven. (According to the book - this is something he did every year. RISD students loved him - they made a huge Buddy blow-up sculpture on campus when I was there, and he was the honorary coach of the school's hockey team, the Nads.)

3 - About 4 years before, I was at the Providence Children's Museum. There was an interactive computer game that followed a rat through the sewer system to illustrate how it worked. At the end, the rat takes you to his "apartment" below Providence. On the wall of the apartment was a framed portrait of Buddy Cianci - and when you clicked on it, it came alive and said "Hey Kids, I'm Buddy Cianci, Mayor of Providence! Don't forget to tell your parents to buy my marinara sauce!" (The photo on the cover even shows him on a gondola, with a jar of his marinara sauce prominently displayed next to him.)

That's why I read this book. It was a very satisfying read.

[Richard Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many of the reviewers, I grew up just outside of Providence. Of course, given the state's size, any former Rhode Islander can say the same.

A good buddy of mine found the book in the remainder pile and gave it to me for Christmas. Gotta say, it's the best thing since O'Connor's, The Last Hurrah.

I was a community organizer working out of Providence until about a year before Cianci's ascension and have always wondered how he managed to outflank the democratic machine. He didn't and Stanton's chronicling of how he won election is fascinating.

I was particularly tickled by the story of Ted Collins. He was a lieutenant in the Providence Police and my Providence landlord. I lived in one of his apartments during my first two years in college. He spoke out of turn and Cianci had him arrested on an outstanding warrant for serious code violations in some of his properties.

The one I lived in collapsed into a pile of rubble one sunny morning a few years after I moved out. Even the termites had moved on. A couple of days later, the one next door, also a Collins property, collapsed as well. You can still see the vacant lots on West Park Street on Smith Hill. "No one's above the law," Cianci said. He got that one right.

[Kenneth P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILERS!
This was a difficult book to read because it documents so many crimes that went unpunished. Buddy Cianci, as a law student, raped a woman at gunpoint. He paid a settlement in response to a civil suit. In his first term as mayor of Providence he drove his Police Chief to suicide. Yes, Buddy was bummed out for a day or so, but he had a city to run. Most maddening was his burgeoning popularity, a convicted felon who served a record six terms as mayor. People actually voted for this scumbag. He was credited with the "renaissance" of Providence which showcased a flashy new waterfront, new hotels and restaurants, all of it built on bribes and extortion.

Like Buddy (famous for his toupees) the renaissance was and is flashy and superficial. When he finally went to prison on racketeering charges he left Providence with a very nice waterfront, terrible schools and crime-ridden neighborhoods.

This is a well documented piece of journalism that is a tough read only because of its disgusting main character who was, without doubt, a pig.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be, for me, part nostalgia and part horror show about the state of politics in the city of Providence. Part horror because I, too, remember Bobo Marapese and all the Federal Hill mafia gang and horror show because I had forgotten just how awful a person Buddy Cianci could be in spite of his remarkable achievements. It should be required reading for anyone living in Rhode Island.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a native Rhod Islander, now living across the border, I wanted to read this book to gain an understanding of the very charismatic mayor of Providence. I found the book dull and hard to get into. A chore to read.

Well researched which but the writing style was dry and tedious. Read more like a text book then a novel.

[Raully · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so unbelievable that people would continue to vote for a politician who is so obviously vengeful, corrupt and saddled with legal problems. Just because he appealed to them as 'one of us.' Its almost impossible to imagine, isn't it?

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Rhode Islander, I grew up knowing Buddy Cianci's name. However, I was young at the time of his trial so all I remember him as is a corrupt former mayor of Providence. I enjoyed this book because I learned a lot about his crimes and that corruption, but also about all the things he did for the city. I never knew that many things I take for granted about Providence lead back in one way or another to this tenacious mayor with a pretty grand vision.
This book is full of quality, in-depth reporting. At times I grew frustrated and felt the story dry, especially when the author would delve into the personal histories of various players in the game that was (and is) Rhode Island politics. But I also think this was a choice to paint a more colorful picture of these characters. I admit that I skimmed through a few sections that bored me but that didn't detract from my experience so I still think this book warrants 4 stars.
The courtroom scenes in particular were detailed and captivating. I found myself making predictions and reading quickly to find out what would transpire next - a sure sign that I was enjoying the story. I have a better appreciation of an essential time in the history of a city and state that are important to me so overall I liked it.

[Alan Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to Brown in Providence from the Fall of 1974 through the Spring of 1978. I was vaguely aware that the Mayor was Buddy Cianci, and of rumors of corruption. However, I had no clue how much more there was to the story.

The autor, a journalist with the Providence Journal, has done a good job of digging into Cianci's past, explaining his transformation from a reform minded prosecutor who rode his reputation as a corruption busting prosecutor into the mayor's job--driving out the "corrupt" democratic machine which had ruled Providence since the depression, into a twice convicted felon (re-elected as mayor after his first conviction!).

relying heavily on the proof introduced during his federal racketeering trial, he also does a fine job of demonstrating how corruption works in a big city. While the cast of characters is large and can get confusing, the diving narrative keeps the reader going, with no problem.

Highly recommended for anyone with any Providence connection (it truly is the city that Buddy built), and for anyone interested in the operation of bi city political machines in the second half of the 20th century.

[Peter Lech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed, even minute narrative, and probably a must-read for any long-time Providence resident. Ultimately, flawed. The author claims to want to give a balanced narrative in the end-matter, but the story assumes the arc of the all-too-familiar "rise and fall of a Mafia Boss," and seems mostly concerned in re-prosecuting the man. The comparisons Stanton invites -- the book ends with Raymond Patriarca and concludes with Dominican Republic dictator Trujillo -- make clear what his objective is.

Thus there is very little on the mayor's contributions to the city, and what little there is, gets downplayed. Yet the author's summary of his own book belies the lack of balance in it: "the story of a man who becomes a major, has political battles. He beats up his wife's lover has to leave office. He comes back, brings back the city. Then he runs into some other bullshit with the feds. He's kind of a rogue. Maybe he wins on his appeal..."



This is not to deny the engrained corruption at City Hall, or that Cianci deserved to be put away. He did. Stanton has produced a carefully researched, and well written book. In the end though he prefers to tell the story of Hyde, not Jekyll.

[Michael Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustively reported and well written profile of Buddy Cianci, who ran the city of Providence like a mafia don. Stanton covered Cianci for years as a Providence Journal reporter, and knows his subject, and the lay of the land, extremely well.
Providence's notorious mafia came out of the Italian, working class Federal Hill neighborhood, and Cianci, even though he grew up wealthy, knew that world well. Kickbacks and corruption were part of everyday business in the mayor's office.
Yet Cianci did improve the city substantially, with an arts district and gondola rides down the river and Providence's WaterFire art exhibit.
Cianci goes to jail for roughing up a man fooling around with his wife for several hours, and later gets reelected.
Only in Rhode Island.
The story loses steam at Cianci's trial at the end, but all in all, it's a fun read. Hard to believe all of this happened in our lifetimes.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an oddly relevant book right now. Despite largely discussing events from the 1970s and 1990s, the attitudes of the man in the spotlight is oddly reminiscent of our current political climate.
I think this book was really easy to follow and understand and truly fascinating. I may be a little biased since I am from Rhode Island, but I think political corruption and is political corruption no matter where you're from.
I do have a warning to audio listeners, however. The narrator practically reads in slow motion. I like my audio books to go a little fast, and listening at 1.25x felt like a listening to a book I hadn't sped up, and I had to set it to read at 1.5x to get to a pace I could listen to.

[Dorothy Gallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! A real eye opener. I was much younger when he was elected and I didn't remember all the details. It's very sad the way a lot of business was conducted in the city. He kinda reminds me of our current president, thinking you can do whatever you want. They love the power of the office. He was very slick though, never got caught on tape accepting any money. And I love the snippet towards the end of the book about our current Senate president who shoplifted condoms in CVS, stuffing them in his sock! How embarrassing for his family! And he's still "serving" the people. What a joke! I'm glad I finally read it, I've had the book for years. The amount of research and interviews that went into this book is amazing.

[Derek Petrarca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was somewhat difficult to get through, feeling a bit dry as it moved emotionlessly from one character to another without making them feel too terribly human. However, my overall feelings upon finishing it are positive. It takes a surprisingly thorough look at the life of the man who was Buddy Cianci, and while the story truly picks up and gains legs at the start of the FBI investigation, the story is truly about the Providence Renaissance, and the morally grey powers that factored into creating the city as we enjoy it today. This is a book about modern Rhode Island, a state founded upon corruption and crime that often have strangely positive lasting outcomes.

[Nick Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Rhode Islander, I loved this book. Author Mike Stanton does a great job of describing the history of Providence politics in the second half of the 20th century through the lens of Buddy Cianci. The focus of the story, Buddy comes across as someone who’s so desperate to be loved and yet ends up lonely due to his own “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” personality. I loved following along in all the phases of his career, reading about his misguided passion for the city and how the city came to be today after all the changes over the last few decades.
If you’re a Rhode Islander of a certain age, this book would be for you.

[SoTired · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the audiobook. However, it could have used some editing. At times it gets very confusing whether the author is repeating something that he's already mentioned or if it's another separate occurrence. Also, it's hard to keep all the people straight. But, it was interesting and enjoyable. It makes you wonder what Providence would be like if he wasn't corrupt. I don't think Providence holds as high a reputation now as when he was mayor.

[Andy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Honestly such a great study in politics and corruption on a local level, even if you don't know Providence. If you do know Providence, everyone has a Buddy Cianci story, and this made him very real. Also such a great story expanding on the urban history of a small city. I hope I can find more books like this.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is outstanding non-fiction. Throughout the book, I felt like I was in Providence from the 1970s onward; the characters are unforgettable, Cianci is larger-than-life (and a criminal in my estimation), and the politics are fascinating.

[Steven Yenzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific reporting and pretty solid storytelling. Maybe a few too many anecdotes that seemed too good to be true.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read about this time frame as an adult. Stanton presents a lot of information about the whole government style in Providence.

[Lisa K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars but really... probably give yourself a break before you read this because who wants to hear another story about abuse of power right now?

[Joyce Kozol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just reading it to get ready for the play next month at the Trinity.

[Sam Shamoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accurate depictions

This book fairly depicts a very unfortunate period in the history of providence. Providence has survived and is a better place today.