The Mafia: First-Hand Accounts From Inside The Mob

by Nigel Cawthorne, Colin Cathorne

The Mafia shows the reality of what life is like inside the American Mafia and Sicilian Cosa Nostra. The 19 insider accounts, collected here in the largest anthology of mob stories, are at once glamorous and horrific. And irrefutable, since they come from prominent ex-mafiosi, infiltrators, and award-winning writers.
You will get to meet serious men you would not want to Richard The Iceman Kuklinski, responsible for as many as 200 murders in a career that spanned 43 years. Frankie Saggio, who freelanced for all five of New York s Mafia families and narrowly escaped assassination. Joey Black, the Hitman, a cold-blooded murderer of 38 victims, who is considered by many to be the original Soprano. Donnie Brasco, the FBI agent who worked undercover in the Bonanno and Colombo crime families for half a decade. Tomasso Buscetta, the Sicilian mafioso the first pentitio, informer, of real significance to break omertà, the code of honor. The two judges with whom he worked, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, were both later killed by the Cosa Nostra.
Like no other book, The Mafia shows in gritty detail mob life and mob business from the inside.

Genres: True Crime, History, Nonfiction

480 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2012

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be difficult keeping track of all the names thrown at you, but if you manage to keep track of who's being talked about, the stories are great. Someone with more knowledge about the Mafia might feel different, but I learned a lot while simultaneously being entertained and repulsed by what the Mafia did and still does.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Jake said, there are a lot of names to keep track of but I could not put this book down!