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Chin: The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante
This true crime biography chronicles the life of the so-called “Oddfather” who ran a powerful NYC crime family while playing crazy to avoid prosecution.Vincent “Chin” Gigante was a professional boxer before discovering his true calling as a ruthless contract killer. When Vito Genovese went to prison, he picked Gigante to run the Genovese crime family in his absence. While raking in more than one hundred million for the family, he routinely ordered the murders of mobsters who violated the Mafia code—including John Gotti.At the height of Gigante's reign, the Genovese Family was the most powerful in the United States. And yet he was, to all outside appearances, certifiably crazy. He wandered the streets of Greenwich Village in a ratty bathrobe and slippers. He urinated in public, played pinochle in storefronts, and hid a second family from his wife.On twenty-two occasions, Gigante admitted himself to a mental hospital—evading criminal prosecution while maintaining his nefarious operations. It took nearly thirty years of endless psychiatric evaluations by a parade of puzzled doctors for federal authorities to finally bring him down.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2018
92 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
About the author
Larry McShane
5 books17 followersBorn in Inwood, top of Manhattan, raised across the river in New Jersey. Seton Hall University graduate (and basketball season ticketholder), joined The Associated Press in March 1980. Moved to the Daily News in November 2007. Covered nine Olympics, 9/11, assorted trials (mob and otherwise), interviewed 42 members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (including three of the Four Tops, two of the Ramones). Two-time winner of the AP's New York Staffer of the Year, winner of the NY Press Club's 2005 Feature Story of the Year, honored by the Society of the Silurians and the Associated Press Managing Editors. Fan of the NY Giants, NY Yankees, NY Knicks, NJ Devils. Springsteen fanatic, live music fan, favorites include Southside Johnny & the Jukes, Elvis Costello, Marah, Gaslight Anthem, Graham Parker, the Clash, Nils Lofgren, Mudcrutch. Motown, Gamble and Huff, Little Steven and Little Anthony and the Imperials.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 10, 2020
2.5 stars
Vincent "the Chin" Gigante was one of the more interesting mob bosses in history. Gigante rose through the ranks to lead the infamous Genovese mob family of New York for almost 20 years, a lengthy tenure in a business with an extremely high turnover rate. "Chin" accomplished this, in part, by feigning mental illness and wandering around the streets of Greenwich Village, his home turf, wearing a bathrobe and with a 3-day beard stubble and mumbling to himself. Whenever he faced a subpoena or any legal squabbles he routinely checked himself into a private psychiatric hospital and usually received diagnoses of Schizophrenia or similarly incurable maladies. All the while, "Chin" was running what was arguably New York's premier crime family and earning millions and ran his outfit with a ruthlessness both feared and admired by his fellow gangsters.
Unfortunately, author McShane, a journalist by trade, manages to write a book that leaves us with an incomplete picture of the daffy Don. His only source besides media seems to be an interview with one of the Chin's siblings, a priest, who had a fierce loyalty to his brother and seemed ambivalent about discussing the darker side of the "Chin's" personality, such as his ordering the deaths of a great many rivals and turncoats and years spent collecting the spoils from loansharking, bookmaking and other righteous pursuits. We do learn that the "Chin" managed to maintain two families--a wife in suburban New Jersey and a mistress with "Chin's" children living in a plush residence on E. 77th Street in New York.
We also learn the "Chin" ran a tight ship and had respect from everyone. He was also a much-beloved resident of Greenwich Village and had many eyes and ears on the streets to warn him of snooping gendarmes. He had the kind of presence that commanded respect, even while traipsing through the streets of NYC in a bathrobe and pajamas, muttering to himself. His act was so good that he allegedly fooled over 20 psychiatrists into thinking he had major mental health issues.
Based on what McShane reports of the "Chin's" "mental illness," I am unimpressed with his act and with the psychiatric profession, in general. "Chin" spoke using a lot of nonsensical blather and his only true psychotic symptoms consisted of reports he was hearing voices, often from God, and sometimes from "bad" people/things. God seemed to speak more clearly than the evil entities, as He would often give "Chin" instructions whereas the evil entities were vague. "Chin" also hallucinated visually, which is very unusual in psychotics and should have been a warning sign to any psychiatrist interviewing him that he was a possible malingerer. One psychiatrist did note that "Chin's" late onset of Schizophrenia, around age 40, was quite unusual in a disease that usually strikes someone in early adulthood, typically between the ages of 18-23.
I think it would have shored up the book considerably if the author had conducted interviews with a few psychiatrists and gotten their opinions as to the "Chin's" mental illness based on his symptoms and behavior patterns. "Chin's" act might have gotten more credence had he worn a heavy coat during the scorching New York summers and the robe and slippers only in winter. Anyone wearing a winter coat in August in New York City would automatically be deemed insane.
It would also have helped if the author had interviewed other primary sources, though, admittedly, these might have been hard to come by in a Mafia family. And it appears that "Chin's" family venerated him--both the family in Jersey and the second family living on the tony Upper East Side.
The takeaway from the book, in so far as mental illness goes, is that if you plan a life of crime, and plan to use insanity as a dodge, be sure to check yourself into a costly private hospital every year and spend some time reading up on mental disorders or observing lunatics on the street--so that you can present a credible facade before a judge and jury.
It is a testament to "Chin's" wiliness that he last a long time using his "crazy" ruse to con various psychiatrists and judges. One thing that aided "Chin's" malingering was the knowledge most psychiatrists had that mentally ill people were not allowed to remain members of organized crime families and usually, once discovered, were "eliminated." Thus most examined Chin with a tacit assumption of his insanity. Recall, for those of you who watched, "The Sopranos," that Tony Soprano's visits to his therapist were made surreptitiously. He would have lost respect (and probably his life) had he started caterwauling about his psychiatric issues to his fellow mobsters. It also appears that the Sopranos character of Uncle Junior, as he feigned a bizarre combination of Dementia and mental illness, makes it likely the show's writers were borrowing from the equally bizarre behavior of the "Chin."
"Chin's" "crazy" act, though, was admired by his fellow hoodlums as a testament to his acumen and skill in evading prosecution, as well as a testament to psychiatric credulity. 'Chin" is finally apprehended and sent to prison in his later years and federal prosecutors even take the trouble to expose his "crazy" act. Crime does not pay, as the saying goes, and "Chin" died in the Springfield, Missouri Federal Pen hospital instead of in the loving arms of one of his two families.
McShane's book does a workmanlike job of the sort one would expect when a writer relies almost totally on media documentation to craft his biography. This was a book I was hoping would be much better, and I hesitate to recommend it except to rabid fans of mafia bios.
Vincent "the Chin" Gigante was one of the more interesting mob bosses in history. Gigante rose through the ranks to lead the infamous Genovese mob family of New York for almost 20 years, a lengthy tenure in a business with an extremely high turnover rate. "Chin" accomplished this, in part, by feigning mental illness and wandering around the streets of Greenwich Village, his home turf, wearing a bathrobe and with a 3-day beard stubble and mumbling to himself. Whenever he faced a subpoena or any legal squabbles he routinely checked himself into a private psychiatric hospital and usually received diagnoses of Schizophrenia or similarly incurable maladies. All the while, "Chin" was running what was arguably New York's premier crime family and earning millions and ran his outfit with a ruthlessness both feared and admired by his fellow gangsters.
Unfortunately, author McShane, a journalist by trade, manages to write a book that leaves us with an incomplete picture of the daffy Don. His only source besides media seems to be an interview with one of the Chin's siblings, a priest, who had a fierce loyalty to his brother and seemed ambivalent about discussing the darker side of the "Chin's" personality, such as his ordering the deaths of a great many rivals and turncoats and years spent collecting the spoils from loansharking, bookmaking and other righteous pursuits. We do learn that the "Chin" managed to maintain two families--a wife in suburban New Jersey and a mistress with "Chin's" children living in a plush residence on E. 77th Street in New York.
We also learn the "Chin" ran a tight ship and had respect from everyone. He was also a much-beloved resident of Greenwich Village and had many eyes and ears on the streets to warn him of snooping gendarmes. He had the kind of presence that commanded respect, even while traipsing through the streets of NYC in a bathrobe and pajamas, muttering to himself. His act was so good that he allegedly fooled over 20 psychiatrists into thinking he had major mental health issues.
Based on what McShane reports of the "Chin's" "mental illness," I am unimpressed with his act and with the psychiatric profession, in general. "Chin" spoke using a lot of nonsensical blather and his only true psychotic symptoms consisted of reports he was hearing voices, often from God, and sometimes from "bad" people/things. God seemed to speak more clearly than the evil entities, as He would often give "Chin" instructions whereas the evil entities were vague. "Chin" also hallucinated visually, which is very unusual in psychotics and should have been a warning sign to any psychiatrist interviewing him that he was a possible malingerer. One psychiatrist did note that "Chin's" late onset of Schizophrenia, around age 40, was quite unusual in a disease that usually strikes someone in early adulthood, typically between the ages of 18-23.
I think it would have shored up the book considerably if the author had conducted interviews with a few psychiatrists and gotten their opinions as to the "Chin's" mental illness based on his symptoms and behavior patterns. "Chin's" act might have gotten more credence had he worn a heavy coat during the scorching New York summers and the robe and slippers only in winter. Anyone wearing a winter coat in August in New York City would automatically be deemed insane.
It would also have helped if the author had interviewed other primary sources, though, admittedly, these might have been hard to come by in a Mafia family. And it appears that "Chin's" family venerated him--both the family in Jersey and the second family living on the tony Upper East Side.
The takeaway from the book, in so far as mental illness goes, is that if you plan a life of crime, and plan to use insanity as a dodge, be sure to check yourself into a costly private hospital every year and spend some time reading up on mental disorders or observing lunatics on the street--so that you can present a credible facade before a judge and jury.
It is a testament to "Chin's" wiliness that he last a long time using his "crazy" ruse to con various psychiatrists and judges. One thing that aided "Chin's" malingering was the knowledge most psychiatrists had that mentally ill people were not allowed to remain members of organized crime families and usually, once discovered, were "eliminated." Thus most examined Chin with a tacit assumption of his insanity. Recall, for those of you who watched, "The Sopranos," that Tony Soprano's visits to his therapist were made surreptitiously. He would have lost respect (and probably his life) had he started caterwauling about his psychiatric issues to his fellow mobsters. It also appears that the Sopranos character of Uncle Junior, as he feigned a bizarre combination of Dementia and mental illness, makes it likely the show's writers were borrowing from the equally bizarre behavior of the "Chin."
"Chin's" "crazy" act, though, was admired by his fellow hoodlums as a testament to his acumen and skill in evading prosecution, as well as a testament to psychiatric credulity. 'Chin" is finally apprehended and sent to prison in his later years and federal prosecutors even take the trouble to expose his "crazy" act. Crime does not pay, as the saying goes, and "Chin" died in the Springfield, Missouri Federal Pen hospital instead of in the loving arms of one of his two families.
McShane's book does a workmanlike job of the sort one would expect when a writer relies almost totally on media documentation to craft his biography. This was a book I was hoping would be much better, and I hesitate to recommend it except to rabid fans of mafia bios.
May 3, 2016
Review originally posted at Book of Bogan
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Chin is a biography of a Mafia boss, Vincent Gigante, referred to by the nickname The Chin. He was a significant Mafia boss in the Genovese crime family who spent most of his life trying to convince the world that he was crazy, by some serious method acting whenever he was under the watch of law enforcement.
This is the third book I have read recently on the Mafia. What I found interesting is the differences between these books and the Chin. For instance, Mafia Prince, about Phillip Leonetti, details significant portions of the relationship between Gigante and Leonetti, but does not discuss Gigante’s bizarre behaviour in public. I guess it just goes to show that there is no single story to be told of what life in the Mafia is like, and the things which seem important to one author may not be worth mentioning to another.
Chin delves deeply into the life and times of Vincent Gigante, a man who survived while others around him went down – one way or another. As with most Mafia stories, there are few happy endings here – this is not the glamorous world of the movies – and the book doesn’t shy away from the brutal nature of the life.
It did cover some of the same territory, although not necessarily the same material, as the other books I have read recently. However, I always find that the personal stories which can be found in any situation really bring the story to life.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Chin is a biography of a Mafia boss, Vincent Gigante, referred to by the nickname The Chin. He was a significant Mafia boss in the Genovese crime family who spent most of his life trying to convince the world that he was crazy, by some serious method acting whenever he was under the watch of law enforcement.
This is the third book I have read recently on the Mafia. What I found interesting is the differences between these books and the Chin. For instance, Mafia Prince, about Phillip Leonetti, details significant portions of the relationship between Gigante and Leonetti, but does not discuss Gigante’s bizarre behaviour in public. I guess it just goes to show that there is no single story to be told of what life in the Mafia is like, and the things which seem important to one author may not be worth mentioning to another.
Chin delves deeply into the life and times of Vincent Gigante, a man who survived while others around him went down – one way or another. As with most Mafia stories, there are few happy endings here – this is not the glamorous world of the movies – and the book doesn’t shy away from the brutal nature of the life.
It did cover some of the same territory, although not necessarily the same material, as the other books I have read recently. However, I always find that the personal stories which can be found in any situation really bring the story to life.
February 4, 2017
Interesting and plausible account of Vincent Gigante's life and exploits, but one thing that I always keep in mind when reading books about well know organized crime figures is how much do we really know about businesses operating outside the law. McShane did a good job of providing his sources and a lot is based on wiretaps and planted bugs. Good book.
October 18, 2021
This was a very good account of perhaps the most fascinating mobster in America's criminal culture. It is not difficult to see why Gigante's adversaries, in both organized crime and the legal community had a grudging respect for the man.
May 30, 2016
This is an entertaining bio of Vincent "Chin" Gigante, a Mafia overlord of the Genovese family. He is best known for presenting himself as "crazy"- walking around in public wearing only pajamas and a robe while muttering to himself. This "act" went on for many years and it enhanced his ability to avoid prosecution and retaliation. In reality, he was as cold blooded as they come. The author includes a number of family anecdotes which are often funny. I find his older brother, a Catholic priest, almost as entertaining considering his revered position and mob connections. There's a few anecdotes about record business mogul Morris Levy, whose antics always amuse me. Every chapter in the book is named after a Bob Dylan song, I assume because the song titles provide prescient contemporary context for each chapter. I'm certain that the author is an avid music fan. Some of the Greenwich Village and Little Italian restaurants and storefronts depicted are still in business. Maybe on my next visit to NYC, I'll check them out. I received this book for free as a win in the Goodreads Giveaway Contest.
July 5, 2016
I was a little disappointed. First of all, I tend to distrust nonfiction books that don't have an index or list of references. Larry McShane is a New York Daily News reporter, and he seems to have simply locked himself in the clip room, conducted a search for all the news stories about Chin, then strung them together, into a narrative structure along a chronological timeline.
Well, in fairness, that's not entirely true. McShane also appears to have carefully cultivated one source: Father Louis Gigante, Chin's brother -- who is, ironically, a priest. McShane sprinkles Father Louie's viewpoints generously throughout the book, and even gives him his own fairly pointless chapter.
The main problem with this book, though, is that its central character was so good at being enigmatic and hidden. You learn much more about Chin's family, his fellow mobsters, and his prosecutors than you learn about Chin himself. And that's a problem that probably no author could overcome.
Well, in fairness, that's not entirely true. McShane also appears to have carefully cultivated one source: Father Louis Gigante, Chin's brother -- who is, ironically, a priest. McShane sprinkles Father Louie's viewpoints generously throughout the book, and even gives him his own fairly pointless chapter.
The main problem with this book, though, is that its central character was so good at being enigmatic and hidden. You learn much more about Chin's family, his fellow mobsters, and his prosecutors than you learn about Chin himself. And that's a problem that probably no author could overcome.
May 14, 2019
Interesting.
I was attracted to this book because of the psychological aspects.
The author wrote in a fast paced-dramatic way that kept the reader interested...I also have a perverse enjoyment of the various Mob nicknames...
I was attracted to this book because of the psychological aspects.
The author wrote in a fast paced-dramatic way that kept the reader interested...I also have a perverse enjoyment of the various Mob nicknames...
May 10, 2022
When I'd first heard of Chin Gigante, I was more fascinated with the idea that the mob had a thriving operation in Greenwich Village, an area I've always associated with Bohemians and the LGBTQIA+ community. Apparently, for a time, it was a landing spot for Italian immigrants.
I was later fascinated when I read about Gigante's "Oddfather" routine, finding it incredibly clever as he used it to avoid conviction for years, decades really. It may not have made for the most enjoyable gangster lifestyle but it helped the Chin remain in power for a long time.
So I was looking forward to reading this but eh...it's just ok. It's good to get a large picture of how the Genovese Family, perhaps the most successful of New York's Five Families, operated. But I was hoping for some more understanding of Chin Gigante himself. How did things go with his first wife and family? What were his broader relationships like with his siblings?
Obviously, this was going to be tough to achieve. Gigante was a private person up to his death; it's part of what made him so successful in his business. But while I enjoyed hearing mob tales, as I am want to do, I still felt like I didn't get a clear picture of the man.
A lot of this seems to have been filtered through Gigante's chatty, and still living, Catholic Priest brother. I found Louis to be a self-aggrandizing sort of person who did some great ministry in the south Bronx but after Googling him, saw that he was accused last year of molesting a child back in the 70s so forget him.
Anyway, this is an important read for folks like me who like New York mob tales but Chin's life really cries out for a better book.
I was later fascinated when I read about Gigante's "Oddfather" routine, finding it incredibly clever as he used it to avoid conviction for years, decades really. It may not have made for the most enjoyable gangster lifestyle but it helped the Chin remain in power for a long time.
So I was looking forward to reading this but eh...it's just ok. It's good to get a large picture of how the Genovese Family, perhaps the most successful of New York's Five Families, operated. But I was hoping for some more understanding of Chin Gigante himself. How did things go with his first wife and family? What were his broader relationships like with his siblings?
Obviously, this was going to be tough to achieve. Gigante was a private person up to his death; it's part of what made him so successful in his business. But while I enjoyed hearing mob tales, as I am want to do, I still felt like I didn't get a clear picture of the man.
A lot of this seems to have been filtered through Gigante's chatty, and still living, Catholic Priest brother. I found Louis to be a self-aggrandizing sort of person who did some great ministry in the south Bronx but after Googling him, saw that he was accused last year of molesting a child back in the 70s so forget him.
Anyway, this is an important read for folks like me who like New York mob tales but Chin's life really cries out for a better book.
January 26, 2022
A very interesting tale of Vincent “Chin” Gigante; his leadership of the Genovese Family and his (genius?) portrayal of a deteriorating mental health condition which he himself eventually admitted was nothing more than a ruse to avoid prosecution. Clearly an intelligent guy - despite anyone’s views of the Mafia and how they operated - he was the one boss that not only evaded jail time throughout his rein, but also avoided a grisly end at the hands of an enemy. Regardless of what he did and what he stood for, I can’t help admiring his rise to power and more specifically, how he managed to remain at the top, despite being known as “The Oddfather”.
October 6, 2019
Great history of Vincent Gigante, organized crime, and Greenwich Village. Very even handed portrayal as to not use the book as a condemnation or romanticization of the history of organized crime. Really worth while read.
January 6, 2017
Gigante was a fascinating character. Although McShane rarely mentions it, Gigante was probably the last of the great dons. Since his conviction, there has been no mafia boss reigning more than five years and remain free on the streets. Gigante's life-long scam of feigning mental illness is a story that must be told and added to the genre.
McShane endeavors to tell the story. However, the book reads like glossing from news stories. McShane is a reporter for the Daily News, and the book reads like a newspaper. There is painful and repetitive comment on Gigante's odd behavior; but there is little more digging. Most of the book was based upon court proceedings. Honestly, it became tedious to read about the mental diagnosis from one shrink to another.
I was disappointed in the brief treatment McShane offered to the criminal aspects. There was one really good chapter in the book when McShane discussed the Genovese Family's involvement in the music recording industry. Gigante only made brief appearances in the chapter; but it was informative. Arguably, it was one of the few chapters that focused on crime - in a biography about a gangster.
Gigante was initially convicted of involvement in labor racketeering. There was barely one page that described the actual illegal monopoly Gigante profited from. There were references to murder and conspiracy to murder; but McShane preferred to focus on the dozen psychiatrists who examined Gigante and nearly all of them came to the same conclusion: the man was crazy. Fortunately, the judge overruled everyone of them, ordering the court-appointed shrinks to re-examine Gigante and (surprise) they changed their diagnosis. I really would have preferred to know more about the murder charges.
McShane sought to balance the focus on the book between Gigante and his associates. The result is that readers will learn little about either. There were brief mention of Frank Tieri, Tommy Ryan, and others; but readers will learn little about them except that they were "powers in the Genovese Family." As one of the few books on the Genovese Family, the treatment of the organization was bare bones.
Most biographies about modern gangsters are written by the gangsters themselves and include a large dose of emotion in the way of feeling betrayed, sad, and angry at their lot in life. McShane avoids the pitiful gangster sob story; but does show sympathy for Gigante. Even though he had failing health and serving what everyone thought was a life sentence; prosecutors charged him again. Readers do not really understand the charges against Gigante. It appears that a single turn-coat mobster identified him as "being in charge" years before his incarceration. Another gangster, who may never have met Gigante, testified he was running things from prison, so prosecutors decided that Gigante's son must be the link and charged the son for the sins of the father. McShane adds that the son was charged with extortion; but, as usual, does not elaborate. Everyone was allowed to take a generous plea deal if Gigante admitted in court that the mental illness was all an act. A waste of taxpayer money and full of spite.
Overall, this book is good because it offers Gigante's story and remains the only book about the Genovese Family in the post-Vito Genovese era. The coverage is superficial. The writing is clear; but the focus is more on mental diagnosis rather than crime. McShane could have improved the book considerably if he discussed the Genoveses a little more. However, casual readers and enthusiasts will learn something new.
McShane endeavors to tell the story. However, the book reads like glossing from news stories. McShane is a reporter for the Daily News, and the book reads like a newspaper. There is painful and repetitive comment on Gigante's odd behavior; but there is little more digging. Most of the book was based upon court proceedings. Honestly, it became tedious to read about the mental diagnosis from one shrink to another.
I was disappointed in the brief treatment McShane offered to the criminal aspects. There was one really good chapter in the book when McShane discussed the Genovese Family's involvement in the music recording industry. Gigante only made brief appearances in the chapter; but it was informative. Arguably, it was one of the few chapters that focused on crime - in a biography about a gangster.
Gigante was initially convicted of involvement in labor racketeering. There was barely one page that described the actual illegal monopoly Gigante profited from. There were references to murder and conspiracy to murder; but McShane preferred to focus on the dozen psychiatrists who examined Gigante and nearly all of them came to the same conclusion: the man was crazy. Fortunately, the judge overruled everyone of them, ordering the court-appointed shrinks to re-examine Gigante and (surprise) they changed their diagnosis. I really would have preferred to know more about the murder charges.
McShane sought to balance the focus on the book between Gigante and his associates. The result is that readers will learn little about either. There were brief mention of Frank Tieri, Tommy Ryan, and others; but readers will learn little about them except that they were "powers in the Genovese Family." As one of the few books on the Genovese Family, the treatment of the organization was bare bones.
Most biographies about modern gangsters are written by the gangsters themselves and include a large dose of emotion in the way of feeling betrayed, sad, and angry at their lot in life. McShane avoids the pitiful gangster sob story; but does show sympathy for Gigante. Even though he had failing health and serving what everyone thought was a life sentence; prosecutors charged him again. Readers do not really understand the charges against Gigante. It appears that a single turn-coat mobster identified him as "being in charge" years before his incarceration. Another gangster, who may never have met Gigante, testified he was running things from prison, so prosecutors decided that Gigante's son must be the link and charged the son for the sins of the father. McShane adds that the son was charged with extortion; but, as usual, does not elaborate. Everyone was allowed to take a generous plea deal if Gigante admitted in court that the mental illness was all an act. A waste of taxpayer money and full of spite.
Overall, this book is good because it offers Gigante's story and remains the only book about the Genovese Family in the post-Vito Genovese era. The coverage is superficial. The writing is clear; but the focus is more on mental diagnosis rather than crime. McShane could have improved the book considerably if he discussed the Genoveses a little more. However, casual readers and enthusiasts will learn something new.
May 13, 2016
Interesting glimpse into the life of the mafia boss and others involved. A bit confusing at times with all the unfamiliar(to me) names and nicknames,but despite that you get the overall picture the author conveys, about the operation and some members participation in organized crime. The main gist of the book is about Vincent Gigante and his efforts to avoid prosecution while still staying in charge. I received this book for free as a win in the Goodreads Giveaway Contest.
June 4, 2016
If you like mob and crime books this is a great read. The Chin was a major Mafia player for forty years, the bathrobe act was only a small part of his legend.
January 30, 2019
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April 1, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: UNCLE JUNIOR SOPRANO’S INSPIRATION… WELL, THEY BLEW UP THE CHICKEN MAN IN PHILLY LAST NIGHT!
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As a fervent reader of true Mafia tales over the last quarter of a century… there’s been quite a dearth of good solid fresh books in this genre for quite a few years. The reason is pretty obvious… between the government cleaning the Mafia up to almost utter obscurity… along with… all the former… tough guy… made men… literally tripping over each other to see who can rat out who first… there’s almost no new stories to tell. Omerta is a word from another lifetime… and the rat-squealer line… wraps around the block at the local FBI office. That’s why this book by Larry McShane on Vincent “THE CHIN” Gigante is so refreshing at this point in time… if this is subject matter you enjoy. The author utilizes thousands of pages of declassified FBI and prison medical records to go along with prior information to paint a complete and sordid picture of this Mafia Chieftain.
“The Chin” who midway through his life of crime put on a long-playing act of mental instability as he would walk up and down his neighborhood blocks in a ratty bathrobe… old slippers… unshaven and unkempt… mumbling… and tripping over curbs… periodically urinating in public… and yet behind the scenes… he rose to the highest level of bosses. What makes this book so enjoyable to someone like myself that has read and studied many earlier books… is the way the author ties in old data as well as new... and since I already knew the older revelations… it gives solid credence… to the behind the scenes dealings… that are tied to newer revelations… thereby effectively closing the circle of “then”… and now.
It’s really quite amazing how long “The Chin” was able to get away with his Shakespearean production… right in plain sight…
“First tipped by a Mob insider in June 1970 that Gigante’s mental-patient act was a scam, the FBI needed another twenty-seven years to prove the truth of his claim. It took another six years before “The Chin” confessed to the ruse in 2003, after federal prosecutors seemed poised to charge Gigante family members with abetting his psychiatric subterfuge.” Amazingly… Gigante kept his act alive behind bars.
The old adage “honor among thieves”… certainly is disproved in all the lies… double dealing… and inter family murders that “The Chin” master minded with a straight face. Though the tale starts off with not much typical Mafia mayhem and gore… it slowly picks up the pace… to before you know it… you’re in the midst of the type of action that usually attracts readers of this persuasion… at a breakneck pace.
Such as related to the legendary Sonny Franzese… who while “he was behind bars in 1974 he heard that a Colombo soldier was hitting on his wife. The body of suitor Carmine Scialo was found buried in a cellar, a garrote around his neck and his severed genitals stuffed in his mouth.”
Misdeeds… by “family members”… real… or imagined… were dealt with… as might be expected… especially with “The Chin” calling the shots! Just ask “Tony Bananas” Caponigro…
“Caponigro, sixty-seven, was shot fourteen times with five different guns. The first shots went into his elbows and arms, to keep him alive and suffering as the relentless assault continued. He was stabbed repeatedly, and savagely beaten. Salerno, sixty four, suffered a similarly grisly fate. Both of the tortured men were stripped naked, with $20 bills stuffed in their mouths and up their “kazoos” as a graphic reminder of their greed. The bodies were eventually discovered in the trunks of two abandoned cars left in the South Bronx.”
Go ahead… ask “Tony Bananas”… oh yea… he ain’t talkin!
Hearing the frustration… and the effort… and at times… the utter resignation from law enforcement… that it was almost a waste of time to try to arrest the demented Mafia titan… makes for almost hypnotic reading.
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As a fervent reader of true Mafia tales over the last quarter of a century… there’s been quite a dearth of good solid fresh books in this genre for quite a few years. The reason is pretty obvious… between the government cleaning the Mafia up to almost utter obscurity… along with… all the former… tough guy… made men… literally tripping over each other to see who can rat out who first… there’s almost no new stories to tell. Omerta is a word from another lifetime… and the rat-squealer line… wraps around the block at the local FBI office. That’s why this book by Larry McShane on Vincent “THE CHIN” Gigante is so refreshing at this point in time… if this is subject matter you enjoy. The author utilizes thousands of pages of declassified FBI and prison medical records to go along with prior information to paint a complete and sordid picture of this Mafia Chieftain.
“The Chin” who midway through his life of crime put on a long-playing act of mental instability as he would walk up and down his neighborhood blocks in a ratty bathrobe… old slippers… unshaven and unkempt… mumbling… and tripping over curbs… periodically urinating in public… and yet behind the scenes… he rose to the highest level of bosses. What makes this book so enjoyable to someone like myself that has read and studied many earlier books… is the way the author ties in old data as well as new... and since I already knew the older revelations… it gives solid credence… to the behind the scenes dealings… that are tied to newer revelations… thereby effectively closing the circle of “then”… and now.
It’s really quite amazing how long “The Chin” was able to get away with his Shakespearean production… right in plain sight…
“First tipped by a Mob insider in June 1970 that Gigante’s mental-patient act was a scam, the FBI needed another twenty-seven years to prove the truth of his claim. It took another six years before “The Chin” confessed to the ruse in 2003, after federal prosecutors seemed poised to charge Gigante family members with abetting his psychiatric subterfuge.” Amazingly… Gigante kept his act alive behind bars.
The old adage “honor among thieves”… certainly is disproved in all the lies… double dealing… and inter family murders that “The Chin” master minded with a straight face. Though the tale starts off with not much typical Mafia mayhem and gore… it slowly picks up the pace… to before you know it… you’re in the midst of the type of action that usually attracts readers of this persuasion… at a breakneck pace.
Such as related to the legendary Sonny Franzese… who while “he was behind bars in 1974 he heard that a Colombo soldier was hitting on his wife. The body of suitor Carmine Scialo was found buried in a cellar, a garrote around his neck and his severed genitals stuffed in his mouth.”
Misdeeds… by “family members”… real… or imagined… were dealt with… as might be expected… especially with “The Chin” calling the shots! Just ask “Tony Bananas” Caponigro…
“Caponigro, sixty-seven, was shot fourteen times with five different guns. The first shots went into his elbows and arms, to keep him alive and suffering as the relentless assault continued. He was stabbed repeatedly, and savagely beaten. Salerno, sixty four, suffered a similarly grisly fate. Both of the tortured men were stripped naked, with $20 bills stuffed in their mouths and up their “kazoos” as a graphic reminder of their greed. The bodies were eventually discovered in the trunks of two abandoned cars left in the South Bronx.”
Go ahead… ask “Tony Bananas”… oh yea… he ain’t talkin!
Hearing the frustration… and the effort… and at times… the utter resignation from law enforcement… that it was almost a waste of time to try to arrest the demented Mafia titan… makes for almost hypnotic reading.
January 13, 2019
The other half to follow up on reading “The Godfather’s daughter.” Vincent Gigante was the Genovese mob boss of New York for 25 years. He was absolutely every stereotype seen in films about gangsters right down to no one wanting to say his name, and instead just pointing at their own chin when they wanted to convey “This message comes from ‘The Chin’” Ruthless gangland hits, money laundering, protection money, this is the true story behind the fiction.
With a twist that makes it stranger than fiction. After the Chin’s boss was taken out by the feds, Gigante refused to be taken so easily and so he came up with an ingenious plan to elude police surveillance; he pretended to be completely insane. For over two decades he shuffled the streets of New York City in a bathrobe, muttering to himself and talking to parking meters like they were people. And it worked. For a long time the police dismissed him as a crazy old man and the notion of him being an organized crime boss an impossibility. Even once they figured out his racket, it took over a decade, and a couple failed court cases, to penetrate his veils of paranoid obfuscation to gather enough evidence to convict him.
Still, in reading the book it made me wonder if it was worth it to him. Gigante loved the power and the position, that much is clear. But he spent the majority of his “career” hiding out in his mother’s apartment, with the curtains drawn and lights down low, mumbling to people to issue his orders. He rarely went to see either of his two wives and sets of children. He lived in a constant state of paranoia and pretending to be insane. I also wonder how easy was it to give up the “crazy act” once he had no need to bother anymore. Decades of habits don’t die so easily.
Does that balance out wealth, power, and an army of men that respected him? I wouldn’t think so, but he lived his life that way. A fascinating book and a fun read.
With a twist that makes it stranger than fiction. After the Chin’s boss was taken out by the feds, Gigante refused to be taken so easily and so he came up with an ingenious plan to elude police surveillance; he pretended to be completely insane. For over two decades he shuffled the streets of New York City in a bathrobe, muttering to himself and talking to parking meters like they were people. And it worked. For a long time the police dismissed him as a crazy old man and the notion of him being an organized crime boss an impossibility. Even once they figured out his racket, it took over a decade, and a couple failed court cases, to penetrate his veils of paranoid obfuscation to gather enough evidence to convict him.
Still, in reading the book it made me wonder if it was worth it to him. Gigante loved the power and the position, that much is clear. But he spent the majority of his “career” hiding out in his mother’s apartment, with the curtains drawn and lights down low, mumbling to people to issue his orders. He rarely went to see either of his two wives and sets of children. He lived in a constant state of paranoia and pretending to be insane. I also wonder how easy was it to give up the “crazy act” once he had no need to bother anymore. Decades of habits don’t die so easily.
Does that balance out wealth, power, and an army of men that respected him? I wouldn’t think so, but he lived his life that way. A fascinating book and a fun read.
August 15, 2020
Very Interesting If You Like Mafia Biographies!
Larry McShane, who was a reporter with the New York Daily News, offers an interesting look at this unusual gangster in “Chin: The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante.” The book details how Gigante rose from a professional boxer to be a driver, bodyguard and hit man for crime boss Vito Genovese, and eventually became the Genovese crime family boss himself. The book also explains how his public “crazy act” kept him out of prison for many years.
The New York tabloids covering the Cosa Nostra “goodfella” criminals called Vincent Gigante “the Oddfella” due to his habit of walking the streets of Greenwich Village in New York City in pajamas, slippers, a ratty robe and an old cap. Helped along by an escort, he would mutter incoherently to himself.
The Chin’s long-running ruse finally failed him in 1997, when a favored associate became a federal informant, which led to a racketeering conviction and a final admission that his crazy act was just that. Vincent Gigante died in prison in 2005 when he was 77.
This insightful book about an unusual crime boss is chock full of tales of murder, corruption, internecine mob warfare and inside information on criminal life in the Cosa Nostra. My only criticism, for which I deducted one star from my overall rating, is that I felt that McShane included too little information about Gigante’s personal life — in regards to his childhood, and to the type of person he was as a husband and father to two families at the same time.
Nonetheless, Chin Is a book I think most people interested in Mafia biographies and/or true crime will enjoy.
Larry McShane, who was a reporter with the New York Daily News, offers an interesting look at this unusual gangster in “Chin: The Life and Crimes of Mafia Boss Vincent Gigante.” The book details how Gigante rose from a professional boxer to be a driver, bodyguard and hit man for crime boss Vito Genovese, and eventually became the Genovese crime family boss himself. The book also explains how his public “crazy act” kept him out of prison for many years.
The New York tabloids covering the Cosa Nostra “goodfella” criminals called Vincent Gigante “the Oddfella” due to his habit of walking the streets of Greenwich Village in New York City in pajamas, slippers, a ratty robe and an old cap. Helped along by an escort, he would mutter incoherently to himself.
The Chin’s long-running ruse finally failed him in 1997, when a favored associate became a federal informant, which led to a racketeering conviction and a final admission that his crazy act was just that. Vincent Gigante died in prison in 2005 when he was 77.
This insightful book about an unusual crime boss is chock full of tales of murder, corruption, internecine mob warfare and inside information on criminal life in the Cosa Nostra. My only criticism, for which I deducted one star from my overall rating, is that I felt that McShane included too little information about Gigante’s personal life — in regards to his childhood, and to the type of person he was as a husband and father to two families at the same time.
Nonetheless, Chin Is a book I think most people interested in Mafia biographies and/or true crime will enjoy.
April 19, 2020
A book about Chin Gigante who would be better known as the bathrobe, Don. Most of the material or information it seemed to me comes from his older brother who also happens to be a Priest. You do get a little of what he would do around the neighborhood walking around in a bathrobe and slippers. Also showing up at court like that as well. He did rise through the Genevese crime family to actually run it at one time.
It would have been nice if the author would have gotten some of the old trial transcripts from early on when he was actually let go with an insanity plea and would go to a mental hospital occasionally just to keep the act going once, he passed the first doctors test. You do get some background but not as much as I have read from other books.
It would take years to take him down and to discover his second home. It would have been nice to have more of the investigation in what it took to take him down and the fact that someone actually on the task force saw him one night when he was not in his bathrobe after one of his associates killed a female detective. Still, this was a good book that I thought could be better. Another interesting fact is one of the few men to botch a hit when he was younger and still rise to the top. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 3 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
It would have been nice if the author would have gotten some of the old trial transcripts from early on when he was actually let go with an insanity plea and would go to a mental hospital occasionally just to keep the act going once, he passed the first doctors test. You do get some background but not as much as I have read from other books.
It would take years to take him down and to discover his second home. It would have been nice to have more of the investigation in what it took to take him down and the fact that someone actually on the task force saw him one night when he was not in his bathrobe after one of his associates killed a female detective. Still, this was a good book that I thought could be better. Another interesting fact is one of the few men to botch a hit when he was younger and still rise to the top. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 3 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
July 8, 2025
Hi Friends,
McShane delivers a well researched, nuanced biography on the life and times of one of NYC’s most unique, most feared Mafia bosses. He doesn’t sugarcoat how Gigante perpetuated the “Oddfather” persona for nearly 30 years, maintaining power without the grandstanding or showboating that brought many of his contemporaries down.
I spent time in the Village in the later years of the Chin’s reign, and New York was such a different place, even though the change was beginning. Between Guilinani’s fight against porn and the mob; along with the Disneyfication of Times Square, we have lost too much of old NYC. even Gigante’s beloved Greenwhich Village is more an extension of NYU than a haven for writers, artists, musicians and revolutionaries.
Chin is a look back on a time when New York was dirty and gritty, but somehow both more violent and safer simultaneously than it is today. Unlike Hollyweird, which loves to romanticize La Costra Nosa, McShane presents the both sides of the double edged sword
If you like tales of mobsters, stories of made men, violent acts decided by commission, illicit profits and career criminals feigning mental illness, Chin is the book for you
McShane delivers a well researched, nuanced biography on the life and times of one of NYC’s most unique, most feared Mafia bosses. He doesn’t sugarcoat how Gigante perpetuated the “Oddfather” persona for nearly 30 years, maintaining power without the grandstanding or showboating that brought many of his contemporaries down.
I spent time in the Village in the later years of the Chin’s reign, and New York was such a different place, even though the change was beginning. Between Guilinani’s fight against porn and the mob; along with the Disneyfication of Times Square, we have lost too much of old NYC. even Gigante’s beloved Greenwhich Village is more an extension of NYU than a haven for writers, artists, musicians and revolutionaries.
Chin is a look back on a time when New York was dirty and gritty, but somehow both more violent and safer simultaneously than it is today. Unlike Hollyweird, which loves to romanticize La Costra Nosa, McShane presents the both sides of the double edged sword
If you like tales of mobsters, stories of made men, violent acts decided by commission, illicit profits and career criminals feigning mental illness, Chin is the book for you
May 26, 2025
Interesting look at Vincent “Chin” Gigante—one of the more bizarre and fascinating figures in Mafia history. Larry McShane does a great job pulling together the story of how Gigante rose through the ranks, kept a tight grip on power, and managed to dodge law enforcement for years by pretending to be mentally ill. As they say: truth is stranger than fiction!
I listened to the audiobook, and while the material itself kept me curious, I had a tough time staying focused at times. The narrator’s voice and delivery just didn’t hold my attention—it was a little too even for a story that’s actually full of tension and twists.
Still, I’m glad I listened. If you’re into true crime or Mafia history, this is definitely worth your time—though you might prefer it in print.
I listened to the audiobook, and while the material itself kept me curious, I had a tough time staying focused at times. The narrator’s voice and delivery just didn’t hold my attention—it was a little too even for a story that’s actually full of tension and twists.
Still, I’m glad I listened. If you’re into true crime or Mafia history, this is definitely worth your time—though you might prefer it in print.
July 16, 2022
It took 30 years
It is amazing that one man could fool the NYPD, FBI and all of the other agencies trying to put him in jail. He was a smart man that knew how to get things done. It's to bad he was on the other side of the law. As an honest man he could have made a difference or as a politician he would have been at home with crooks.
I have read a lot of books from the Black Hand to the more modern mafia members. This was an excellent book although tilted toward the Chin. Highly recommended.
It is amazing that one man could fool the NYPD, FBI and all of the other agencies trying to put him in jail. He was a smart man that knew how to get things done. It's to bad he was on the other side of the law. As an honest man he could have made a difference or as a politician he would have been at home with crooks.
I have read a lot of books from the Black Hand to the more modern mafia members. This was an excellent book although tilted toward the Chin. Highly recommended.
May 13, 2018
I'm pretty sure that I got this book through a giveaway program. Either way, don't bother reading it - all of the interesting factoids are listed on the back cover, the writing is stilted, it apparently wasn't edited at all, and the first 200 or so pages are spent mostly on tangential stories about random people with mob ties. It's a rough, rough read, and, to repeat, it's unlikely that you'll come away having learned anything that you couldn't have learned by reading the dust jacket.
August 28, 2019
This book was a fast and easy read - I could not put the book down! Vincent was simply a mastermind and this book gives great details as to what his life encompassed from the time he was born until the day he passed away in jail. This book not only goes over meetings but has Chin's brother retell some events of their lives. I have read many many books on the American Mafia and would recommend this book to anyone with the slightest passion for True Crime novels.
March 19, 2017
The story of Genovese crime family head Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. Very well written and informative, consistent with other books written about gangsters from New York. Unfortunately, as in most biographies and histories, you learn the events, but the essence of the characters cannot be fully understood.
February 18, 2018
I normally enjoy this kind of book but this one was hard to get into. The author took to long to get my interest. I thought it was boring on the whole. I kept getting lost with all the names that got thrown around. I really didn't care for the writing or the story after awhile I just wanted to finish the book and move on to something else.
December 25, 2018
Not as detailed oriented as some of the mob books I've read, but I don't think the author was going for that. It was more of an expose on The Chin and if that was the goal it was definitey accomplished. I basically knew all of the facts included in this book but I did learn things and most importantly I enjoyed reading the book.
September 18, 2021
Tremendous book!
Fantastic fact filled story of Vincent “The Chin” Gigante. I don’t think a better book can be written about the subject (except maybe Father G’s private book). Well done!
Fantastic fact filled story of Vincent “The Chin” Gigante. I don’t think a better book can be written about the subject (except maybe Father G’s private book). Well done!
January 8, 2024
The book never allows anyone off the hook, no matter how quirky they are as a character. the stark reality of what is being done and why are always there to strike you back down to earth and show the Mob for what it is. This is FAR more than what other books on Mob Bosses have done.
February 10, 2024
I loved this book. Chin Gigante was one of the most interesting mob bosses of all time. His oddfather routine was stuff of legend, and his ability to run the Genovese family for years without his act being discovered was a miracle feat. Worth the read.
December 28, 2025
I had hoped this book would be better. I liked the way it was written, but I felt the author focused too much on other people. I get that those people were relevant in the Chin's life, but I wanted to learn about the Chin, not everyone in his life.
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