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Mafia Murders: 100 Murders that changed the Mob
Revenge killings, gangland shootouts, brutal executions and drownings - there was no escape from the Mob's hitmen. Featuring historical photographs, Mafia Murders details the bloody ends of these infamous gangsters.
Since the late 19th century, the Mafia has used intimidation and worse to exert its control over organized crime. Mafia Murders recalls the 100 most important executions by the Mob. In a world where family, turf wars and crime were big business, the relentless murders of rival bosses, stool pigeons, snitches, good cops, and dirty cops became part of everyday life.
• Al Capone
• Lucky Luciano
• Bugsy Siegel
• Paul Castellano
• Sam Giancana
• Any many more!
Discover the stories of the hit-men who lived and died by the gun in this fascinating tale of the American underworld.
ABOUT THE The True Criminals series provides gripping exposés on some of the most twisted criminals the world has ever seen. Augmented by chilling photographs, this series provides snapshots into the minds of these villains and their deadly crimes.
Since the late 19th century, the Mafia has used intimidation and worse to exert its control over organized crime. Mafia Murders recalls the 100 most important executions by the Mob. In a world where family, turf wars and crime were big business, the relentless murders of rival bosses, stool pigeons, snitches, good cops, and dirty cops became part of everyday life.
• Al Capone
• Lucky Luciano
• Bugsy Siegel
• Paul Castellano
• Sam Giancana
• Any many more!
Discover the stories of the hit-men who lived and died by the gun in this fascinating tale of the American underworld.
ABOUT THE The True Criminals series provides gripping exposés on some of the most twisted criminals the world has ever seen. Augmented by chilling photographs, this series provides snapshots into the minds of these villains and their deadly crimes.
288 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2021
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38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 24, 2025
Yawn. This book reads like a Cliff Notes, lots of information but no backstories, so it's kind of dull. I used Google to find out more information about the subjects in the book and that was more engaging than the book.
July 10, 2023
Maybe I am being charitable with 2 stars.
The idea of writing the history of the American Mob through 100 murders is a clever idea. The volume of carnage however, means that each story is really short. The result is a sloppiness that errs on sensational rather than documentary. The inclusion of some murders maybe subjective, but that is up to the author. However, the brevity of each story means that claiming each one changed the mob is far-fetched if not totally ignored.
As a reference work, it is not bad. The date, the method of execution, the suspense are really well done. It seems that Frasca did some fact-checking and digested a lot of recent works in the genre. Unfortunately, he does not offer a works cited or further reading which is a huge drawback. In a way, it is strange that he offers an index. I mean the TOC lists 100 murder victims in 100 chapters. They are arranged chronologically starting with David Hennessy in 1890 and ending with Salvatore Montagna in 2011. The book was published in 2021. These are not all Mafia murders. Jewish gangsters occupy much of the early chapters. So, yeah, the title is a bit misleading.
The choice of which murders to include can be a bit strange. I appreciate that Frasca included a number of murders from around the country: The Two Tonys in Los Angeles; Dinty Colbeck in St. Louis; Herbie Blitzstein in Las Vegas; and Shondor Burns in Cleveland. They may not be particularly important - any of them - but Frasca tried to locate big gangland assassinations across the country. In some cases, Frasca offers analysis and insight into the murders. Blitzstein tried to pick up the pieces of Tony Spilostro's operations without recognizing Spilotro's bosses back home. The motive for his murder shows the decline of the Chicago Mob either to enforce control over Spilotro's businesses, or to protect those businesses. In contrast, the death of Dinty Colbeck had no impact on the St. Louis underworld. Like Monk Eastman, he was a has-been, whose underworld apogee was long past by the time he was killed.
The most troubling aspect of the book is the attempt to sensationalize each murder. There is an artistic quality to the story as readers empathize with a victim's last moments on earth. The chapter on Jake Lingle was excellent. Readers could feel themselves being followed. Paranoia sets in. And then...darkness. The description of the murders is often really good. But in the same vein, there are attempts to further sensationalize things. I have never read anything that suggested Meyer Lansky was behind the murder (or suicide) of Longy Zwillman (p. 152-153). Lucky Luciano? Frasca clearly describes a heart attack at the Naples airport, like nearly every other author). Why is this included in a book about murders (p. 165-167)? Or, what about the murder of Irving Feinstein? Frasca presents it as the case that cracked Murder Inc (p. 112-113). He does not even mention the Joseph Rosen murder which is usually considered the big break in the investigation. Ever hear the possibility that the Albany, NY Police killed Legs Diamond so that he would not muscle in on their rackets (p. 74-75)? Neither did I. One more. Did you ever hear that Hymie Weiss had cancer (p. 35-36)? Neither did I. This is why you need to cite your sources.
Overall, this is a quick and easy read. There is a greater attempt to sensationalize the murders than there should be. There is little or no attempt to put the murders into context. And the murders are not confined to the Mafia. There are some curious passages that are not easily contested (Weiss' cancer). And there are passages that seem absurd (Lansky killing Zwillman). So overall, I cannot recommend it. Even the chapter on Luciano suggesting that he was murdered when there is no evidence of murder, casts doubt on the entire book. In multiple places Frasca talks about the JFK Assassination without directly claiming the mob killed JFK. However, the repetition across multiple chapters - very short chapters - makes it clear that readers would infer a belief the mob killed JFK. This book can round off a reference collection. It seems to be more accurate than Carl Sifakis of Jay Robert Nash. But many of the problems in those reference works are on display here too.
The idea of writing the history of the American Mob through 100 murders is a clever idea. The volume of carnage however, means that each story is really short. The result is a sloppiness that errs on sensational rather than documentary. The inclusion of some murders maybe subjective, but that is up to the author. However, the brevity of each story means that claiming each one changed the mob is far-fetched if not totally ignored.
As a reference work, it is not bad. The date, the method of execution, the suspense are really well done. It seems that Frasca did some fact-checking and digested a lot of recent works in the genre. Unfortunately, he does not offer a works cited or further reading which is a huge drawback. In a way, it is strange that he offers an index. I mean the TOC lists 100 murder victims in 100 chapters. They are arranged chronologically starting with David Hennessy in 1890 and ending with Salvatore Montagna in 2011. The book was published in 2021. These are not all Mafia murders. Jewish gangsters occupy much of the early chapters. So, yeah, the title is a bit misleading.
The choice of which murders to include can be a bit strange. I appreciate that Frasca included a number of murders from around the country: The Two Tonys in Los Angeles; Dinty Colbeck in St. Louis; Herbie Blitzstein in Las Vegas; and Shondor Burns in Cleveland. They may not be particularly important - any of them - but Frasca tried to locate big gangland assassinations across the country. In some cases, Frasca offers analysis and insight into the murders. Blitzstein tried to pick up the pieces of Tony Spilostro's operations without recognizing Spilotro's bosses back home. The motive for his murder shows the decline of the Chicago Mob either to enforce control over Spilotro's businesses, or to protect those businesses. In contrast, the death of Dinty Colbeck had no impact on the St. Louis underworld. Like Monk Eastman, he was a has-been, whose underworld apogee was long past by the time he was killed.
The most troubling aspect of the book is the attempt to sensationalize each murder. There is an artistic quality to the story as readers empathize with a victim's last moments on earth. The chapter on Jake Lingle was excellent. Readers could feel themselves being followed. Paranoia sets in. And then...darkness. The description of the murders is often really good. But in the same vein, there are attempts to further sensationalize things. I have never read anything that suggested Meyer Lansky was behind the murder (or suicide) of Longy Zwillman (p. 152-153). Lucky Luciano? Frasca clearly describes a heart attack at the Naples airport, like nearly every other author). Why is this included in a book about murders (p. 165-167)? Or, what about the murder of Irving Feinstein? Frasca presents it as the case that cracked Murder Inc (p. 112-113). He does not even mention the Joseph Rosen murder which is usually considered the big break in the investigation. Ever hear the possibility that the Albany, NY Police killed Legs Diamond so that he would not muscle in on their rackets (p. 74-75)? Neither did I. One more. Did you ever hear that Hymie Weiss had cancer (p. 35-36)? Neither did I. This is why you need to cite your sources.
Overall, this is a quick and easy read. There is a greater attempt to sensationalize the murders than there should be. There is little or no attempt to put the murders into context. And the murders are not confined to the Mafia. There are some curious passages that are not easily contested (Weiss' cancer). And there are passages that seem absurd (Lansky killing Zwillman). So overall, I cannot recommend it. Even the chapter on Luciano suggesting that he was murdered when there is no evidence of murder, casts doubt on the entire book. In multiple places Frasca talks about the JFK Assassination without directly claiming the mob killed JFK. However, the repetition across multiple chapters - very short chapters - makes it clear that readers would infer a belief the mob killed JFK. This book can round off a reference collection. It seems to be more accurate than Carl Sifakis of Jay Robert Nash. But many of the problems in those reference works are on display here too.
January 24, 2022
As a big fan of true crime, and an even bigger fan of all things mafia, this book was a nice little addition to my library! I was aware of some of the hits listed in this book, and there were others I had never heard of before. I know it sounds macabre, but my only complaint would be that there weren't enough pictures in it. However, this was not a big enough complaint to warrant me changing the rating!
If you like true crime, and/or you are a fan of mafia-related true crime, this book is a good one to read. It focuses on the murders that were committed that, hindsight being 20/20, you can tie to some of the more serious changes in mafia history. Some murders are easier to link to the future of the mob than others, but you can see how they are all connected in some way.
If you like true crime, and/or you are a fan of mafia-related true crime, this book is a good one to read. It focuses on the murders that were committed that, hindsight being 20/20, you can tie to some of the more serious changes in mafia history. Some murders are easier to link to the future of the mob than others, but you can see how they are all connected in some way.
January 16, 2026
Such an interesting timeline of all the mob's deaths... The man who wanted to marry his partner right before his death makes love seem so much more powerful than he said. His last wish sadly wasn't fulfilled, and that impacted so much more than you can imagine.
Some images were taken of the crime scene, and some are a little too detailed... But that's what makes this book so real. All of the stories written are true, and it makes me think how cruel and twisted the world out there really is.
Some images were taken of the crime scene, and some are a little too detailed... But that's what makes this book so real. All of the stories written are true, and it makes me think how cruel and twisted the world out there really is.
April 22, 2025
Neither all there depicted indeed changed the mob, nor all of those were mafia. There is a distinction between mafia and gangsters. It is interesting book for a brief historical insight on American history.
October 28, 2025
Not as exciting as I hoped but some wild stories
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews