La source

by Félix Séguin, Éric Thibault

« À 14 h précises, on cogne à la porte. C'est lui, la source que tout journaliste rêverait d'avoir. L'homme de courte stature est armé et dépose son pistolet sur une table.

"Are you impressed?" me lance-t-il avec un grand sourire
"Yes. Very much."

J'ai devant moi Andrew Scoppa, l'un des confidents du défunt parrain Vito Rizzuto, trafiquant international d'héroïne, et meurtrier sans pitié. »

Pour la première fois au pays, un mafieux de haut rang a brisé l'omerta en se confiant à des journalistes. Entre les mois d'octobre 2014 et d'octobre 2019, Félix Séguin et Eric Thibault ont rencontré secrètement Scoppa à plusieurs reprises, faisant une incursion privilégiée au coeur des rouages de la mafia nord-américaine. Ce livre est le produit de leur dangereuse enquête. Il lève le voile sur la vie - et sur la fin - d'un des acteurs les plus influents du crime organisé des dernières années.

La source est la troisième collaboration d'Eric Thibault et Félix Séguin, après Gallant. Confessions d'un tueur à gages et Le livre noir des Hells Angels.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook, History, Canada

Paperback

First published October 26, 2020

Reviews

[Chelsea | thrillerbookbabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Felix Seguin and ECW Press for my copy of Inside the Montreal Mafia. I love true crime so this one caught my attention right away. It was about and inside look at the Rizzuto family- one of Canada's most prolific mobsters. The book follows secret meetings that got an inside look at the mafia in North America. There is some great history and some never before heard inside information in this book that makes it a fascinating read. Most of the book is about Andrew Scoppa and is very informative. I wouldn't call this book gripping, but if you're looking for more of a true crime history book, this one's for you. 3-stars.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book about the Montreal Mafia and I found it to be a fascinating one. It’s mostly covering the unprecedented agreement of mobster Andrew Scoppa to break omerta and go on the record with a pair of journalists. There is a good overall coverage of the various players and history of the mafia in Montreal. It also goes into the connections with the Hell’s Angels as well. Very good research on this and an excellent true crime read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Laurence Bernard · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF.

Le contenu est intéressant, mais la lecture est ardue. Ce n’est pas une lecture légère de fin de journée : il faut rester concentré pour bien saisir l’ensemble. Le témoignage est dense, les informations sont nombreuses, et prendre des notes durant la lecture est presque essentiel.

À mon avis, l’ajout de supports visuels, comme un graphique regroupant les différents « acteurs » aurait grandement facilité la compréhension.

J’ai d’abord tenté de lire la version papier, mais je n’ai pas réussi à aller jusqu’au bout. En tant que personne très visuelle, je me perdais souvent dans le récit et devais constamment revenir en arrière pour valider ma compréhension.

J’ai voulu lui donner une seconde chance avec la version Audible… mais encore une fois, je n’ai pas réussi à la terminer. Et je ne la terminerai pas.

Ce précieux témoignage gagnerait plutôt à être présenté sous forme de film ou de reportage, à mon avis.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC via Netgalley.

This book is part history of the Montreal Mafia and part confession of Andrew Scoppa. It is not necessary to have a working knowledge of the history of Mafia in Montreal because the authors do give background information and include a timeline in one chapter.

The bulk of the book is focused on Andrew Scoppa who conducted a series of interviews with the authors. Overall the book is workmanlike. IT’s not bad but the prose is not particularly gripping or engrossing. At times, the authors quote too much from published reports and inject themselves too much into the narrative. While this is understandable considering that Quebec reporters had been targeted for reporting on the Mafia, it does at time feel a bit too much, as if they are becoming the story for a few pages. Additionally, especially in the beginning of the book, the authors switch between Scoppa’s given first name and his more common name of Andrew. It is a little confusing in the beginning. Also there are some strange digression -like a reference to Trump.

That said, the book does an excellent job of conveying the information. Furthermore, it does an very good job of looking at the cost of a life of crime on the families of those who chose it. While the focus into on Scoppa’s family per se, the authors do detail how his father’s lifestyle does effect the son. It does present a good overview of the interactions/disagreements/wars of the Mafia and various other gangs.

It does make me want to read the authors’ other books to find out more.

[avril · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont even know where to start. I don’t usually read non-fiction but this book was so interesting and the ending lowkey had me emotional😭 I never realized that Montreal had this much organized crime it was interesting to read about how it started and how it’s still going til this day. Ngl i lowkey wanna make a movie based on this story in the future. If you’re interested in crime or just the shit that goes down in montreal i recommend this book. It’s easy to read and it’s long at all (i took forever to read it tho cuz school started and procrastinated 💀) Anyway, this was an amazing book and loved every bit of it.

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a little dry. I listened to this one and the reading sounded a little stilted, and that didn't help.

[Justin Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

The overall subject of this book seemed really interesting to me. I hadn't known any previous info about anyone involved and that I feel was my main issue. This book talks about multiple individuals and names them all, but some are only ever mentioned a few times and it made it hard for me to follow or even understand why so many names were dropped.

Overall, not a terrible read, but ultimately just wasn't for me.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoarder challenge-December surprise prompt: Anything
*This is for the audiobook version in English.

I've read/seen lots of movies/tv/docs about the mafia in the States as well as Italy so it was interesting to learn about it in Canada. Because I live in the States, I think of it as a U.S or Italy thing. You don't realize that "the organization" would have tentacles around the world.

It was also interesting to learn about the Hells Angels aspect. I've also read a lot on that subject so didn't realize there was cross-over between the criminal organizations.

Not to mention the fact that it was someone very high up who was giving details to the press. Very bold & unheard of.

Overall, I thought it was a well written comprehensive account of news articles by the writer.
I'd recommend to anyone who's interested in the subject of the Mafia.

[S😽 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9
Aux premiers abords j’ai beaucoup aimé la couverture du livre il donne énormément envie, mais l’histoire était beaucoup moins bien ou je pense que j’avais trop d’attente par rapport à ce livre. J’ai donné quand même une assez bonne note donc ce n’était pas si nul que ça c’est juste que j’ai l’impression d’avoir lu un livre qui n’avait aucun rapport à ce qu’on m’avait dit. Sinon l’originalité elle est là, les personnages sont très bien décrit et ce n’est pas si long que ça à lire. C’est long à lire, mais il n’y pas tant de page que ça donc si on aime ce genre d’histoire histoire il y a ps de soucis à ce niveau.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, EVW Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Interesting historical look into something I had little knowledge about.

[Marie-Ève Locas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ouffff, lecture très lourde. Beaucoup d'énumération de noms et de crimes, mais pas nécessairement dans l'ordre donc on en viens vite essouflé.

J'ai quand même beaucoup appris sur le milieu de la mafia, ce qui était vraiment intéressant, mais je n'ai pas aimé la façon dont c'était présenté.

Super bon travail journalistique, par contre je ne relirais pas.

[Teresa Fortier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je donnes un 3.5 étoiles juste parce qu’il faut vraiment être dans le bon mood pour lire un livre de ce genre. Il y a beaucoup de noms, d’enquêtes et de politiques concernant la mafia. Il faut donc être assidu et vraiment VOULOIR étudier le domaine le temps de deux cent pages et quelques.
J’ai commencé à le lire étant hyper intéressée , mais au fur et à la mesure le livre a commencé a prendre la poussière étant moins motivée à me plonger la tête dans une telle lecture.
MAIS , c’est super bien écrit et concis, je recommande à tous les novices qui veulent en apprendre plus sur la crime organisée et les moments historiques du milieu au Québec et à Montréal précisément.

[Lance Lumley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tale of Canadian Mob live as told to two reporters by Andrew Scoppa "The Broom." The interesting thing in the book covers how much influence the biker gangs had verses the normal stereotype of Italians running the crime scenes, as many television and movies show.
Once reading the book, you will find the courage of the reporters risking their own lives in order to get the story told. Some of the territories in Canada are a little bit detailed for us here in America, but there is still a lot to like for true crime fans, regardless what country they are in.
For an in depth review, visit (and subscribe) my blog at : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/202...

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @netgalley, Félix Séguin, Eric Thibault & @ecwpress for this free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TITLE: Inside The Montreal Mafia: The confessions of Andrew Scoppa
AUTHOR: Félix Séguin & Eric Thibault
GENRE: True Crime
PUB DATE: 6/07/22
RATING: 💣💣💣💣💣

TRIGGERS:
- Murder
- Cursing
- Bombings
- Death

READ IF YOU LIKE:
- True Crime
- Mafia Stories
-Murder

MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK:

We have all grown up knowing something about the Mafia. If you knew nothing else you knew about John Gotti. He was the head of the Gambino family and one of the most famous Gangsta’s of all time. Being American you may only hear about that Mafia. The Italian Mafia that ruled the streets of New York .

Then you heard about Sammy “The Bull” Gravano. He was John Gotti’s right hand man. However he went down in history as the biggest rat ever in mob history as an Underboss second in command has never cooperated with the government. But was he the biggest one?

He was until Andrew Scoppa! See there is another side of the Mob we may have never known. A mob that lives in Canada. Italians, Columbians even The Hells Angels was involved!

Inside the Montreal Mafia exposes some of the deepest darkest secrets of the Montreal Mob. Is it true? You bet your life, because the Boss says so. You see Andrew Scoppa was the head, and for the first time EVER the head man tells all.

This book is a masterpiece and chilling! Félix Séguin and Éric Thibault although risking their own lives, have secret meetings over a course of a few years with Andrew Scoppa. There he lays out murders, extortion, who was hit and why as well as all of the secrets the Montreal Mafia wishes you did not know.

This book changed the way that organization was ran and is ran today. And yes we also find out that the Mafia is connected no matter where in the world they are! These confessions of a Mob Boss will make you feel like he wanted to get his story out before time ran out. Because even Andrew Scoppa knew that the life he lived would one day catch up with him!!

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having watched the implosion of the Rizzuto Family since the 2010s, I was very eager to read the first inside look into the carnage by one of the participants. It is difficult to tell what information came from Scoppa and what came from other sources. The authors repeat throughout the text how evasive Scoppa was in discussing crimes - more so when he was involved. As with any book based heavily from one source, there is a lot of bias which the authors barely mitigate.

For much of the Twentieth Century, organized crime in Montreal was controlled by the Cotroni-Violi Italian Crime Family. The Cotronis and Violis came from Calabria rather than Sicily, so they were not explicitly Mafia. The Rizzutos joined them and eventually supplanted them (violently) in the 1970s. There was existing tension between the Calabrians and Sicilians ever since; but the Rizzutos, especially under Vito Rizzuto, kept the peace and cooperation with other crime groups. The entire house of cards collapsed when Vito Rizzuto was extradited to the US for murder.

According to Scoppa, the violence started in 2005 when an acting boss ordered the murder of Johnny Bertolo for an unspecified offense. The murder antagonized Raynald Desjardins, a non-Italian, but trusted confidant of Vito Rizzuto who waited a year to extract revenge, by striking a key member in the Italian faction. At about the same time, a major RMCP campaign brought down the hierarchy of the Italian mob sending away most of the key players for years behind bars. There was scrambling for power by much smaller players (including Scoppa).

One thing that bothered me in the book was a lack of detail on how Scoppa fit into the history of the Rizzuto Family. Unlike many of the members, he was not born or married into the mob. He also was not Sicilian. He was from the Calabrian wing of the mob. His rise in the underworld literally skips from delinquency to drug trafficking to acting boss. I am skeptical that he was the acting boss in the 2010s. His name was already circulating on a list of police informers, so the Rizzutos certainly did not trust him. It is unclear where Scoppa's loyalties rested during the violence. Seguin and Thibault imply that he was possibly the gunman who killed Nick Rizzuto Sr., but did not definitively declare so. That would mean that he either sided with Desjardins, or was simply stirring the pot by causing mayhem to create a void he could fill. At some point, Seguin leaned towards the latter explanation. They also strongly connected him to the murder of his former partner, "Ponytail" DeVito, possibly as a way of ingratiating himself with the Rizzutos.

Personal vendettas and power plays led to more and more carnage. Scoppa largely remained unknown to followers of the violence until the late 2010s (when he and his brother were targets). Seguin and Thibault document that Scoppa was an informant (an informal informant) as far back as 2010-2011. They theorize that his cooperation was intended to weaken his rivals and provide some basic protection for his own activities. In this sense, he is following in the footsteps of Whitey Bulger. He knew it would eventually come crashing down on him, just as it did with Bulger. A police leak gave his name to some mobsters. The Italians did not know if the information was accurate and did not act against Scoppa at the time (ca. 2014); but he certainly lost their trust. Press releases that discussed Scoppa as a contender for leadership seem vain and far-fetched when read with that knowledge. Police sources believe Scoppa is....Police sources say Scoppa did....It certainly led to his estrangement. Once it became clear (in 2019) that Scoppa was behind some of the carnage, the Rizzutos, or what was left of them, acted swiftly to eliminate him.

As a biography, this book falls short. There are way too many gaps. For two journalists that have followed the mob violence for 2 decades, they should have better sources and authority to round off Scoppa's self-serving dribble. Instead, the authors spend too much time talking about a trip to Barcelona to interview Scoppa. Huh? Whose idea was that? How did editors sign off on it? I suppose a Mafia insider could warrant special expense, but a trip to Barcelona for a week? And to top it all off, it is not clear what all they got from Scoppa except his need to "train" and drink wine. They at least realized that he was playing them for information as well as vice-versa. But a whole lot of the book stunk with that that type of non-sequiturs. It is a small blessing that the authors focused on themselves rather than the usual self pity that turn-coats offer in their tell-all biographies (Gravano, Iannuzzi, DelGiorno, DeFede, etc).

Overall, the narrative is improtant only for including Scoppa's voice. I cannot compare it to Cedilot's Mafia Inc or Edwards' Bad Blood - both detailing the collapse of the Rizzutos. The carnage does not seem to go away. The imprisonment of Desjardins and the assassination of the Scoppa Brothers does not appear to have slowed down the deaths. Scoppa's base hatred for Mafia boss Steve Sollecito may be accurate; but the source is so biased as to be uncertain.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Felix Seguin was told he could get an audience with a big time mafia boss he was excited, but after meeting Andrew Scopa end eventually becoming his confidant with a bit more than Felix bargain for. Eventually it became so bad Andrew treated him like his go to guy in head Felix running to meet him at least three or four times a week and sometimes twice in one day. Eventually he would bring Eric Tebow into the fray into the mafia boss this was just one more person to impress and brag too. This book not only includes the killers confessions, but murders he talked about and all the murders can committed by family murders. Between the Hells angels the mafia that has two different factions call Brooke has gangs coming and going and although this book is just about the mafia it truly was interesting. If you love True Crime and want to hear it from the horses mouth will the The horses name is Andrew and it’s all in this book. This isn’t your average True Crime book but it’s True Crime still in all if you love the mafia and can keep up with the different factions and different killers then you should read this book. I lost track of who was killing hill but that’s just me. It was still a great book. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own. #NetGally,

[Susan Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a difficult book to "rate". Did I like it? Sort of. Did I learn anything? Sort of. Was it well researched? Absolutely? Was it confusing? Yes, indeed.

The author interviewed Scoppa over a period of years and in this book, wove in court testimony and police records and notes. The research is phenomenal.

What did I learn? The book provided confirmation of the massive extent of the Mafia and biker gangs in Montreal, with the accompanying corruption perpetrated by them. This was staggering. The casual nature of killing was also staggering and disturbing. The difficulty that the police have in bringing these members to any kind of justice was also illuminating.

What is my drawback with this book? It is so detailed that it got totally confusing for me to follow who was who. The network/web of players in this whole scene is - sorry to use the descriptor again - staggering. Plus these folks change sides, allegiances at the drop of a hat so trying to figure out what was going on in this shifting cesspool was impossible.

In sum, would I recommend it? Only with caveats.

[Tanya Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a lot on the Mafia in the US but had never before read anything about the Montreal Mafia. It was interesting that in some ways it was so different from what I know of the US Mafia and yet there were some similarities.

Since the authors had Andrew's permission to do what they felt was "best" with his interviews in the event of his death, I expected the material to be less shrouded in mystery. Perhaps Andrew really didn't give them more information than what they provided to the reader.

I wish that the book had followed more of a timeline. There are places where the book moves forward and backward in time and that left me confused as to what was really occurring when.

The inclusion of other articles written on the Montreal Mafia by other journalists was interesting. However, at times the authors were able to provide information that the articles were incorrect, or the speculation of the authors and police were wrong, so was the whole article necessary?

[Peter Thurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, written by two Montreal based organized crime journalists, details the life, scams and death of Andrew Scoppa, a fixture in the Quebec crime community and a leader in the Rizzuto mafia clan that has dominated the Montreal underworld since taking over in a violent coup from Vic Cotron and the Calabrese faction of New York's Bonnano family. What makes this book unique among mafia books is that it is essentially the confessions of an insider, in a world where secrecy is expected of all members. Spouting off to journalists is not typically welcome amount mafia families, and it may have been what chat Scoppa his life.

It's helpful to have some basic knowledge of the history of the Rizzuto family before diving in to this book, at least to be able to situate the characters within their milieu. I've reviewed two books previously - Mafia Inc and Bad Blood that so a pretty good job of covering the rise of the Rizzutos in the Montreal underworld.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative short book about the Mafia in Montreal. I live on the Canadian border and was an avid listener of CJAD in Montreal for years. I regularly heard of the war between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine and about the gangland murders of Italian mob. This book ties everything together I have had heard about over the years from the English radio station. Seguin tells the story of the war that tore apart the Montreal mob though the eyes of his informant Andrew Scoppa, a high-ranking narcissistic Mafioso.

Though I enjoyed the book very much I did not care for the lengthy passages quoted directly from the Montreal newspapers. The passages were very informative, but it is not a style I care for. All in all, it is a great book and one I recommend for people interested in the mafia or in Canadian crime.

[Literaryadventuresofthetarabun · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Confessions of Andrew Scoppa by Félix Séguin & Éric Thibault - Book #72📚

Andrew Scoppa was a high-ranking mafioso who broke the omertà by speaking to journalists. Off and on for 5 years, secret meetings were held to get a look into North American mafia and the Rizzuto family. It was fascinating to me, I’ve read several Mafia books but they only touched on the Montreal mafia. I loved how the authors mixed his stories, his insight, newspaper articles, photos, etc into the story, it was very well researched. My only complaint would be that it was a bit dry, it took me a few days of reading to finish because of it. I enjoyed the formatting of the story and how some sections were broken down by days/times which was easy to follow along.

Thank you @netgalley and @ecwpress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[David Chabot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recevoir les confidences d'un parrain par intérim de la mafia n'est pas anodin et Félix Séguin rend bien toute le stress et la confusion qu'un criminel de cette envergure peut vivre. La structure du livre est un peu confuse et les longs segments qui nomment tout le bottin mafieux sont plutôt lourds cependant. Cela reste un excellent ouvrage qu'on a tenté de rendre plus abordable avec des périodes de narration de l'auteur sur Andrew Scoppa et sa vie. C'est une très bonne lecture pour les fans de l'histoire criminelle du Québec, mais doit être approché comme une référence plus qu'une lecture de détente.

[Hal Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good mafia story, and this one did not let me down. It is crazy to hear about organized crime and what goes on behind (and in front of) our eyes without us really knowing it.

I listened to this on audiobook, and the narrator was great. He really got into character and embodied what Andrew Scoppa was saying and his vocal mannerisms. The book was easy to follow along and was filled with discussions with a real Montreal Mafia member.

It gave me Richard Kuklinski vibes, if you know who that is and his story.

If you love true & organized crime, then I highly recommend this book.

You never really know who you are passing on the street or standing behind in line at the coffee shop.

[Macho · Rating 2 out of 5]

To say I'm not a big true-crime fan is some kind of understatement, but the wildness of the stories in organized crime in Montreal over the last 30 years, and the sector's impact on the city's culture and the province's politics make it hard to ignore. The fact that this book was written by Journal de Montréal journalists was really palpable: The writing on a chapter-to-chapter scale wasn't bad, and they stuck very closely to primary sources (which is a plus in my opinion), but I couldn't detect any coherence to the overall arc in terms of the sequence of chapters and story-line, which jumped here, there and everywhere.

[Sarah Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this was an interesting enough listen, it’s more of a history book than a true crime book in the writing style. There isn’t the suspense and drama you normally get with the latter.

If you are into history and the subject matter, you will undoubtedly enjoy it. It’s clearly very well researched with lots of intriguing facts and anecdotes, but not necessarily what I personally was looking for.

The narrator was perfect for the book, setting the scene well and making it clear and easy to follow.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure what I expected but I knew it wasn’t exactly what I had expected. I still read it and had no problems doing so. I finished to book and sat back to think about it.
I realized that the story written was a side that isn’t often written. It was about a person and their job (whether they wanted it or not). You learn how this job affects them and is more humanistic than what one would think. it was an enjoyable read.

[Réjean Vaskelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un bon livre qui résume bien la fin du règne de Vito Rizzuto et de Andrae Scoppa. Il y a beaucoups de personnages. A un certain moment je suivais mal le récit. En persévérant dans ma lecture j'ai mieux compris le rôle de chacun.

Bravo aux 2 journalistes qui ont fait un travail remarquable afin de mieux renseigner la population sur les manigances du milieu criminel.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. It was an interesting look into some Mafia operations in Canada. The downside was chapters were based on themes, so while it started out with a bit of a timeline of the history of the Mafia in Montreal in chronological order, it would double back and jump around so after a few reading breaks, it was easy to lose track of who was who. Still an interesting read.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing in this was kinda rough to follow but maybe that was due to the fact that it was translated...
I almost wish it was more of a docudrama kind of style
I also needed a family tree because I could NOT keep track of all these Italians...
Also not my mom being like oh my cousins cousin was arrested in one of the investigations in this book... Oof

[Michel Van der Meer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent livre concernant l’histoire de la mafia montréalaise. Des détails très éloquents sur des crimes commis dont on avais entendu parler dans les médias sans comprendre les pourquoi du pourquoi.

Bravo à Félix Séguin.