Vicious Circles: The Mafia in the Marketplace

by Jonathan Kwitny

“[ Vicious Circles is] eminently readable, indeed fascinating…[A] courageous, brilliant exposé.” ― Choice This of it as a kind of tax. Every time you buy a pizza, or a hamburger, or new clothes, or use a product that has traveled in a truck, the odds are that you are paying a tribute to one of America's crime families. This book shows that the Mafia, and the larger crime syndicate that it dominates, has control over much of what the public regards as legitimate business. And when the Dons dominate the marketplace, they bring murder, arson, and violence with them.

Genres: Crime, History

422 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1979

Reviews

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book if somewhat complicated. The author goes into considerable detail with regards to labor racketeering in many different fields. He names names, fields, and dates.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific expose' of labor racketeering in the Mafia's heyday. Kwitney's vivid portrait of the meat industry is investigative journalism at it's best.

[Bruce Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nuts and bolts investigation of how the 'mob' takes control of an industry- in this case Iowa Beef. From this, we can see the close connection between unions, the Mob, and, you guessed it, the political party that claims to be for the 'working man (and woman)'. Go figure.