To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia

by Rick Porrello

Original edition. Basis for the Jonathan Hensleigh film KILL THE IRISHMAN, starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Chris Walken. In theaters March, 2011.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, Biography, Canon, American

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Rick Porrello, a retired police chief with mob roots and a jazz musician, has been writing books that attract filmmakers. His second title, To Kill the Irishman, which he self-published, was adapted for the film Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson and with Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Rick has several projects in development for theatrical adaptation. His latest book, Just Play Like You Do in the Basement: Coming of Age as the Drummer for the Greatest Entertainer in the World, was inspired by the two-and-a-half years he spent working for the legendary Rat Pack performer, Sammy Davis, Jr.

Reviews

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Lucky Guy? Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free- A Netflix Review
With all the new True Crime Shows out, I discovered this movie based on the book, Kill The Irishman by Rick Porrello. It turns out the Mafia was big in Cleveland and Danny Greene, an Irishman, got under their skin and a family war happened. This has Ray Stevens, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, even Christoper Walken! There is also Paul Sorvino playing the big Mafia guy himself.

This was back in the day and for a period of time, there were car bombs going off all over the city. The film laces real footage to add to the real feeling of the film. It worked.

Kill the Irishman
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would guess that the most compelling Mafia story ever would be in a self-published book that takes place in Cleveland and features an Irishman as the main character? If the story sounds multi-faceted, consider the author: Rick Porrello, a descendent of early Mafiosi and a distinguished police chief, is also a talented jazz drummer who played with Sammy Davis Jr. Here, Rick's writing is not yet to the level he reaches in later books such as "Superthief," but no matter - "To Kill the Irishman" is a classic of independent publishing. How many self-published books are optioned into blockbuster Hollywood movies starring some of the biggest names in the business? Porrello understood the historical significance of these eye-popping events and he knew how to tell the stories. With this and his earlier book, "The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia," Rick Porrello started the movement of regional mob books. It wasn't long before every city that had a crime family also had at least one book written about that family. Many were published by Barricade Books. I've read them all and I wrote the book on Kansas City, but "To Kill the Irishman" remains my favorite. It set the standard for what a great regional Mafia book should include: carefully researched history, larger than life gangsters, tireless crime fighters, local color, city life, endless intrigue, and myriad ways for local citizens to connect. The characters and events vividly depicted by Rick Porrello in "To Kill The Irishman" are operatic and explosive. Cleveland in the 1970's was a pressure cooker of organized crime activity with no fewer than thirty-six bombings in 1976 alone. You can't make this stuff up.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was living in Cleveland at the time Danny Greene's ascendency in the world of organized crime. I frequently heard rumors that gangsters were active in Murray Hill (Little Italy). It turns out those rumors were true. And the Mafia didn't like Danny Greene.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book which delves into the dark underworld of crime in 1970's Cleveland, Ohio. I was impressed with the level of detail that Porrello explored in this book about his subject, but my critique of it is that is read like an outline. It was incredibly formulaic in its story and followed a very generalized sequence.

So from a difficulty standpoint, it's quite easy to read; perhaps the most challenging concept was that I could have had more understanding of the inter-relationships between these mobsters, their mob groups, mob ties, police involvement and governmental indifference with a flowchart. I suppose I would suggest Porrello add a visual-aid for the next reincarnation of the book.

Otherwise, it was compelling and fascinating, and I can certainly see why it has been optioned to be a major motion picture.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am from Youngstown and grew up on stories about the Youngstown/Cleveland/Pittsburgh mafia, so the subject matter was of particular interest to me. Author Rick Porrello is a police officer by trade, not a writer, and it shows. It reads more like a text, listing events and facts, rather than a narrative. He clearly did his homework, though, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about true crime, history and/or mob stories.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting facts and a very compelling story. However, it is not well written and even more poorly edited. It is packed with grammar and spelling mistakes that make it difficult for me to focus on the writing. Things like "Unitied States" or "the guy left town because he is a loaner" really take away from an author's point in my opinion. Too bad.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm currently living in the Cleveland and thought this would be a great history of the mafia in this area. There was a lot of research done here and it shows. The writing was very simple anyone could read and follow along. A good book all in all.

[GD · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot smaller than it looked from the outside; big font, big spacing, big margins, lots of addenda at the end, etc. It was supposed to be the story (I thought) about this dude who ran an Irish mafia in Cleveland, but ended up being more about the Italian guys trying to kill him. I never got a good idea of Danny Greene, the titular Irishman, I don't see how he segues into murder, or how any of these criminals were out in the open enough to be doing gossipy interviews with the newspapers, etc.

The writer of the books is a cop, I think, and that kind of shows. It's not terribly well-written, but it's knowledgeable in a way that a journalist might not be. And the author's own grandfather and uncles were mixed up in the mafia too, and the whole thing has the ring of authenticity. But it just didn't really grab me.

One more thing, I had NO idea that car bombs were as popular at one point as they are in movies. It seems like every other page there's a bomb on some guy's car. I can't imagine living in a place, especially in America, where that went on. Times have definitely changed. It was pretty fun learning about this part of not-so-distant American history.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction book about the 1970’s mafia war in Cleveland which led to the death of Danny Greene, a man of Irish heritage who tried to muscle-in on the Cleveland Mafia. This book provides detail of how the disputes started, how Danny was motivated to become a “big man” and was willing to risk everything to reach that big, well respected, well know man status. Since I was alive and living in Northeastern Ohio during the 1970s when these gangland slayings made the news and follow-up stories tried to flesh out details behind the killing, it was very interesting to now get the full story. So many names from the past were fleshed out in this well-researched story. Plus, as it turns out, the investigation into Greene’s activities and murder can be connected to law-enforcement’s successful prosecutions of organized crime figures in all of America, not just Northeastern Ohio. If you’d like an inside look at how the mafia actually operated (and spoiler alert – they weren’t as slick as Hollywood portrays them) you’ll like this book. And, of course the movie Kill the Irishman is based upon this true story about Cleveland’s Danny Greene.

[Marilyn Getts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw the film title "Kill the Irishman" and watched the movie. I didn't know anything about Danny Greene and do not live in the area. After watching the film and I checked IMDB for the source material and found this title. Although the book is written like short news articles, rather than an integrated whole, I was fascinated by the connections between the crime families and the labor unions. I also found Danny Greene's connections with the FBI as an informant and his obsession with Celtic warriors and Irish history interesting. An Irish gangster that reads continually and creates a narrative (or justification) for himself based on the treatment of his people has left me with something to ponder about how one justifies one's values and behaviors. I always felt reading was a good thing, now I'm not so sure.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was not well written overall. It is non-fiction, but it seems the author tried to write it as a novel and failed. He ends up spitting out too many names and facts and not explaining the story deeply enough. Despite this, I enjoyed learning a bit about the history of the Cleveland mafia.

[Steven Owad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owad’s Micro-Review #52

Yet another book about the Mafia? Is there really anything left to say? Only if you like spending time in this corner of the true crime universe. The book follows the rise and fall of a mobbed-up union leader in 1970s Cleveland. “Irishman” Danny Greene is brash and ruthless and shockingly unafraid of his competitors over in Little Italy. The Mafia dons don’t know it yet, but by going after him they are sparking the beginning of the end of the Italian Mafia throughout the United States.

The story is told with crisp, journalistic discipline, but Porrello hits us with a gazillion characters with handles like “Whitey” and “the Weasel” and, perhaps inevitably, “Fat Tony.” It’s hard to keep track of who’s who, but this is at least a fast, diverting read—not the worst way to spend a couple evenings when a killer “heat dome” is broiling your town. July 8, 2021

[Vince · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun trip down memory lane to get the full details of stories and names I heard many times growing up in Cleveland. The details of the Cleveland mob workings and the ways Danny Greene needled/antagonized/evaded them were pretty interesting.

There are definitely some liberties taken as it pertains to macro details of the mob, namely that Angelo Lonardo flipping was a key in the Commission RICO trial. The author made it seem as if the FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonnano family was less important in that case than Lonardo’s testimony. There are some other claims that don’t necessarily align with a lot of what’s been written about the mob, but that doesn’t take away too much from the extremely interesting details of the Cleveland outfit.

[Bill reilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fuhgeddaboudit! See the movie instead. Unlike Wiseguy, this book is a tedious account of the Cleveland mob from the 20s and 30s time of bootlegging to expansion of the longshoreman's union of the 70s. Danny Greene was born in 1933 to Irish immigrants and survived at least five attempts on his life by unhappy mafia members. The sixth time was the charm as a bomb blew off an arm with an emerald ring still attached to his finger. A Mother of Perpetual Help holy card in his pocket failed to diffuse the C4, as Danny Boy died instantly, leaving a gold crucifix embedded in the nearby asphalt. Too much information on informers and this guy "whacking" that guy and too little on the charismatic Danny Greene. I cannot recommend To Kill the Irishman.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction. This is the book upon which the movie of the same name was based (though the movie, sadly, was filmed in Detroit and not Cleveland!). Danny Greene was a Mafia-wannabe in Cleveland. After several unsuccessful attempts to kill him, a paid hit man killed Greene by detonating a car bomb in a dentist’s parking lot where Greene had gone for a loose filling. Greene’s death set off a series of investigations that resulted in the downfall of the Cleveland mob. Porello's book is interesting and well-researched. I admit to having some difficulty keeping track of the names of the myriad of criminals mentioned in the book.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean it was okay but there’s almost no context for most of the book on who the people Danny Greene is interacting with beyond the crimes they’re associated with. Which makes the story much less rich as all we have are some general actions and newspaper quotes from Danny Greene and the surrounding “street world” members. For a book that includes some pretty specific details on over a dozen murders the motivations and circumstances of those deaths could certainly use some more context and explanation.

[James G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about a young Irish boy growing up in the Cleveland area rising to the top of organize crime literally crippling the Italian mob And that part of the country. A great deal of the cast and characters are from my area in north western Pennsylvania. It’s a great read but it tells more on Danny Greene’s side of the story than it does overall.

[aub.downtherabbithole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love reading about Youngstown and Cleveland's history, especially about the mob.
The book itself was difficult to follow. Each chapter was about a different story and a different family or person(s). The connections were out there but I had to keep back-referencing to check if I had the correct stories lined-up. I wish the book would have flowed a bit better.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book tells the story of the Cleveland Mafia and their war against an Irish gangster Danny Greene. It tells of Greene’s short rise and then the campaign of terror and bombings between the two factions and the trial of Greene’s killers

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad did a lot of work for the Cleveland sewer department around that area at around that time, knew a lot of Mafia guys at that time, said it was a crazy time. A whole lotta Cleveland if you know, you know. Five stars.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters, not enough plot for my taste.

[Nilda R. Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look inside the Mafia machinery

[MICHAEL W SMITH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent Read

Decent read. Seems abbreviated but all in all some good info regarding Danny Greene’s involvement in Cleveland crime and som of the mafia’s reaction

[Anne Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly the “thriller “ I was expecting. Writing was basic. Too many characters to keep track of. Hope the movie was better than the book.

[Robert Furlong · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's alright, but much better in the second half than the first. I would recommend that you just watch the movie instead.

[Paul Whitla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the same Irishman as the Scorsese movie, but another Irish gangster called Danny Greene active in organized crime in Cleveland in the 1970’s. Not the most entertaining of books though, filled as it is with names after names of minor Italian gangsters.

[Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My academic field is organized crime, but for some reason I'd not read this book before. Surprising since I remember Danny Greene,Shondor Burns, Angelo Leonardo and actually know through second degree of separation, some of the guys in this book, particularly Ronnie Carrabia, Joey Naples, and the Licovolis..

All-in-all I liked the book. It refreshed my memory and also clarified some questions I've had for years. Lots of good pictures. It also left a lot of (for me) picky questions. Like how did Shondor Burns end up married to a "shy school teacher." What happened to Danny's teenage mistress? Ok, I admit it, I'm into the domesticity angle and we find little of it in mob lit. A couple exceptions are Rosalie Bonano's and Antionette Giancana's memoirs.

Since the author is from Cleveland he gives a gives a portrait of the city. I used to hang out a little been in Collinwood and could picture what he was talking about.

What stands out for me is that everybody was an informant. I'd have been happy to see an explanation of how this worked. James Ellroy, in Blood's a Rover, lays it all out, but I think that in any study of organized crime, the informant mechanism needs explained--how to allows informants to continue their operations and makes the government happy at the same time. basically who's expendable and why. It's situational ethics at its finest on all sides. I"m sure the FBI would prefer we don't know anything about it since it tarnishes its image.

I'd like to see footnotes. Also, as others have noted there are a lot of names thrown out and it's difficult to figure out the relationships and importance without a flowchart. But, that's the way syndicalism works. It's a problem with most OC books.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although it was interesting to read about the mafia in Cleveland's recent history, I had a hard time getting through this book because of the way it was laid out and written. It reminded me of those term papers I had to write where I had strips of paper with one sentence thoughts written down and I had to arrange them in some sort of cohesive manner. Add to that editorial and grammatical errors that interfered with the flow of sentences (and there were many of those errors). I wish anyone else but Porrello had taken this story on. It was jumpy and patchy, and everyone had nicknames which would be used in addition to the first and last names IN THE SAME SENTENCE! I had a hard time keeping the events in line which was vital to understanding what went down and how the death of one man was so important.

If you want to read about the Cleveland mafia, find another book.

[R.Friend · Rating 2 out of 5]

A well-written, well-documented account of the rise and ultimate fall of Danny Greene (as well as most of his adversaries). But surprisingly brief—especially when read as an eBook.

Just past the 60% point, the main story ends; then comes several pages of source material, followed by a series of very brief vignettes about other related individuals. Overall, rather disappointing, for this reason only.

TJ English's Paddy Whacked includes a fantastic chapter on Danny Greene and the Cleveland mob wars, and that prompted me to read more. Unfortunately, Porrello's book—which I had high expectations for—ended up reading more like an extended pamphlet than a definitive biography.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

what I learned from this book?? really you have to ask? How about don't Fu** with the mafia! now admitally this book was set between 1933 and oh about 1979 (correction October 5, 1977) I think is when they finally got Danny Greene, It's interesting to me because a lot of it is based in and around Cleveland. Lot's of name dropping, lots of gangster talk and I don't mean the "Yo Yo" kind.
It's based around the popular La Cosa Nostra gangs based all the way out to California. I am almost done and once I'm finished I may be willing to mail it to a certin someones in Akron (nudge Meghan and Nick)