Blood and Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia [Hardcover]

Dave Copeland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2007

In the 1980s, a multi-million dollar drug distribution and contract murder syndicate led by murderous gangsters Johnny Attais rose to prominence in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Calling themselves the Israeli Mafia, the group Attias, along with pals Ran Efraim and Ron Gonen, richer than they had ever dreamed, but brought on troubles they never expected. In Blood & Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia, author Dave Copeland gives an exclusive and never-before revealed look into one of the most successful Israeli gangs ever to operate on American soil. While the book gives readers an intimate portrait of Gonen, Efraim, and Attias, the book focuses most deeply on the life and crimes of Ron Gonen. A charismatic rogue, Gonen lived life in the fast lane and eventually spiraled out of control. Blood & Volume is filled with paranoid mobsters, clever scams, deep betrayals, and the struggles Gonen faced as he tried to find redemption and do the right thing by his young daughter and his family. Readers will see firsthand the crimes that could have propelled Gonen and his gang to the top of the New York underworld--if he hadn't agreed to cooperate with federal law enforcement officials.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This debut true crime from journalist Copeland is a thrilling guts-and-glory look inside the Israeli organized crime machine of 1980s New York City. The Israeli mafia was small-"core membership numbered fewer than twenty men"-and lacked the "codes of criminal conduct" intrinsic to their Italian and Russian counterparts; as such, it didn't last long: "by September 1990, all the gang's core members had either been arrested, entered the Witness Protection Program, fled the country, or been murdered." The narrative centers on three members-de facto leader Johnny Attias and narcotics dealers Ran Efraim and Ron Gonen-but sticks closely to the perspective of Gonen, the first to get arrested and turn state's evidence. The wild ride Copeland unfurls has all the insane highs and lows an audience familiar with Blow and Wiseguy expects, and they don't disappoint: "Gonen was one step removed from a Colombian cocaine cartel and, in a good month, netted $100,000." In the late 1980s, failing health and concern over his family prompted Gonen to consider retirement. When he was arrested in 1989, it was "just in time to save his life." It would mean the end of the Israeli mafia, capping a story so entertaining that, were it not rooted in such ably handled characters-at once despicable, pitiable and human-it might be unbelievable.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Barricade Books (May 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569803277
• ISBN-13: 978-1569803271
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, April 4, 2007

By 

Sarah T. Spalding (Newbury, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood and Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia (Hardcover)

This book was a great escape for a mother of 3 small children. I could not put it down even when I should have been sleeping. I have always loved a good gangster book or movie and this one explored a very different cast of characters, one that I did not know existed. It was well written and I felt like I really got to know Ron Gonen and could relate to some of his struggles despite the distance from my own reality. I look forward to reading more from this author.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent nonfiction, April 25, 2007

By 

M. Rodriguez "M. Rodriguez" (Queens, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood and Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia (Hardcover)

I grew up in NY and had never heard of the Israeli mafia so I picked up this book out of curiosity.

Copeland does a fine job of relating the facts in the case of this violent organization that helped usher in the cocaine craze of the 1980s.

With the pen of a veteran reporter Copeland delivers a clear and fast paced narrative.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than fiction, April 12, 2007

By 

cmoonchild (Central Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood and Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia (Hardcover)

Sometimes, real-life events can be better than any fiction. That's how I felt about Copeland's Blood and Volume, which chronicles the short, violent life of the Israeli Mafia through the eyes of Ron Gonen, who is now in the Witness Protection Program. Copeland obviously did an obscene amount of research to produce this book and puts it together in a compelling way that reads quickly and keeps you entertained. If you like true crime -- or just a really cool story -- check this out.