The Last Gangster [Mass Market Paperback]

George Anastasia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

"It's over. You'd have to be Ray Charles not to see it." —former New Jersey capo Ron Previte, on the mob today As a cop, Ron Previte was corrupt. As a mobster he was brutal. And in his final role, as a confidential informant to the FBI, Previte was deadly. The Last Gangster is his story—the story of the last days of the Philadelphia Mob, and of the clash of generations that brought it down once and for all. For 35 years Ron Previte roamed the underworld. A six–foot, 300–pound capo in the Philadelphia–South Jersey crime family, he ran every mob scam and gambit from drug trafficking and prostitution to the extortion of millions from Atlantic City. In his own words, "Every day was a different felony." By the 1990s, Previte, an old–school workhorse, found himself answering to younger mob bosses like "Skinny Joe" Merlino, who seemed increasingly spoiled, cocky, and careless. Convinced that the honor of the "business" was gone, he became the FBI's secret weapon in an intense and highly personalized war on the Philadelphia mob. Operating with the same guile, wit, and stone–cold bravado that had made him a force in the underworld—and armed with only a wiretap secured to his crotch—Previte recorded it all; the murder, the mayhem, and even the story of mob boss Ralph Natale's affair with his youngest daughter's best friend. Previte and his FBI cronies eventually prevailed, securing the convictions of his nemeses, "Skinny Joey" Merlino and Ralph Natale.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George Anastasia has twice been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won the coveted Sigma Delta Chi Award for magazine reporting for this coverage of the Thomas Capano-Anne Marie Fahey murder. A reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer, he is also the author of four previous books, including The Summer Wind, his acclaimed account of the Capano case. He lives with his wife in southern New Jersey.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Avon (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060544236
• ISBN-13: 978-0060544232
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > United States > State & Local
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Criminals
  • #61 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > True Accounts > True Crime

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read.Don't let Previte's "cuddliness"style fool you!, November 26, 2008

By 

Douglas E. Libert "howitt" (parkersburg wv) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Gangster (Mass Market Paperback)

The inside cover has a quote by Ron Previte,a US Air Force veteran,father of 2(or more?)and a Philly mob member who wore a wire for the FBI.Previte says in regard to to Philly mob,"It's over.You'd have to be Ray Charles not to see it"!After reading this book you would have to agree that the Italian Philly mob has definitely suffered a dumbing down in the gene pool.There are actually comical parts in the book where Previte,while wearing his FBI microphone obseves that it has slid down his pants leg and is in plain view of the mobsters he's taping.With his intelligence and his sense of humor he covers the mic before anyone notices then goes about taping some more as if nothing happened!
Previte comes off as a jolly Santa-Claus type figure laughing about the ridiculousness of his police informer status but well aware that his life is at risk every moment. I could see how some of Previte's mob associates would claim that Previte "entrapped"them but that's a hard case to prove when it comes to a criminal organization like LCN. There is a chapter where Previte compares the mafia of old to the new generation of LCN. It seems the mafia of old was smart businessmen who used assasinations sparingly.According to Previte's book,the new Mafia hiearchy is small time street hustlers in designer clothes who use murder as part of a "macho" type policy.The book contains a history of the Philly mob from homocide godfathers like Nicky Scarfo to the more recent ones.Like Ron says,"It's Over"!At least let's hope he's right.By the way you might like Previte's style but I would have to advise to keep a distance from him,the farther the better.Like a "Don't Feed the Bears" type distance.But you can still gaze in awe.In short, it appears that since the government is involved now in "legalized" gambling the Mafia is out of business.Too bad it took so long.Any "vice" industry that the government outlaws,the mob picks up and makes millions.The best way to stop the mob is to legalize "vice" industries then regulate them?

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars PHILLY MOB NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE, December 28, 2007

By 

Jason Jackson "J. Ruff" (Tampa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Gangster (Mass Market Paperback)

Ex-cop Ron Previte gives you insight inside the Joey Merlino/Ralph Natale edition of the Philly mob. If you have read BLOOD AND HONOR or BLOOD OATH, then this book will come up waaaaaaay short. If you need to kill some time, read it. If not, try another book.