Customer Reviews

The Last Gangster

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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?

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.