Customer Reviews

The Last Gangster: From Cop to Wiseguy to FBI Informant: Big Ron Previte and the Fall of the American Mob

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Mr. Anastasia is one of the best true-crime writers there is; he's a superlative chronicler of underworld doings in the City of Brotherly Love. Obviously, this book is intended to demonstrate just how profoundly organized crime has degenerated and declined and it certainly succeeds in that goal. One would be hard pressed to come up with a more pitifully banal bunch of racketeers as Stanfa, Natale, Merlino and their co-horts. That's part of the problem with this book. These people just aren't very interesting to read about. The idea that mobsters were ever noble and honorable has been pretty well discredited by now, but the fact is that the crime kingpins of yesteryear did have a certain stature and flair. Men like Angelo Bruno and Carlo Gambino were Master Criminals who controlled businessmen, politicians, and law enforcement officials and oversaw rackets that netted them multi-millions. They were an inherent part of every urban economy and any honest history of a city like Chicago or New York will have to mention the names of Al Capone or Lucky Luciano. Even someone like Nicky Scarfo, whom Mr. Anastasia has also written about in the past and whose flagrantly murderous and deranged life story makes for fascinating reading, comes across as a much higher caliber of criminal than the petty, grasping thugs that populate this book. Mr. Anastasia is a consummate reporter and writer and he manages to make even this seedy little story as interesting as possible. My hope is that the next time he writes a book, he devotes it to a person or subject worthy of his considerable talents.

This was a very informative book about the the "mob" & its supposed ending, however, it skipped around so much from the beginning to the end, the main stream was mixed. The gruesome details were very graphic at times to make you realize this was not just a "fun" group. If you like to follow mobster history, this would be the book for you...Have fun reading!!

I must admit I came to this book with a little bias. About four years ago I read the author's first book, "Blood and Honor", about the Nicky Scarfo mob and was blown away. That book followed Nick Caramandi's rise from petty scam man to Mafia power within the Scarfo crew and at the same time excellently documented the day to day life of murder and treachery within the organization. "Mobfather" and "Goodfella Tapes" were Anastasia's next books and they followed as Scarfo and his guys went to jail and their sons and friends tried to hold on to what remained of the organization.

"The Last Gangster" picks up where "Goodfella Tapes" left off. The boss who succeeded Scarfo is in jail and now Ralph Natale, an old hood who was in prison during the 15 years of turmoil, has emerged as the new boss. He was installed by Joey Merlino, the son of the underboss of Nicky Scarfo. The 35 year old Merlino was the victor of the mafia war over the remnants of the Scarfo empire documented in "The Goodfella Tapes".

The books central character is Ron Previte who survived working for the previous boss and has emerged as a big earner for Natale and Merlino. Previte is also an informant for the FBI. He records conversations with scores of mobsters with the hope of crippling the Philly Mob once and for all. Like his previous books "The Last Gangster" succeeds in illustrating life as a hustler and a crook. More than that though it is a book with shows just how successful the governments fight against organized crime has been. Most of the talented mobsters are in jail and a lot of the sons and brothers still on the street do not have have the sophistication or intelligence of their predecessors and have to resort to street level crime. A fascinating book by itself and even more so when combined with Anastasia's previous work "The Last Gangster", is a keeper in any library.

Usually, I breeze through books like this. I read WiseGuys in one sitting. I had to resolve myself to finish this. I think it's less the author's fault and more the fault of his subjects. These guys are boring. Their crimes are quotidian. There is no Lufthansa heist here. I'd recommend only if you have an insatiable curiousity about the mob in Philly.

Anastasia is perhaps America's leadest expert on the mob -- and certainly the most skilled writer. The Last Gangster is up to even his high standards with well-sketched portraits of mob thugs, rats. cops and corrupt politicians. Unfortunately for the reader (though fortunately for the rest of us) the mob isn't as powerful as it once was, and these crooks are pathetic indeed by the standards of the old Bruno-Scarfo mob. The title may stretch things a bit -- "The Last PHILLY Gangster" would be more appropriate -- but it's valuable to understand why there really is no honor among thieves, and why the Italian mob is dying.

Long considered the master among Philadelphia crime reporters, Anastasia delivers another fantastic chapter in the long, sordid decline of the mafia. Ironically, both his writing and reporting seem to get better as the statue of the people he's covering shrinks.

Where Angelo Bruno was once a godfather straight out of central casting, a force to be reckoned with, the Phily mob today is little more than a bunch of guys hanging out on the street corner. Ron Previte, the former cop turned wise guy, is actually a pretty interesting character - a murderous scamp who used his status as a longtime informant to become a capo - but that's about it. The rest of the wiseguys we see here are straight out of the Sopranos. And to be honest, the one real problem I had with the book is that Anastasia reuses a lot of material from his earlier works. How many times can you read about how photogenic Joseph Merlino is or what a nutcase Nicky Scarfo was?

Still, this is a great read and anyone who loves reading about organized crime will get a kick out of this book. Pick it up for Christmas today.

Anastasia is an extremely talented writer. While the subject matter may not be the most compelling mob tale ever told, it does illustrate the pathetic state of affairs of La Cosa Nostra at the end of the twentieth century. Is seems most of these guys watched The Godfather a few times too many. Greed, violence and arrogance drove all decisions; "honor" no longer mattered. Everyone was either wearing a wire, turning informant, or careless enough not to know that the feds were hearing it all. A sad ending to once-powerful organization. Recommended for those interested in the mob in general, indispensible for those (like me) who actually lived in the Philly/South Jersey area during those years.

Anastasia has written a very good book about the Philadelphia Mafia, plain and simple. The book covers the time period from Angelo Bruno's murder on March 21, 1980 through the present, with some background on Bruno as well.

The man most responsible for the downfall of Philadelphia mob bosses Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, Ralph Natale and John Stanfa was Ron Previte, a gangster-turned-FBI informant who managed to capture all of the above on devastating FBI surveillance tapes by wearing a wire while putting his life at risk every day. The book centers mostly around Previte, and it's a good choice - he's interesting to read about and he certainly was/is a colorful character.

Many probably believe that Previte is a "rat," or the ultimate turncoat on his Mafia "friends." Part of me agrees - he disobeyed a trust, even if it was based on criminal activities. That trust was also based on friendship, BUT the main point is that Previte was only loyal to himself, not those around him. After reading the book, it's also true that Previte did Philadelphia and society a favor by playing an integral role in putting 21 mobsters behind bars.

As someone who has read a great deal about the five Mafia families in New York, I was mostly unfamiliar with the Philadelphia branch of La Cosa Nostra. Anastasia brings dead and alive Philly mobsters to life in a well-written, fast-reading book. The author clearly knows this subject well and it shows in his writing. This book is a must for people who enjoy Mafia tomes. I also highly recommend "Underboss," written by Peter Maas with Sammy Gravano.

Previte sounds like a loud mouth braggert to me. He is one of those guys who talks like hes done it all but sounds like a phony. The FBI are not as dumb as Previte says they are. I doubt he recieved all the money he says the government gave him. The other characters in the book are dull, immature. If you want to read about the mob try a book about Chicago or NY.

First it is known in the LCN circles that former members of law enforcement should not become made members. This is one of the rules but yet Previte slipped in. The whole recollection of Merlino (a former racing jockey) and Ralph Natale are hillarious. Time and time again Previte explains how these two could not get on the same page.

Anastasia himself gets better with time. He is Philadelphia's Jerry Capeci. Despite the fact that in the scheme of things Previte was a high-level in a crime family that pales in comparison under the previous leaders. A good read and likeable subject!