Customer Reviews

Most Evil Mobsters in History

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The most evil mobsters in this book are:

Joseph Bonanno
Al Capone
Paul Castellano
Frank Costello
Carlo Gambino
Vito Genovese
Sam Giancana
John Gotti
Sammy Gravano
Meyer Lansky
Lucky Luciano
George Moran
Dean O'Banion
Dutch Schultz
Bugsy Siegel

This is without any doubt the best book in the 'Most evil ...' series there is. It's hard to put down, because of all the new facts (new to me anyway). It gives a great insight into the lives of some of the most cold-blooded, murderous mobsters. 5 star +

Could not put this book down after I picked it up. Awesome and eye-opening. Would very much like to speak with the author

...other than that, it's a great bargain.

The research into the lives of each mobster is shallow and secondary at best. The writing is British style book which, considering the subject matter, seems contradictory. Finally, you read a chapter purporting to be biographical and finish realizing that you don't really have a sense of the person at all.

If you've never read anything about historical American organized crime figures, and plan never to read anything about them again, this might be just the book for you. After finishing it, you'll have little to no desire to do so.

Author Lauren Carter presents the lives of 15 top mob figures from the 20th Century. Each chapter covers a top mobster in 9-15 readable pages (plus a few photos), including Al Capone, John Gotti, Sam Giancana, Dutch Schultz, Lucky Luciano, Carlo Gambino, etc. We learn about each man's start in the crime syndicate, their special talents, and the roles they played as they rose through the ranks. Not suprisingly, most were from New York City or Chicago, although Bugsy Siegel (Las Vegas) and Meyer Lansky (Miami & Havanna) later branched out to warmer climes. Each mob figure was influential, street wise, and one clearly not to be crossed. Readers come away with a better understanding of organized crime in the USA, its extending reach, and its dangerous, corrupting influence.

The author is occasionally repetitive and delves into unproven areas regarding the mob, Castro and the Kennedy's. Also, some might ask why she omitted Tony Accardo and mob bosses from cities other than New York and Chicago. Still, this makes very interesting reading.