Murder Machine (Onyx) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mustain and Capeci, reporters for the New York Daily News , here present a feature expose of Roy DeMeo, leader of a pack of especially gruesome hit men known as the Murder Machine. DeMeo's crew was so "scary," according to an FBI agent quoted here, that even then-Mafia don John Gotti was wary of them. By the FBI's estimate, the Murder Machine killed at least 200 people before it was dismantled during the 1980s in what proved to be the longest federal serial murder investigation in history. Mustain and Capeci's main informant about the case was Dominick Montiglio, nephew of a top aide in the Gambino family. DeMeo, in his turn, was killed by a volley of shots fired at close range; his body, stuffed into the trunk of his Cadillac, was found in Brooklyn in January 1983, a week after this devoted father failed to show up for his daughter's birthday party. No one was ever convicted of the murder. In a masterpiece of crime reporting, the authors re-create the DeMeo underworld in gripping detail. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A modern-day "Murder, Incorporated," the vicious Gambino crime family crew led by Roy DeMeo committed upward of 200 murders. Most victims were fellow criminals, but contrary to the supposed Mafia code, many were hapless civilians. So brutal and pathological were DeMeo's cohorts that even crime boss John Gotti reportedly feared them. The crew was convicted (DeMeo was murdered) in part by the testimony of Dominick Montiglio, a primary source for this book. Montiglio, a former Green Beret who became a mobster through the influence of his Mafia uncle, presents first-hand evidence of mob treachery and depravity. The authors , who wrote about Gotti in Mob Star (Franklin Watts, 1988) , tell a vivid, chilling tale that should dispel any remaining romantic myths about Mafia life. Highly recommended for crime collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/91.
- Gregor Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (July 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451403878
• ISBN-13: 978-0451403872
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,483 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Most Frightening Stories You'll Ever Read, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

I used to live 3 blocks away from a bar called the Gemini Lounge in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn. Little did I know that scenes of such ghastly brutality were taking place there such as body dismemberment, drug and child pornography dealing, etc. If truth is stranger then fiction, then real life horror stories are far worse then any fiction authors imagination. Roy DeMeo - one of the most brutal, (who had a "relationship" with the equally revolting Irish mobsters called the "Westies") conscienceless killers you will ever meet (hopefully only in print)- assembled a group of cretins from the Flatlands/Canarsie neighborhoods he frequented that is so frightening in that we know we must have passed such "ordinary" looking people many times on the street not having a clue as to their deadly business. It frightens me that a simple argument over a parking spot, or being the proverbial innocent bystander - can lead to such quick, brutal death. On a personal note, I once briefly met one of DeMeo's crew a thug named Joey Testa who is a major player in the book, and I am not surprosed to have read about him being a sadistic killer. This is really a book that is hard to put down and a perfect antidote (along with "Wiseguys" called "Goodfellas"in the movie) to those like Puzo who glamorize the mob. This book is a good companion book to T.J. English' book "The Westies" and you will recognize many of the hoods in both books.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The realism of the underbelly of the mob, September 26, 2000

By	Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a true story of the Brooklyn DeMeo gang who specialized in murder during the 1970s and 80s and how they were finally brought to justice. Some of the information came from Dominick Montiglio, a witness who testified against the mob. However, much of it is written from his point of view and somehow managed to deny his direct involvement with any of the murders, therefore making me wonder about every aspect of book's accuracy. It details his heroism in Vietnam, his marriage and family life, and includes photos of him as a two-year old at his birthday party as well as his 1965 high school graduation.

There are no photos of course of the shocking and brutal murders which are described in gruesome detail throughout the book. The realism was what was so horrible, and opened my eyes to something that was going on right in my city which I was totally unaware of. I still shudder when I think of it.

For the time I was reading the book, it was like a bright floodlight was shed on a part of New York City history which illuminated the criminal mob underbelly of the times. Its clear writing style pulled no punches. The book was meant to shock and it delivered on this promise and is certainly not for everybody. But for all those willing to explore this world from the safety your armchair, I certainly recommend it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Mob Book Since The Valachi Papers, July 21, 2000

By	Leserv - See all my reviews

As a New York journalist, I had a passing acquaintance with the sinister reputation of the DeMeo Crew of Canarsie. Once I started Murder Machine, I couldn't put it down. It literally cost me sleep, both because I stayed up late reading and because I stayed up later cringing at this true story of uncontrolled murder and unimaginable butchery. This story is told in an absorbing narrative. The characters are introduced and fleshed out with layers of extraordinary detail, the result of insightful reporting. The Soporanos is a nice fairy tale, but this is the mob as it lives and breathes in real life. Read it and be afraid, very afraid. If you only can read one book about the mob in America, read this one.