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Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Does anyone have some recommendations for books about the mafia, serial killers, or hitmen. I have never read any book about any of these subjects, except some book I got when I visisted Alcatraz that had like 2 pages written about like 40 Alcatraz inmates. I really like stuff like this in movies though, and I like reading crimelibrary.com
Failing books, if anyone knows some really interesting stories at crimelibrary.com or other sites, feel free to link them =) I don't really know remember anyone's story but Al Capone's (but I haven't even heard it in a long time), so don't assume I already know about a subject. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
I read Murder machine maybe nine years ago, and I liked it a lot at the time. Its about the gemini gang which was led by Gambino family Capo Roy Demeo. They used to chop up the people they killed and hide the body parts in different parts of the city. There are a lot of interesting characters in the book. Supposedly, the character named Dominic is the inspiration for Michael Corleone's character in the godfather. Also, Geena Davis makes a cameo as a coke user smitten with the mob crowd.
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Read the book about Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinksi when it comes out in a couple of months.
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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Also, Geena Davis makes a cameo as a coke user smitten with the mob crowd. [/ QUOTE ] Huh? A cameo in a book? |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
True story and a must read. You will never look at the CIA the same. Written by the DEA's most decorated agent ever.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156...e&n=283155 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038...e&n=283155 |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Way of the wiseguy- Joe Pistone
Short snippets from on daily moblife from the agent that went undercover as Donnie Brasco. Wiseguy- Nicholas Pillegi book goodfellas was based on. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
If it's still around, I really enjoyed "The Last Mafioso". It was a biography of Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno(sp?).
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
"Five Families" is pretty good
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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http://compras.univision.com/product...55/1860655.jpg [/ QUOTE ] This was what I immediately thought of. Pretty good although its not a whole lot of action if i recall correctly. -JP |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
"Helter Skelter" is probably the most interesting book I've ever read. The trial stuff might bore you (I found it fascinating, though), but the insight into and stories about the Manson Family is great.
-McGee |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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http://compras.univision.com/product...55/1860655.jpg [/ QUOTE ] This is a must read. Pablo had a set of big ones. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Anything by Mario Puzo (wrote The Godfather as well as a few other Mafia books)
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
King of the Gypsies by Peter Maas, the guy that wrote Serpico, was good.
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Life in the Mafia
Also by Maas. He was John Gotti's underboss. Good read. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
you should get Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, by Joseph Pistone. awesome book about the real life Donnie Brasco.
Also, I used to live on the same block as Sonny Black! the pictures from the FBI stakeout and the pigeons he kept on the roof were all on my street. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Read Casino and Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. They're the non-fiction autobiographical books Martin Scorcese turned into, well, Casino obviously, and into Goodfellas.
Really great stuff, because Pileggi does long, long interviews and lets the guys speak in their own words. He pops in and out pretty seamlessly to keep the narrative going and fill in a bit of background here and there. But these books are mostly the authentic story told by the people who lived it, and they are very, very interesting guys who've led really compelling lives. And if you haven't read Gangs of New York yet, do it! It was an incredible read about the gangs going all the way back to the Revolutionary war. The movie was a tiny, fictionalized slice of it, and I didn't care for it, but the book really knocked my socks off. One of the most fun reads I've ever had. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Life in the Mafia Also by Maas. He was John Gotti's underboss. Good read. [/ QUOTE ] Agreed, this was really excellent. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
I think I've read nearly every mob book out there, a couple cool ones are:
Red Mafiya-- on the russian mob. Accardo:The Genuine Godfather-- Chicago outfit boss. The General-- A famous Irish mobster..good movie too. ..Try checking out the True Crime section and see what jumps out at you. general crime books: Blow Loaded--cool book. Catch Me If You Can--book was way better than movie. Confessions of A Master Jewel Thief. Doctor Dealer. Some of the Hell's Angels books are interesting too. There's so much Italian stuff out there, I tend to like the older stuff (History), because alot of the newer stuff is low-level rat confessionals--that are a little weak. Definitely some great newer stuff too, you just have to start reading them and see what you like. Check out some stuff on the Asian gangs too. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell is pretty good. It deals with Jack the Ripper.
Also, the Green River Killer books are pretty interesting. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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I think I've read nearly every mob book out there, a couple cool ones are: Red Mafiya-- on the russian mob. Accardo:The Genuine Godfather-- Chicago outfit boss. The General-- A famous Irish mobster..good movie too. ..Try checking out the True Crime section and see what jumps out at you. general crime books: Blow Loaded--cool book. Catch Me If You Can--book was way better than movie. Confessions of A Master Jewel Thief. Doctor Dealer. Some of the Hell's Angels books are interesting too. There's so much Italian stuff out there, I tend to like the older stuff (History), because alot of the newer stuff is low-level rat confessionals--that are a little weak. Definitely some great newer stuff too, you just have to start reading them and see what you like. Check out some stuff on the Asian gangs too. [/ QUOTE ] Well I guess we know where your name comes from. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Black Mass is a good read about James "Whitey" Bulger.
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Murder Inc is also good...and most books by william roemer are decent enough reads although contain some fiction...
The Westies is good too, about irish gangs in hells kitchen... |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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The Westies is good too, about irish gangs in hells kitchen... [/ QUOTE ] The movie based on this, 'State of Grace', is one of my favorite overlooked classics. Sean Penn Ed Harris Gary Oldman Robin Wright (now) Penn John Turturro John C. Reilly Joe Viterelli Burgess Meredith Seriously, fugheddaboudit. How could no one have seen this? |
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
I found this book on serial killer Richard Ramirez one of the most disturbing books I've read, and I used to make a specialty of reading about serial killers:
Nightstalker Among the fascinating parts were details of Ramirez' fan club. He got lots of adoring letters from women and was something like a rock star for his barbarity and satanism, strangely enough. When he came into prison, he was a man with terrible teeth and a marked stench from never bathing; his teeth got fixed up for him in prison, they fitted him with a nice suit for court, and even one of the jurors developed a crush for him and baked him cakes. His story about his uncle teaching him to burgle houses, and watching his uncle kill his wife, were also very chilling. Then there was this book by Robert Ressler, the man who created the FBI's VICAP program and basically created personality profiling for catching crooks. He's the guy who invented the term, "serial killer," and his insights into them are profound. Much better than that of his protege, Douglas, who wrote Mindhunter and has an overbearing ego. Whoever Fights Monsters The title gains resonanc as you go along. Ressler describes odd things happening to people working as profilers. Sudden strange weight losses among them. The stress is just incredibly high, as you can imagine -- subjecting yourself to the worst of mankind, and usually with a terrifying deadline and the most brutal type of death imaginable as the price of failure. I actually lost ten pounds reading the book myself, and found it extremely fascinating but quite disturbing. These books can get you very depressed. You have to do distracting things to get them out of your system, or you'll carry them with you even though you don't know it. The impact is just too nasty. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
I agree, I found the Ressler and Douglas books fantastic. I took a class on serial murder last semester, it was very very interesting, though I couldn't read my textbooks while I ate or before I went to sleep, they were too disturbing.
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
This whole series is excellent:
http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/p.../STAR02558.JPG http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/p.../STAR01799.JPG |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Not a book, but www.crimelibrary.com has stories and backgrounds on many serial and spree killers. Makes for quick and interesting reading on things that might not have books written on it.
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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Black Mass is a good read about James "Whitey" Bulger. [/ QUOTE ] I am reading this right now - it's decent so far. Also, Lorenzo Carcaterra's (the guy that wrote 'Sleepers') newest novel 'Gangster' is a decent quick read - it's a fictionalized life story of a mobster with a pretty generic, yet entertaining anyway, plot. I am a fan of his writing style. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
SPR,
Black Mass is probably better if you're a Masshole who already knows Billy & Whitey Bulger etc. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Boyos is fiction, but it was written by a former Massachusetts State Trooper who went to prison for robbing armored cars. Prince of Theives is another crime novel I can recommend. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Chopper
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/2...zzzzzzz8sj.jpg Also a fantastic movie starring Eric Bana (when he was still an Australian stand-up comedian) |
Vamonos, Pablito
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[image] [/ QUOTE ]I heard that every one of those smiling idiots was eventually tracked down and killed by the narcotraficantes. BTW, this is what a reviewer wrote in the Amazon.com link to the book: [ QUOTE ] The book is full of mistakes, some of which would have been quite easy to detect and fix. These are just a few I found in a quick reading: <font color="white">. </font> (1) Simon Bolivar did not try to join Colombia with Peru and Venezuela to form the "Gran Colombia" (p. 16)(the "Gran Colombia" included Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela); (2) The Rojas Pinilla dictatorship did not last five years (p. 18) (it lasted four years:1953-1957); (3) Carlos Lehder and Jose Rodriguez Gacha were not "Antioquia Crime Bosses" (p. 29) (Lehder was from Quindio and Rodriguez was from Cundinamarca); (4) President Alfonso Lopez Michelsen was not a founder of the Liberal Party (p. 62) (the Liberal Party dates back to mid-nineteenth century and thus could not have been founded by President Lopez Michelsen, who is still alive); ( 5) President Cesar Gaviria Trujillo was never part of Bogota's elite (p. 122) (Gaviria comes from an upper-middle class family in the provincial town of Pereira); (6) Marina Montoya was not a slender woman (p. 127) (Miss Montoya was a heavy-set woman); (7) Father Garcia Herreros was not named Fernando (p. 130) (his name was Gabriel); ( 8) The "Procuraduria General de la Nacion" is not "a kind of internal-affairs unit for the government" (p. 189) (the Procurador General is a constitutional level state official appointed by Congress and not part of the government); (9) The government owned radio and television station is not called Intravision (it's named Inravision); (10) Natives of Medellin are not called Medellinos (p. 280) (they are called medellinenses or just paisas). [/ QUOTE ] |
How To
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Does anyone have some recommendations for books about the mafia, serial killers, or hitmen? [/ QUOTE ] "PROFESSIONAL KILLERS An Inside Look" by Burt Rapp Your name will probably be entered in some list if you dare access this. Or order it. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Maybe a bit off the mark, but my view is that the gold standard in "bad guy" crime fiction is the Parker series by mystery grandmaster Donald Westlake, writing under the pseudonym Richard Stark. Most are now back in print.
Another great "bad guy" is Andrew Vachss' Burke. But he's an amoral independent on a moral crusade. For shooting people, Stephen Hunter's sniper Bob Lee Swagger is without peer. He is not, in fairness, a classical hitman. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
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For shooting people, Stephen Hunter's sniper Bob Lee Swagger is without peer. He is not, in fairness, a classical hitman. [/ QUOTE ] I remember reading those books when I was little, I thought they were very cool although I don't know if I would like them now. |
Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Helter Skelter about serial killer Charles Manson
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Re: Books on mafia, serial killers, or hitmen
Yup, know what you mean. At 55, I thought they were pretty cool. Maybe I've outgrown them at age 62? I reckon C.S. Lewis and Dickens are next.
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