Five Families Audiobook By Selwyn Raab cover art

Five Families

The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Five Families

By: Selwyn Raab
Narrated by: Paul Costanzo
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.79

Buy for $25.79

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese. For decades these Five Families ruled New York and built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire. Today, the Mafia is an endangered species, battered and beleaguered by aggressive investigators, incompetent leadership, betrayals, and generational changes that produced violent, unreliable leaders and recruits. A 20-year assault against the five families in particular blossomed into the most successful law enforcement campaign of the last century.

Selwyn Raab's Five Families is the vivid story of the rise and fall of New York's premier dons, from Lucky Luciano to Paul Castellano to John Gotti and more. The book also brings the listener right up to the possible resurgence of the Mafia as the FBI and local law enforcement agencies turn their attention to homeland security and away from organized crime.

©2005 Selwyn Raab (P)2015 Tantor Organized Crime True Crime Crime Funny

Critic reviews

"This masterpiece stands an excellent chance of becoming a bestseller with crossover appeal beyond devoted watchers of The Sopranos." ( Publishers Weekly)
Comprehensive History • Fascinating Details • Clear Voice • Engaging Narrative • Extensive Research • Calming Tone
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
If you love the mob is this a great book for you covers a lot

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this book. Incredibly informative. I thought this was going to be a book that painted Cosa Nostra in a better light, much like the GodFather movies or really any other Mobster movie, but it definitely did not. There arent a ton of books out there that straight up tell you that mobsters are bad guys. Dont fall for the Hollywood tricks. Once I started it, I couldn't stop.

Very informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
great book about the ever-changing nature of the American underworld. excellent look at organization and govt attempts to bring it down.

great read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
long but very well written starts from before castalamaresse war and ends with commission case

very good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
gives good insight into the history of the mob past to almost present day.

one of the BEST mafia books out there

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. There isn’t a boring part of it.

The Best book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
why do some narrators way over pronounce certain words? I will be hearing this narrator say "Boar-got-ah" in my nightmares

Good material narration is annoying at times

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Selwyn Raab has written a huge book here. Long and bloody, Five Families is a great history of the Mafia families in the USA. Well written, Raab paints an extensive picture of how the Mafia has shaped the 20th century in NY and the USA. I have removed a star because of a few errors (repeated words and sentences) in the recording. Apart from that, a good book for anybody looking for an overall picture of organised crime in America.

A big long bloody history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
interesting storyline. I'm left with the impression that inept leaders are allowing these gang types to flourish in our society by stripping budgets and bickering interagency. meanwhile domestic and foreign gangs prey on more people.... same as it ever was.

mob rules

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
very informative and well told. enjoyed it didn't end with the ghotti trial like alot of mob books

great stories

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews