Get Capone
The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Get Capone
Buy for $20.20
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Dick Hill
-
By:
-
Jonathan Eig
About this listen
Acclaimed journalist and best-selling author Jonathan Eig blows the lid off the Al Capone story. Based on never-before-seen government documents and newly discovered letters written by Al Capone himself, Get Capone presents America's greatest gangster as you’ve never seen him before.
In addition to IRS files, Eig got hold of the personal papers of the U.S. attorney in Chicago who prosecuted Capone. He even found family members who would share stories about their notorious relative. The author, a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal, brings his uncompromising standards for research and his superb knack for storytelling to one of the most thrilling stories in American history. This eye-opening biography reveals that Capone was the target of one of the most intense criminal investigations in American history - with orders coming directly from the White House. Capone flaunted his criminal success so openly that President Hoover insisted the gangster be stopped. And, despite his many misdeeds, Capone may have been the victim of a rigged trial.
Get Capone also offers a bold new theory to explain the Valentine's Day Massacre and sheds new light on Capone's connection - or lack thereof - to the crime.
©2010 Jonathan Eig (P)2010 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
King: A Life
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 739
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 636
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 635
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.—and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My Time
- By Susan on 06-18-23
By: Jonathan Eig
-
Opening Day
- The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
Drawing on interviews with surviving players, sportswriters, and eyewitnesses, as well as newly discovered material from archives around the country, Jonathan Eig presents a fresh portrait of a ferocious competitor who embodied integration's promise and helped launch the modern civil-rights era. Full of new details and thrilling action, Opening Day brings to life baseball's ultimate story.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great book, not so great reading
- By Joe Baseball on 08-30-07
By: Jonathan Eig
-
Luckiest Man
- The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 318
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 284
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 282
Lou Gehrig was the Iron Horse, baseball's strongest and most determined superstar, struck down in his prime by a disease that now bears his name. But who was Lou Gehrig, really? Lou Gehrig is regarded as the greatest first baseman in baseball history. Shy and socially awkward, Gehrig was a misfit on a Yankee team that included drinkers and hell-raisers, most notably Babe Ruth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow! What an amazing story!
- By M on 08-13-14
By: Jonathan Eig
-
Scarface and the Untouchable
- Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago
- By: Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 139
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 138
A Mystery Writers of America “Grand Master” - author of the gangster classic Road to Perdition, longtime Dick Tracy writer, and multiple Shamus Award winner - teams with an acclaimed rising young historian in this riveting, myth-shattering dual portrait of Al Capone, America’s most notorious gangster, and Eliot Ness, the legendary Prohibition agent whose extraordinary investigative work crippled his organization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
HERE ISTHE REAL STORY OF NESS AND CAPONE!!
- By Sandra J Sanders on 08-18-21
By: Max Allan Collins, and others
-
G-Man (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century
- By: Beverly Gage
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 36 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 678
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 583
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 583
A major new biography of J Edgar Hoover that draws from never-before-seen sources to create a groundbreaking portrait of a colossus who dominated half a century of American history and planted the seeds for much of today's conservative political landscape.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing!
- By Jessica Armas on 12-06-22
By: Beverly Gage
-
The Life We Chose
- William “Big Billy” D’Elia and the Last Secrets of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Family
- By: Matt Birkbeck
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 136
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 136
The “adopted” son of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino, for decades D’Elia had unequaled access to the man the FBI and US Justice Department considered one of the leading organized crime figures in the United States. But the government had no real idea as to the breadth of Bufalino’s power and influence—or that it was Bufalino, from his bucolic home base in Pittston, Pennsylvania, who reigned over the five families in New York and other organized crime families throughout the country.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting read about mafia
- By J. Frantz on 03-12-24
By: Matt Birkbeck
-
King: A Life
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 739
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 636
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 635
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.—and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My Time
- By Susan on 06-18-23
By: Jonathan Eig
-
Opening Day
- The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
Drawing on interviews with surviving players, sportswriters, and eyewitnesses, as well as newly discovered material from archives around the country, Jonathan Eig presents a fresh portrait of a ferocious competitor who embodied integration's promise and helped launch the modern civil-rights era. Full of new details and thrilling action, Opening Day brings to life baseball's ultimate story.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great book, not so great reading
- By Joe Baseball on 08-30-07
By: Jonathan Eig
-
Luckiest Man
- The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 318
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 284
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 282
Lou Gehrig was the Iron Horse, baseball's strongest and most determined superstar, struck down in his prime by a disease that now bears his name. But who was Lou Gehrig, really? Lou Gehrig is regarded as the greatest first baseman in baseball history. Shy and socially awkward, Gehrig was a misfit on a Yankee team that included drinkers and hell-raisers, most notably Babe Ruth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow! What an amazing story!
- By M on 08-13-14
By: Jonathan Eig
-
Scarface and the Untouchable
- Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago
- By: Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 139
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 138
A Mystery Writers of America “Grand Master” - author of the gangster classic Road to Perdition, longtime Dick Tracy writer, and multiple Shamus Award winner - teams with an acclaimed rising young historian in this riveting, myth-shattering dual portrait of Al Capone, America’s most notorious gangster, and Eliot Ness, the legendary Prohibition agent whose extraordinary investigative work crippled his organization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
HERE ISTHE REAL STORY OF NESS AND CAPONE!!
- By Sandra J Sanders on 08-18-21
By: Max Allan Collins, and others
-
G-Man (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century
- By: Beverly Gage
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 36 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 678
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 583
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 583
A major new biography of J Edgar Hoover that draws from never-before-seen sources to create a groundbreaking portrait of a colossus who dominated half a century of American history and planted the seeds for much of today's conservative political landscape.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing!
- By Jessica Armas on 12-06-22
By: Beverly Gage
-
The Life We Chose
- William “Big Billy” D’Elia and the Last Secrets of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Family
- By: Matt Birkbeck
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 136
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 136
The “adopted” son of legendary organized crime boss Russell Bufalino, for decades D’Elia had unequaled access to the man the FBI and US Justice Department considered one of the leading organized crime figures in the United States. But the government had no real idea as to the breadth of Bufalino’s power and influence—or that it was Bufalino, from his bucolic home base in Pittston, Pennsylvania, who reigned over the five families in New York and other organized crime families throughout the country.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting read about mafia
- By J. Frantz on 03-12-24
By: Matt Birkbeck
-
American Prometheus
- The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
- By: Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 26 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,775
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,828
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,839
J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress. When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An American Tragedy
- By Edith on 12-13-07
By: Kai Bird, and others
-
The Lumumba Plot
- The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination
- By: Stuart A. Reid
- Narrated by: Michael Boatman
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 112
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 100
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 100
It was supposed to be a moment of great optimism, a cause for jubilation. The Congo was at last being set free from Belgium—one of seventeen countries to gain independence in 1960 from ruling European powers. At the helm as prime minister was charismatic nationalist Patrice Lumumba. Just days after the handover, however, the Congo’s new army mutinied, Belgian forces intervened, and Lumumba turned to the United Nations for help in saving his newborn nation from what the press was already calling “the Congo crisis.”
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Somewhere between a bio and a hatchet job
- By Buretto on 12-27-23
By: Stuart A. Reid
-
The Irishman (Movie Tie-In)
- Originally published as: I Heard You Paint Houses: Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran and Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa
- By: Charles Brandt
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,419
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,989
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,978
The Irishman is an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked for legendary crime boss Russell Bufalino alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th Century. Spanning decades, Sheeran’s story chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries, and connections to mainstream politics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Don't give up!
- By Grace Azul on 05-30-10
By: Charles Brandt
-
Andrew Carnegie
- By: David Nasaw
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 32 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,231
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 970
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 965
The Scottish-born son of a failed weaver and a mother who supported the family by binding shoes, Andrew Carnegie was the embodiment of the American dream. In his rise from a job as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory to being the richest man in the world, he was single-minded, relentless and a major player in some of the most violent and notorious labor strikes of the time. The prototype of today's billionaire, he was a visionary in the way he earned his money and in the way he gave it away.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Andrew Carnegie
- By Peggie on 10-01-07
By: David Nasaw
-
The Gotti Wars
- Taking Down America's Most Notorious Mobster
- By: John Gleeson
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 340
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 305
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 303
John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared Mafioso in American history. He became the boss of the Gambino Crime Family in spectacular fashion—with the brazen and very public murder of Paul Castellano in front of Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985. Not one to stay below law enforcement’s radar, Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss. His penchant for eye-catching apparel earned him the nickname “The Dapper Don;” his ability to beat criminal charges led to another: “The Teflon Don.”
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I spoke to soon.
- By Ductman on 04-20-24
By: John Gleeson
-
Killing Jesus
- A History
- By: Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Bill O'Reilly
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,794
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,646
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,658
Millions of people have thrilled to best-selling authors Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, works of nonfiction that have changed the way we view history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly 2,000 years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Jesus story in context
- By Kimberly on 10-01-13
By: Bill O'Reilly, and others
-
Murder Machine
- A True Story of Murder, Madness, and the Mafia
- By: Gene Mustain, Jerry Capeci
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 627
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 547
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 547
They were the DeMeo gang - the most deadly hit men in organized crime. Their Mafia higher-ups came to know, use, and ultimately fear them as the Murder Machine. They killed for profit and for pleasure, following cold-blooded plans and wild whims, from the mean streets of New York to the Florida Gold Coast, and from coast to coast. Now complete with personal revelations of one of the key players, this is the savage story that leaves no corpse unturned in its terrifying telling.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
stop browsing and just get it.
- By Patrick on 04-20-21
By: Gene Mustain, and others
-
Al Capone
- His Life, Legacy, and Legend
- By: Deirdre Bair
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 264
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 247
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 247
From his heyday to the present moment, Al Capone - Public Enemy Number One - has gripped popular imagination. Rising from humble Brooklyn roots, Capone went on to become the most infamous gangster in American history. At the height of Prohibition, his multimillion-dollar Chicago bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling operation dominated the organized-crime scene.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not the Capone story you want to read
- By Helmut F Hoyer on 08-26-19
By: Deirdre Bair
-
Kissinger
- A Biography
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 34 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 971
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 832
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 833
By the time Henry Kissinger was made secretary of state in 1973, he had become, according to a Gallup poll, the most admired person in America and one of the most unlikely celebrities ever to capture the world’s imagination. Yet Kissinger was also reviled by large segments of the American public, ranging from liberal intellectuals to conservative activists. Kissinger explores the relationship between this complex man's personality and the foreign policy he pursued.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A dissapointment
- By Mike From Mesa on 12-16-13
By: Walter Isaacson
-
Ride the Devil's Herd
- Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle Against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang
- By: John Boessenecker
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 337
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 332
Wyatt Earp is regarded as the most famous lawman of the Old West, best known for his role in the Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. But the story of his two-year war with a band of outlaws known as the Cowboys has never been told in full. The Cowboys were the largest outlaw gang in the history of the American West. After battles with the law in Texas and New Mexico, they shifted their operations to Arizona. There, they ruled the border, robbing, rustling, smuggling, and killing with impunity until they made the fatal mistake of tangling with the Earp brothers.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Tough Listen.
- By Nick on 05-15-20
-
11-22-63
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70,660
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 63,751
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63,607
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King - who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer - takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I Owe Stephen King An Apology
- By Kelly - Write Well Academy on 04-16-12
By: Stephen King
-
The Cigar
- Carmine Galante, Mafia Terror
- By: Frank Dimatteo, Michael Benson
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
The son of Sicilian immigrants, Camillo Carmine Galante was raised in Manhattan's Little Italy and by all accounts born bad. By fifteen he was terrorizing the streets of New York's Lower East Side, scoring high marks for the "errands" he was running for his La Cosa Nostra elders. When he turned twenty, Galante was already one of the mob's top enforcers-a sadistic thrill killer and clinically diagnosed psychopath with big dreams.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Lazy Attempt; Awful Narrator
- By Rich on 05-05-23
By: Frank Dimatteo, and others
Editorial reviews
Get Capone by Jonathan Eig, an atmospheric biography of the iconic gangster is subtitled, somewhat misleadingly, The Secret Plot to Get America’s Most Wanted Gangster. The book’s true focus is not the endgame of Capone’s criminal saga, but the glory days of his career in Prohibition Chicago.
Narrator Dick Hill sounds like a Chicago ‘wise guy’ who saw the whole thing unfolding from a corner bar; his flat accent and hearty delivery convey Capone and company’s style and swagger. Eig charts the kingpin’s rise, beginning with his 1923 arrival from Brooklyn, following mentor Johnny Torrid, but he and Hill are in no rush. There are countless stops to smell the coffee or Mama Capone’s cooking. (Eig’s description of the matriarch making braciole, the Italian beef dish, is reason enough to whip some up.) In depicting the characters in Capone’s world, from rival Diamond Jim (James Colosimo) to club doorman, we are likely to be told the shape of one’s facial features, the color of another’s tie.
Hill, like a veteran of the jaded city to a tourist, relates the backdrop of Chicago politics and the post-WWI Roaring Twenties hedonism that Prohibition sought to temper but only stoked. He is at his best when he robustly gives us Capone in the gangster’s words. We are able to perceive, beyond his brute acumen in bootlegging and mob management, Capone’s mastery of the media that made him an international celebrity, the inspiration for countless Hollywood movies, and the archetypal gangster you hate to love. Extolling family values and the pleasure of an innocent glass of beer, he’d tell the press, “I’m just a businessman…All l do is satisfy a public demand.” Hill conveys, by playing it straight, the irony in Capone’s statements praising those honest judges and prosecutors out to get him in contrast to the myriad officials he is able to bribe or threaten.
Federal and local authorities finally succeed in putting Capone away for tax evasion. But by the time of his release, Eig shows us graphically the advance of syphilis that would kill him at age 48 has set in. Despite the book’s historical accuracy, the cumulative effect of the author’s detail and Hill’s enthusiastic rendition are insistent that we, once again, admire the Capone legend. Elly Schull Meeks
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Get Capone
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan
- 05-13-10
Get this book
Jonathan Eig superbly tells the tale of a man whose legend still permeates Chicago. Working with a compelling script, the narrator does an excellent job of bringing to life Capone, his crew and the cast of local and federal government officials who interact with him.
Eig does a masterful job of re-creating the Roaring Twenties and detailing Capone's exploits. At the same time, he methodically examines the crimes that have long been attributed to Capone. Relying on his dogged reporting skills, Eig adds texture to some events, while persuasively debunking others.
This is one of those books that will have listeners looking for excuses to take errands so they can listen to just a few more minutes. Great yarn!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- B Hart
- 01-24-15
Too much for me
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Make it more condensed.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
It was kind of sad in a way.
Have you listened to any of Dick Hill’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Yes. He's always pretty good.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
No
Any additional comments?
This is an extremely detailed book about Capone. If you're interested in knowing everything there is to know about him, this is for you. I really didn't want to now that much, so I skipped through chapters. The ending was the best part of the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Roni
- 11-24-10
Compelling Insight
I was thoroughly engaged by this fact-based narrative about an individual and an era that are more often discussed in a fictional context. The descriptions of Capone's personality and style brought to mind more modern day gangsters, many of whom must have modeled themselves on him. Even while recognizing Capone for the murderous thug that he was, Eig managed to convey the qualities that made him so slippery and so admirable to so many. In fact, his descripton of the trial, complete with a stacked jury and biased judge, almost made me feel sorry for the guy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kristi R.
- 01-02-14
Capone and the Roaring 20's.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I enjoyed this book. I think it is a great companion to those that love Boardwalk Empire because it follows Capone's life.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Al Capone hands down! He was a larger than life character and this book makes him come alive.
What does Dick Hill bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He is a very good narrator on non fiction books. He keeps me interested in his rapid pace delivery. Reminds me of Walter Winchell.
Do you think Get Capone needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No, it's his entire life story plus other Chicago stories including the Valentine's Day Massacre.
Any additional comments?
Great book if you are interested in Al Capone and the gangster life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Robin
- 07-19-10
A fun listen!
If you like Chicago stories, popular biography, popular history, or true crime, I heartily recommend this well-writeen and well-read book. I enjoyed every minute!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrea
- 10-30-12
First Experience with Audible was Great!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, if they wanted to know EVERYTHING Capone! I had to read this book for a college course and the book was very long (considering my deadline)! I ordered the Audible version to listen to as I read along with my paperback copy.... it kept me on track and allowed me to plan around the assignment because I knew exactly how much loner it would take (at any given point) how many more hours it would take to finish the book.
Who was your favorite character and why?
George Johnson, the real (and historically unrecognized) "hero" who finally put Capone in jail. This is a man that is typically not known about regarding the Capone case (as so many of the story tellers have gotten the facts wrong, or, have embelished the truth for effect), and it was very interesting to learn about him.
Which scene was your favorite?
The chapter on the St. Valentines Day Massacre was particularly interesting because the author utilized real-life police reports as one of his sources. He also revealed a never before released letter (at least to the public) to John Edgar Hoover (director of FBI at the time) from a Chicago man written in the 1930's giving the best explanation for the seven murders... who did it and why. It is actually a misconception (I believe after reading this book) that Capone had anything to do with the St. Valentine's Day Massacre at all!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I was very touched by the love that Capone had for his wife and child; it was a genuine care and concern from a supposed 'monster' which I appreciated. Also, the Epilogue,which explained the decline of Capone's health and his death was particularly sad.
Any additional comments?
I really enjoyed my first experience (in life) with an audio book. For my college course, I was glad that I had the paperback version to read along with (and highlight), however, I know I would find it pleasurable to listen to books for fun as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ed
- 10-01-12
interesting
The book is well written, and the audio production is great from all points of view.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Thomas
- 05-21-10
Thank God for the IRS
Who has not heard of Al Capone and Elliot Ness, sometimes to excess but the views presented by this author make this one hard to stop listening to? The book gets right into his nefarious past and at times actually has you feeling almost sorry for him. A brutal criminal that if it were not for the IRS he could have written a book on how to be a professional criminal and get away with a plethora of crimes.I wish the IRS had as many imaginative techniques to nail all the drug dealers running lose.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Blake
- 07-10-13
Oh, how the world has changed
The cool thing about this book is the perspective I got on how different everything was in the 20's and 30's. Jonathan Eig has a knack for choosing the facts to include in a way that tells a good story, and omitting unnessesary, boring details. It's wild to imagine a prominant criminal in today's world being so adored by the press and the general public. It's also amazing how primitive forensic science was back then. You could just kill someone, and if you just left the state forever, you probably would never get caught. Makes me wonder how much crime was going on back then that we didn't know about.
The narrator chosen for this book is not the most talented I've ever heard. His style is a little corny and he makes every character, even Herbert Hoover and J. Edgar Hoover, sound like Italian mobsters. Still, I think he was the right choice for this book. He's got a good feel for the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Tundrabeast
- 07-31-10
Wrong Reader
Although I basically agree with the other reviews I have found this no where as enjoyable as I thought it would be after seeing an interview with the author. This book reads more like a news article than a story and although that gives a lot of interesting information it can be tedious at times. Add to that the reader doesn't really have the right tone to make some of the limited dialog interesting, and I find myself only able to listen to it for around an hour art a time before I start getting sleepy from it...And when operating 40 tons of tractor and trailer getting sleepy isn't what I'm looking for. Someone like Joe Montagna who reads audio might have made this more interesting, but as is I'm just not that impressed with it....Lesson learned though...Don't purchase without listening to the sample first. If the reader doesn't sit right with you then it can be a tough listen for all those hours.....
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful