
The Five Families of New York
5 Books in 1: The Complete History of America's Notorious Mafia Organizations
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Narrated by:
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John Raynar
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Lee Sterry
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Daniel Winski
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Colin Brown
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By:
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Mafia Library
About this listen
For decades, the names Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese cast a shadow over the streets of New York, shaping the city's underworld into an empire known as the American Mafia, or Cosa Nostra. But today, the once-mighty Mafia stands as an endangered species, battered by relentless investigators, plagued by incompetent leadership, and torn apart by betrayals and generational shifts that have produced volatile and unreliable leaders and recruits.
In "The Five Families of New York," Mafia Library presents a gripping account of the ascension and decline of New York's foremost crime syndicates, from the legendary Lucky Luciano to the notorious Paul Castellano and John Gotti, and beyond. Through vivid storytelling, the book chronicles the relentless assault waged against these five families over two decades, a campaign that stands as the most successful law enforcement effort of the last century.
However, as the FBI and local law enforcement agencies pivot their focus toward homeland security, the question looms: Could the Mafia be poised for a resurgence? Delving into the latest developments and shifting dynamics of organized crime, this book offers insight into once-dominant underworld powers. From the gritty streets of New York to the corridors of power, "The Five Families of New York" is a riveting exploration of the rise, fall, and potential resurgence of one of America's most infamous criminal enterprises.
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Wiseguy
- By: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese - introduction
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos, Corey Brill, Hillary Huber, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the true crime best seller that was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece GoodFellas, which brought to life the violence, the excess, the families, the wives and girlfriends, the drugs, the payoffs, the paybacks, the jail time, and the Feds...with Henry Hill’s crackling narration drawn straight out of Wiseguy and overseeing all the unforgettable action.
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Finally unabridged
- By Rodney on 12-16-19
By: Nicholas Pileggi, and others
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Blood and Honor
- Inside the Scarfo Mob - The Mafia's Most Violent Family
- By: George Anastasia
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the critically acclaimed inside story, now in an expanded edition, about the rise and fall of Philadelphia's notorious Scarfo organization. Blunt and unsparing, it is a firsthand account of murder, money, and corruption told by wiseguy-turned-witness Nick Caramandi, whose testimony put Nicky Scarfo and many of his associates behind bars for the rest of their lives. In this updated edition of Blood and Honor, author George Anastasia picks up the story where he left off, filling us in on the fates of all the characters - major and minor - in recent years.
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So So
- By The Timahawk on 05-05-21
By: George Anastasia
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King of the Godfathers
- “Big Joey” Massino and the Fall of the Bonanno Crime Family
- By: Anthony M. DeStefano
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than 20 years, Joseph "Big Joey" Massino ran what was called the largest criminal network in the US, employing over 250 made men and untold numbers of associates. The Bonanno family was responsible for over 30 murders, even killing a dozen of its own members. He would be brought down by Salvatore "Good Looking Sal" Vitale, the underboss who was not only Massino's closest and most trusted friend but also his brother-in-law. King of the Godfathers is the story of the brutal mob war that made Massino head of the Bonanno family and the most powerful gangster in America.
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a great book
- By tim on 04-11-22
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The Deadly Don
- Vito Genovese, Mafia Boss
- By: Anthony M. DeStefano
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony M. DeStefano presents the rise and fall of Vito Genovese in this first comprehensive biography of the legendary mafioso - from his childhood in Naples, Italy, and the beginnings of his bullet-ridden criminal career on lower Manhattan's mean streets, through his self-exile in the mid-1930s back to his homeland where he ran a black market operation under the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, and his return to New York where Genovese made a fortune as the head of an illegal narcotics empire.
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Borderline fiction
- By Luke Murphy on 07-31-21
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The Last Gangster
- From Cop to Wiseguy to FBI Informant: Big Ron Previte and the Fall of the American Mob
- By: George Anastasia
- Narrated by: Chris Monteiro
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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As a cop, Ron Previte was corrupt. As a mobster, he was brutal. And in his final role, as a confidential informant to the FBI, Previte was deadly. The Last Gangster is his story—the story of the last days of the Philadelphia Mob, and of the clash of generations that brought it down once and for all. Convinced that the honor of the "business" was gone, he became the FBI's secret weapon in an intense and highly personalized war on the Philadelphia mob, operating with the same guile, wit, and stone-cold bravado that had made him a force in the underworld.
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Beautifully done! Exceptional.
- By none on 12-15-23
By: George Anastasia
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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
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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.
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Interesting read about mafia
- By J. Frantz on 03-12-24
By: Matt Birkbeck
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Little Vic and the Great Mafia War
- By: Larry McShane
- Narrated by: Brandon Pollock
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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June 20, 1991. A five-man hit team waited in a car outside the Long Island home of Victor Orena, the acting crime boss of the Colombo crime family. Orena recognized the vehicle—and managed to escape with his life. Over the next year, more shots would be fired in what would become the last major mob war in New York's crime-soaked history—and one of the bloodiest. The war ended with Orena's 1992 arrest and conviction for racketeering.
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mafia last big war
- By Anonymous User on 06-19-25
By: Larry McShane
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Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia
- Borgata Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Louis Ferrante
- Narrated by: Louis Ferrante
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In this first volume, Ferrante traces the mafia's phenomenal "rise of empire" through larger-than-life characters and legendary mobsters as they provide alcohol to the American public during Prohibition, penetrate industrial labor unions, practically take over the island of Cuba and, with extraordinary vision, create the gambling mecca of Las Vegas.
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This is a must read or listen too!
- By Drea on 06-21-25
By: Louis Ferrante
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Cosa Nostra
- A History of the Sicilian Mafia
- By: John Dickie
- Narrated by: Tom Lawrence
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Hailed in Italy as the best book ever written about the mafia in any language, Cosa Nostra is a fascinating, violent, and darkly comic account that takes us deep into the inner sanctum of this secret society. John Dickie uses startling new research to reveal the inner workings of this secret society with a murderous record. He explains how the mafia began, how it responds to threats and challenges, and introduces us to the real-life characters that inspired the American imagination for generations, making the mafia an international, larger than life cultural phenomenon.
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Lots of detail
- By B. Anderson on 11-18-24
By: John Dickie
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For the Sins of My Father
- A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life
- By: Albert DeMeo, Mary Jane Ross - contributor
- Narrated by: Andrew J. Andersen
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Al DeMeo will never forget the day in 1992 when a coworker taunted him with a copy of the hot new book Murder Machine, chronicling the horrific criminal life of DeMeo's father, Roy, the head of the most deadly gang in organized crime. The moment sent DeMeo into a psychological tailspin: How could he have spent his life looking up to, and loving, a vicious killer?
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Worth a listen
- By robert l. on 01-13-23
By: Albert DeMeo, and others
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Gotti's Boys
- The Mafia Crew That Killed for John Gotti
- By: Anthony M. DeStefano
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony M. DeStefano takes you inside John Gotti's inner circle to reveal the dark hearts and violent deeds of the most remorseless and cold-blooded characters in organized crime. Men so vicious even the other mafia families were terrified of them. Meet Gotti's Boys....
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Great Book
- By Arthur F. on 09-20-19
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Donnie Brasco
- My Undercover Life in the Mafia
- By: Joseph D. Pistone
- Narrated by: Joseph D. Pistone
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
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Posing as a jewel thief Donnie Brasco, FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone worked undercover for six years to infiltrate the flamboyant and deadly community of Mafia wise guys, captains, and bosses. Now his eyewitness account brings to pulsing life the code of honor, loyalties, treacheries, and dirty dealings of unforgettable characters.
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Straight from the horses mouth...
- By Powrie on 09-19-11
Informative
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Recommended
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Great breakdown of what the mafia is and how it was created. Great layout of each family.
Very detailed, long, book. Will keep you occupied for a month.
Excellent book
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FANTASTIC
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GUIDE TO NEW YORK UNDERWORLD
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Must have
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The history
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What stood out was some of the narrators were better than others
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Nothing new here. There are better histories available.
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Most useless book I’ve ever listened to,
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