Other editions of book Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires

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.

For half a century, the American Mafia outwitted, outmaneuvered, and outgunned the FBI and other police agencies, wreaking unparalleled damage on America’s social fabric and business enterprises while emerging as the nation’s most formidable crime empire. The vanguard of this criminal juggernaut is still led by the Mafia’s most potent and largest borgatas: New York’s Five Families.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 others. This definitive history brings the reader 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. This updated tenth-anniversary edition features a new preface by the author.

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 and unreliable leaders and recruits. A twenty 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 reader 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.

For half a century, the American Mafia outwitted, outmaneuvered, and outgunned the FBI and other police agencies, wreaking unparalleled damages to America's social fabric and business enterprises while emerging as the nation's most formidable crime empire. The vanguard of this criminal juggernaut is still led by the Mafia's most potent and largest borgatas: New York's Five Families.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. This definitive history brings the reader 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. The paperback has been revised and updated, with a new epilogue focusing on the trial of the notorious "Mafia Cops."

"Talk about stranger than fiction. Selwyn Raab tells riveting, true tales of the fabled mob figures. It's 'The Godfather' annotated -- a classic piece of reporting by a man who knows the bloody, brutal, corrupt territory." -- Mike Wallace, '60 Minutes' This extensively researched account of the fabled New York mob figures we alternately despise and glamorize provides the most comprehensive history of the city's criminal empires that have intimidated, killed and fleeced Americans and confounded law enforcement for over 100 years. From their New York headquarters, the Bonnano, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese crime 'familes' have created a vast domain with outposts along the East Coast, Florida, California and Las Vegas. With influence over everything from the price of fruit and vegetables, waterfront commerce in America's largest port, the construction industry, local and national government, the FBI, even refuse collection and the heroin trade, the Cosa Nostra's hold on everyday life is unprecedented. Selwyn Raab has managed to persuade mafiosi and their helpmates to talk candidly for the first time, and he unravels their mysterious codes and culture to elucidate the art of surviving in a volatile criminal environment. In the light of the success of John Dickie's bestselling 'Cosa Nostra' and the enduring allure of the Mafia in pop culture ('The Sopranos', 'The Godfather Returns'), this fascinating and definitive work is at once a history of the world's most sophisticated and lucrative underworld phenomena and an investigation into the pillage of New York's richest city and region. Selwyn Raab not only reveals where the bodies are buried, he brings them back to life.

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 twenty-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.

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 and unreliable leaders and recruits. A twenty year assault against the five families in particular blossomed into the most successful law enforcement campaign of the last century. 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 reader 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.

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 twenty-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.

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 and unreliable leaders and recruits. A twenty year assault against the five families in particular blossomed into the most successful law enforcement campaign of the last century. 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 reader 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.

"Talk about stranger than fiction. Selwyn Raab tells riveting, true tales of the fabled mob figures. It's 'The Godfather' annotated -- a classic piece of reporting by a man who knows the bloody, brutal, corrupt territory." -- Mike Wallace, '60 Minutes' This extensively researched account of the fabled New York mob figures we alternately despise and glamorize provides the most comprehensive history of the city's criminal empires that have intimidated, killed and fleeced Americans and confounded law enforcement for over 100 years. From their New York headquarters, the Bonnano, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese crime 'familes' have created a vast domain with outposts along the East Coast, Florida, California and Las Vegas. With influence over everything from the price of fruit and vegetables, waterfront commerce in America's largest port, the construction industry, local and national government, the FBI, even refuse collection and the heroin trade, the Cosa Nostra's hold on everyday life is unprecedented. Selwyn Raab has managed to persuade mafiosi and their helpmates to talk candidly for the first time, and he unravels their mysterious codes and culture to elucidate the art of surviving in a volatile criminal environment. In the light of the success of John Dickie's bestselling 'Cosa Nostra' and the enduring allure of the Mafia in pop culture ('The Sopranos', 'The Godfather Returns'), this fascinating and definitive work is at once a history of the world's most sophisticated and lucrative underworld phenomena and an investigation into the pillage of New York's richest city and region. Selwyn Raab not only reveals where the bodies are buried, he brings them back to life.