I dont know if this is a popular topic among book readers but I have always been into reading about the mafia and I think its the most interesting sub-genre of crime.

After reading a good amount of books, you realize that you arent dealing with 100% non-fiction. Many of the books are written straight from the mouth/brain of the subject and they are criminals so the truth is bent many times in their favor. Regardless, the stories and books are fascinating. The amount of power and money the mob had(somewhat has now) was unbelievable. They had their hands in everything from politics, gambling, drugs, construction, unions, etc. At one time in their history, if you considered them a legit company (meaning all the large families and associates), they would be #1 on the Fortune 500 list and 2nd only to the U.S. Federal Govt in terms of power and money.

If you have read some books that I havent put in here, list them if you can. Im looking for new stuff to read. If you havent read any of these or any of the topic in general, I would highly suggest this first book. Its basically the encyclopedia of the five families in New York and how they came about. It includes the history dating all the way back to Italy and why the gangs originally formed. Its good to read because it kind of lays a foundation for reading other books about specific people or incidents. Plenty of the books are about rats because they have been some of the only people to release info about the mob. Yea rats are scum to the mob but you do see their side of the story in these books and you feel for the situations they were in. Some had nothing to do but rat or go take a dirtnap. Fwiw, ive gotten all of these books off of Amazon

Five Families by Selwynn Raab

Once again, pretty much the encyclopedia on the history of the five families in NYC. Even though my description refers it as an encyclopedia, the author is very good at giving the information like a story. I would say he spends equal time on each family and includes all of the wars, big time hits, arrests, etc that shaped the families. My only gripe about the book was that not much time was spent on pre-1950 as the later years. I think this had to do more with having a book that was factually correct. I dont think he wanted to include hearsay and rumors in his book, unlike many other books that are included here. The author includes all the way up to post 9/11 ending around 2005. It is a long book(700 pages), but I breezed through it in about a week or so.

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The Ice Man:Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo

I chose this book because I had watched the HBO documentary series on him years ago and he just came across as a ruthless killer with no remorse. He was born in a home with an extremely abusive dad and the years of punishment molded this guy into a serial killer. He used to go into a seedy area of NYC and kill homeless people for practice/fun. At the time, the cops thought there was just a sort of war among the homeless so they just ignored the situation because no one cares about the homeless. So Richard(the hit man) became an expert on killing people and climbed the ranks of small criminal to eventually becoming a hit man for all five families and even new jersey and I think Philly. All this while portraying himself as a family man to the neighbors and community. This book was a cant put it down type of book. The author is a step above all of the other book's authors mentioned in here. We are getting these confessions from a psychopath so some of the stories are false(the author mentions a few in the book right after the story is told). Regardless, the book is an eye opener into how cold some people can be. He confessed to around 100 murders but some people put his number closer to 200 deaths.

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Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss by Philip Carlo

Another great book by Carlo. What made this book different was that the author's family was next door neighbors to the Casso family. Anthony Casso is 'Gaspipe'. The authors parents were pretty much the only straight people the Casso's ever associated with. This guy went from a soldier to the boss by violence and being a top earner to a rat in what seemed like no time. This guy was responsible for around 50 murders, had cops on his payroll who actually killed for him, and was a figure in the mob that no one messed with. Him going informer was a mixture of payback and other details that you will find out. What you really find out in this book is how crooked the government can be.

The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath by Philip Carlo

Another gem by Carlo. The title says it all. Tommy 'Karate' Pitera was a freaking maniac with a license to kill. Responsible for around 70 murders or so, this guy had his own cemetery in a wildlife refuge where he would dispose of his bodies. This guy ran a crew that was so scared of him that they killed in fear of him killing them. This guy didnt just kill his victims. He would kill and take apart their bodies and did some grotesque things to said bodies. The pursuit and capture of Karate was just as crazy as him. Well close to it. This book and the book above are quick reads. 300 pages and can be done in 2 days.