Customer Reviews (5)

From a Friend
I went to high school with Scott and at one time was very close to him. We grew apart as some friends do, but regardless of my personal feelings about Scott, he was way too young to go out at the hands of another.This book is a great story about a tradegy that would have been worse without the persistance of a few great people.

A well written book about a true tradegy.

A True Crime Thriller
This book is really sad, but if you like true crime you will want to read Trail of Blood. It doesn't suffer from to much repetition, like some true crime books.

I like the way it is written: direct and to the point. The book was suspenseful, as I was not sure how it was going to end. For me the book ended up being a mystery, as well as, a true crime book.

I admire Jim Dunn, the detectives, and the justice system for their perseverance and their dedication to find justice for Scott Dunn.

wdixon
loved this book. did not want to put it down until I had finished reading it but alas I have to sleep and go to work. Hamilton is right where she belongs. Too bad she will get out but hopefully will stay in the entire 20yrs.

Sentence was outrageously lenient!
I have to say that I thought the justice system in Texas was a lot harsher until I read this book. The story is heartbreaking about the loss and disappearance of Roger Scott Dunn better known as Scott. There is a love triangle between him and two women, Jessica Tate, and Leisha Hamilton but the latter has her own love triangle or quadrangle of her own. Leisha Hamilton is a psychopath and fits many of the characteristics. One Sunday evening, she calls SCott's father in Pennsylvania to relate the news that he's missing or at least that is what she wants us to think. Leisha Hamilton is truthfully a nut job who needs psychiatric care. I shocked by how she behaved and her being a psychopath explains so much about why she acts so callously about Scott's family, friends, and his disappearance. The trail of blood is what helps prove his murder in 1991. The father, Jim, co-wrote his experiences and loss of his son even without a body and his fight for justice. The book starts off slowly and gains momentum along the way making a fast read. I skimmed through the court section because it was somewhat redundant of previous information already written in early pages. The case and fight for Justice in Scott's memory is quite a story in itself. I can't help but write about Scott's beloved car, Yellow Thunder, that he took pride in and treated it so well. When Leisha demands the car back, I just wanted to scream at her. It's just a car and it's not as important as getting Scott back.
You will be outraged by the outcome!

One of the Best True Crimes of the Year
This well written, gripping tale is of a father's long search for his missing son. All the while, he was playing a cat and mouse game with the woman he knew was responsible for his son's death. No body was ever found but the crime scene told such a story!In my new novel, Texas Poker Wisdom, I used this book as a reference for forensics. When the Vidocq Society gets involved in the investigation, you know you have a very special case.The Lubbock Police did a superb job.You will love this book if you are a true crime or mystery fan.
Johnny HughesTexas Poker Wisdom ... Read more

Product Description
This book examines the reported criminal behavior of the entire spectrum of 1% biker clubs and members. It identifies the clubs whose members have been involved in criminal behavior and classifies their behaviors as individual, group, or club- sponsored/condoned behavior. While other books examine the criminal exploits of one or more of what are called the "Big Five" biker clubs because of their size and sophistication, or the sensational crimes of lesser known 1% biker clubs or club members, this book pays attention to the criminal activities of individuals, groups and chapters of other clubs as well. The book is based on journalistic accounts and autobiographies of former and present members of biker clubs, academic/scholarly works, law enforcement/government reports, articles from newspapers and biker web sites, and a content analysis of federal and state court cases regarding bikers and motorcycle clubs.

• Text enhanced with numerous photos and figures.

Customer Reviews (1)

great-condensed history book
Written history of the American Phenomenon " The Outlaw Biker" has attracted an audience since its first literary expression. People have invisioned this portion of history in the same way they romantisized the history of "Doc Holiday" and "Jesse James". Although those days are behind us, we still enjoy a good history book. Thomas Barker has given us such a book in "Biker Gangs and oranized Crime".
In my opinion, Mister Barker didn't intend to give us a history book; He ment to prove a point: Are Biker Gangs(Clubs) organized crime.
"... for these reasons, this book is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods: published sources such as journalistic accounts, autobiographies, academic/scholarly works,law enforcement reports, news paper articals, interviews...", and a few web sites. While trying to prove that Motorcycle Clubs are "gangs",and therefore orginized crime, He has compiled a great-condenced history book. He cites noted authors such as Arthur Veno, Ed Winterhalder, John Hall, Hunter Thompson,and Bill Hayes. He gives us extinsive history on Canada(Lavigne). He even adds a few opinions of his own.
Mister Baker, you might not have proven your theory,but you did give us a great-condensed history book. ... Read more

Product Description

Some time in the early 1960s, during the golden age of organized crime in America—the era that would inspire The Godfather; Goodfellas, and even The Sopranos—federal investigators pulled every known piece of information on more than 800 Mafia members worldwide into a thick, phone-book-sized directory. From old-school gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Mickey Cohen to young turks like Paul Castellano and Vinny "The Chin" Gigante, the guide offered at-a-glance profiles of small-time thugs and major dons alike... and was allegedly the book Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy used to investigate the mob.

Customer Reviews (15)

Nice
This was a nice book with hundreds of mugshots and all kinds of info on wise guys. But it's all the early mobsters. Nobody from the 80's or 90's. I was looking for something more of a moderen day. But its still great to have.

Keeping tabs on Organized Crime

This is an amazing book and hard to believe how it ever came to be released.It is a collection of the people that the United States Treasury Department and the Bureau of Narcotics assembled identifying over 800 persons who they believe were the most prominent in Organized Crime,often referred to as Mafia,during the 1950's and 1960's.
All we really know about the bckground of the book is from the Foreward written by Sam Giancana.This is not the Sam Giancana (see page 144) whose name is so familiar,but by his nephew and godson.He gives no details of how,why,when and by whom it became public.He claims it was for the use of J.Edgar Hoover,Robert F.Kennedy and others in identifying and tracking down Organized Crime.
For over 800 individuals we get their Names,Aliases,Description,Date and Place of Birth,Residences,Localities Freuuented,Family Background,Criminal Associates,Criminal History,Business,and Modus Operandi.There is no date of when it was prepared and no information as to whether or not it was ever updated.All 843 pages carry athis statement

"Property of U.S. Govt-For Official Use Only.May not be disseminatedor contents disclosedWithout permissionop Commissioner of Narcotics"
It was obviously declassified at some date..
It seems this was a "working" manual and there are no persons shown as deceased but does show some as being in jail. One clue as to its date of preparation can be seen on page 406 where Frank Caruso is shown to be "currently (1960)incarcerated".
It has an excellent Index giving Names and Aliases ( shown with an @).It is organized alphabetically by States in the U.S.;and also includes Canada,France,Italy,and Mexico.
While it is an excellent Resource for looking up details on persons when reading about Organized Crime at the time,many of those included lived for many years after and of course there are no details about any of their activities after that.
Many of the people covered here have long since passed away in these last roughly 50 years;and those still surviving are certainly in their twilight years.
It is a very interesting and informative book for anyone interested in Organized Crime in the 50's and 60's.

Great historical slice of life on organized crime in America
Really nothing more than hundreds of reprinted pages and photo's from the U.S. Dept of Narcotics Enforcement in the early 1960's, it is very interesting and a vital resource for any crime historian.

Neat but outdated and not comprehensive.
A catalog of redacted FBI one-pages on certain mobsters roughly 1960's era; not complete and in serious need of updating. No charts or other supportive info.

do not buy it !
This book is not worth the money, It grabs the reader with the title < mafia > .
And then shows you a police blotter from a few states dating back to the fifties
Everybody in the book is dead. worthless information ... Read more

Product Description
Examining the dynamics of the sex trade in both Europe and Asia, this study identifies the role of organized crime and considers the counter measures which governments and law enforcement agencies must take to combat this global problem. ... Read more

Product Description

With organized crime estimated to generate billions of dollars every year through illegal activities such as money laundering, smuggling of people and goods, extortion, robbery, fraud and insider trading, authorities are increasingly working together to combat this increasing threat to international security and stability.

In this book former police officer Frank Madsen provides a much needed, short and accessible introduction to transnational organized crime, explaining its history and the key current issues and clearly examining the economics and practices of crime in the era of globalization.  

Key issues discussed include:

• the war on drugs
• anti-money laundering efforts
• the relationship between organized crime and terrorism
• development of ‘Internet based’ criminal activity
• international response to transnational organized crime.

Illustrated by a series of researched case studies from around the world, Transnational Organized Crime is essential reading for all students and researchers in International Relations, International Law and Criminology.

Product Description
Following up on its highly publicized report of 1997-Russian Organized Crime-the CSIS Global Organized Crime Project has taken a new look at the issue and found that the Russian Federation is dominated by a blend of corrupt officials, shady businessmen, and criminals. Organized crime continues to strangle legitimate business practices and Russia's prospects of embracing true democracy and free-market economy now seem remote. Genuine democratic reforms may be threatened by the Putin regime in the name of order. These factors degrade the image of democracy in the eyes of Russians and the beginning of Putin's presidency offer two stark choices: he can either consolidate or dismantle the kleptocracy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Russian Organized Crime and Corruption. Putin's Challenge
The reason I give the new CSIS study on Russian organized crime merely one star, is that it fails to meet elementary standards of scientific inquiry. The CSIS shows no interest in theoretical issues, nor does it contain a discussion of the methodological problems that are inherent in any study of crime phenomena. Unsurprisingly, the findings of the research are based in large part on press reports, and perhaps also unsurprisingly, only point in one direction: the US face a serious threat from Russian organized crime.Now, press reports and descriptive, non-theoretical work of course can offer information that may be of use in research, and also the CSIS study in this respectmay be of interest. Nevertheless, the reader can only use this kind of information if he or she has the impression that authors handle information sincerely, otherwise one does not know what to believe and what not. In this respect the CSIS report falls short in a big way. This becomes obvious when one looks at how it handles the study by Finckenauer and Waring ('Russian Mafia in America', 1998), a study that does live up to the requirements mentioned above, but that comes to a quite different conclusion than the one the CSIS reaches. I found only one referenceby the CSISto this work (on p.22: "A recent nationwide survey of police agencies revealed that at least 34 states have some contact with ROC in émigré communities"). The reference suggests that the survey confirms the image of dramatic proliferation of the Russian mafia, while in fact the opposite is the case. Finckenauer and Waring conclude: "Our conclusion - which may be startling to some - is that the Russian organized crime in America widely known as the Russian Mafia is first, not Russian; second, not a mafia; and third, not even organized crime" (1998, p.xiv). If the CSIS has access to information that refutes this indeed remarkable conclusion, it should have presented it. The only impression the reader now gets it that the CSIS simply did not do its job properly. From an institution on the board of which we find many functionaries from the CIA and other government agencies, and which gives advice to policy circles in the US, we should have expected a more convincing handling of the subject - how reasonable or not the advice given may be. Now the reader is left with the impression that Finckenauer and Waring were right when they wrote that "The label Russian mafia offers a convenient hook for understanding but at the same time sensationalizes matters so as to peak interest. It thus serves both law enforcement and media interests"? (1998, p. 250). ... Read more

Product Description
Mary M. Stolberg brings to life the dramatic interplay between crime and politics in New York City during the 1930s, from the emergence of organized crime as a political issue in Fiorella La Guardia's 1929 mayoral campaign to the appointment of Thomas E. Dewey as special prosecutor and his use of that position to further his presidential ambitions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Full of Promise, but it doesn't deliver
I would rate this book at 2 1/2 to 3 stars. The subject matter is interesting in that it covers a period of our history that has long thrilled Americans. The author knows her subject matter very well.My mainproblem with the book was that it bordered on revisionist. I got thefeeling while reading it that the author believed that everyone Deweyprosecuted was innocent and was railroaded by a fixed system. She nevercomes right out and says it. I feel that if she really believed it shouldshe just say it and not beat around the bush.Still, all in all I wouldrecommend it. It gives you a a good flavor of organized crime and New YorkCity in the 1930s. ... Read more

Product Description
This text includes complete discussion of theories of organized crime, major forms of organized crime, and deterrence. It goes beyond other texts in providing a thorough discussion of the history of organized crime as well as emerging new crime organizations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good background for Organized Crime students.
Although this book was published in 1995, it remains a comprehensive text for students learning about Organized Crime in America from both a historic and modern perspective. ... Read more

Product Description
"Terse, dramatic . . .of equal interest to academics and lay enthusiasts, this serious yet highly readable book addresses Mafia reality more succinctly and clearly than any similar work in recent memory."-Kirkus Reviews

"Wherever Puzo's bestsellers and Scorsese's films are popular, this well-organized description of the extent of the Cosa Nostra control of six New York City industries-and the government actions that broke down that control-will appeal."-Booklist

"Jacobs's structured approach offers a careful dissection of the Mafia way of doing business that is as effective as a Gambino-orchestrated labor strike."-Publishers Weekly

"This book fills a sorely needed gap in the literature on the intersection among organized crime, public policy, economics and law."-Gerald J. Russello, The Law and Politics Book Review

Cosa Nostra. Organized crime. The Mob. Call it what you like, no other crime group has infiltrated labor unions and manipulated legitimate industries like Italian organized crime families. One cannot understand the history and political economy of New York City-or most other major American cities-in the 20th century without focusing on the role of organized crime in the urban power structure.

Gotham Unbound demonstrates the remarkable range of Cosa Nostra's activities and influence and convincingly argues that 20th century organized crime has been no minor annoyance at the periphery of society but a major force in the core economy, acting as a power broker, even as an alternative government in many sectors of the urban economy.

James B. Jacobs presents the first comprehensive account of the ways in which the Cosa Nostra infiltrated key sectors of New York City's legitimate economic life and how this came over the years to be accepted as inevitable, in some cases even beneficial. The first half of Gotham Unbound is devoted to the ways organized crime became entrenched in six economic sectors and institutions of the city-the garment district, Fulton Fish Market, freight at JFK airport, construction, the Jacob Javits Convention Center, and the waste-hauling industry. The second half compellingly documents the campaign to purge the mob from unions, industries, and economic sectors, focusing on the unrelenting law enforcement efforts and the central role of Rudolph Giuliani's mayoral administration in devising innovative regulatory strategies to combat the mob. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It worked for me ...
I used this book for research for a new novel set in 1973 (after the court ordered banning of Deep Throat). Gotham Unbound provided just enough information to get the job done.I'm pretty familiar with what this book covers.Nevertheless, the detail provided is enlightening. ... Read more

Product Description
Internationally known authorities in criminal justice provide one of the most comprehensive assessments today of the diverse ethnic and racial groups in the criminal underworld and their grave threats to the very fabric of American society. This coherent overview describes Mafia, Chinese, African American, Russian, and other criminal activities in different cities currently with historical background, showing the pernicious effects that their illicit operations have had on the economic, social, political, and moral life of the nation. This one-volume reference also assesses law enforcement and crime control programs during the 20th century. This sobering overview should be required reading for specialist and general audiences alike and for broad library use given the serious threats of organized crime to all Americans in the 1990s. ... Read more

Product Description
Moving beyond outdated interpretations, this text addresses the rapidly changing world of organized crime. By looking at the forces of globalization, terrorism and hi-tech crime, it helps readers understand the complicated nature of organized crime today. Appropriate for a wide audience, its level is applicable for both undergraduate and graduate level students and its interdisciplinary approach relies on research from a variety of fields. Chapter introductions and critical thinking questions keep readers engaged as they are confronted with the realities of organized crime in a twenty-first century world. For courses in Organized Crime and Corruption, Homeland Security, and Criminal Justice Intelligence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

AWESOME PROFESSOR
I am currently enrolled in Mitchel Roth's Organized Crime Class, and he is an EXCELLENT PROFESSOR with amazing insight into this area of study. So I can ascertain that this book is AWESOME!!!!!!!!


GO DR. ROTH ... Read more

Product Description
Before Enron, before Arthur Anderson, and before Worldcom, there was the Bank of New York money laundering scandal, which hit headlines in 1999. Promising to be one of the most important books on international organized crime, money laundering, and the complicity between legitimate and illegitimate businesses in both the United States and the former Soviet Union, among other places, during the last decade of the 20th century, All Is Clouded by Desire examines the criminal dealings that lead to the revelation that the Bank of New York's Eastern European Division laundered $6 billion for Russian organized criminals and other shady organizations and individuals. In a series of intrigues that involved crooked Geneva banker Bruce Rappaport and high-level members of the Bank of New York, criminal Russian organizations were able to thrive and prosper during a time when the rest of the former Soviet Union crumbled amidst growing corruption and a declining economy. Tracing the financial shenanigans back many years, Block and Weaver illustrate how the underworld of high finance, money laundering, mafia groups, CIA operatives, and legitimate banking institutions can clean dirty money and operate criminal enterprises that span the globe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Too many details, it misses the point.
I was expecting less details on names, dates, who-knows-who and who-did-what and more on the financial implications and banking wrongdoings of the whole case. This book is too full of details that do not really matter much and fails to address the big picture that its title leads us to beleive on. It goes on and on talking about the relationships between Russian mobs and BofNY officers and forget to mention where this money was coming from and going to (and if it did, you get so distracted with the unimportant details that you can actually miss it). I am still looking for a good money laundering book. ... Read more

Product Description
ORGANIZED CRIME provides a detailed, comprehensive analysis of the origins, history, theoretical explanations, and structure of domestic and international organized crime. The author also explains the methods employed by law enforcement agencies to combat organized crime, as well as the policy decisions of various investigating committees and commissions, including the President's Commission on Organized Crime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Organize Crime
For the price purchase was very good. Fast delivery and book is in good condition. Excellent price.

Very Average & Dry
A Wikipedia article on these topics would be more exciting than this book. The author acts as a clearinghouse to pull together facts from a zillion different sources, but does not attempt to do anything more. As a result, you get a bland book (even by textbook standards!) that reads more like a laundry list of pull quotes and footnote citations than an authoritative book on the subject.

Excellent Textbook on Organized Crime...
The latest edition of Howard Abadinsky's "Organized Crime" is a superb textbook and teaching resource on the full spectrum of organized crime, from its origins to the methods used to greater or lesser success by law enforcement to combat it.

Abadinsky, who has extensive background in law enforcement, employs a commonsense approach to defining organized crime and describing its most commonly found structures.An extensive background history on organized crime reveals just how deeply the phenomenon is embedded in American society.His descriptions of the various ethnic groups that have dominated organized crime at different periods of American history is graphic and even-handed.His narrative of the movement of organized crime into white collar crime is extremely insightful.

Abadinsky's discussion of the sociological and psychological basis of organized crime is clear and understandable, and accounts for the different circumstances of some of the major groups involved in organized crime.At the same time, Abadinsky avoids the techno-babble often found layered over this aspect of organized crime.

Other chapters discuss the elements of traditional organized crime focus areas, along with the agencies that combat organized crime and the tools available to them.Throughout, Abadinsky provides lots of specific examples and profiles of famous and infamous persons involved in organized crime, from crime bosses to corrupt politicians to labor union involvement with organized crime.

"Organized Crime" clearly conveys the pervasive reach of organized crime in the United States and is very highly recommended as a teaching resource for criminology and justice instruction.

Excellent!
Great condition, shipped quickly as promised. This book is well written and is being used by my college student who is studying Crime & Justice. We are completely satisfied.

Alright.
In a word, this book "sucks."I had to purchase it for a class in which I am currently using.Yea, it has an ABUNDANCE of useful information, but the part that gets me is the fact that if your teacher uses Abadinsky's testing booklet, it's all wrong.It's even been discussed in our class at how off the test questions are as opposed to what's in his book.If possible, which is hard when it comes to textbooks, buy another. ... Read more

Product Description

Global Organized Crime: A Reference Handbook examines global organized crime dating back to its 17th-century roots. Unlike most works on the subject, which take a parochial approach by concentrating on individual countries or regions, this book uniquely details the impact of 21st-century globalization on such groups and their activities.

Exploring the continuum of international organized crime and related developments from its early beginnings to the present era, the book also looks at the complicated issues that continue to influence its growth. It covers the impact of the end of the Cold War, immigration, the global drug trade, weapons sales, human smuggling and trafficking, the convergence of funding sources, and the effects of technology. What especially distinguishes this book is the connections it makes between organized crime activities and failed states, civil wars, political transitions, regional conflicts, and terrorist groups.

Product Description
"Comprehensive and objective, this study argues that organized crime in the United States results from the struggle to attain the elusive American Dream to achieve success at any cost by any means. The authors examine the social, economic, political, and cultural conditions that fostered growth of criminal groups and organizations in African American communities from the post--Civil War era to the ghettoes of today."--BCALA Newsletter"[Kelly and Schatzberg] are obviously two knowledgeable individuals. Their book is both perceptive and compelling. Anyone interested in this subject, whether scholar or layperson, should find this social history most useful. Highly recommended."--Reference Book ReviewWhile stories of organized crime most often dwell on groups like the Mafia and Chinese Triad or Tongs, African Americans also have a long history of organized crime. Schatzberg and Kelly trace nearly a century of African American organized crime, from numbers gambling in New York City in the 1920s to criminal groups in the ghettoes from the 1940s to the 1970s to gang activities of the present day. The authors also challenge existing stereotypes of African Americans and demostrate the importance of studying any criminal activity within its historical and social context.Rufus Schatzberg, Ph.D., a retired New York City detective first grade, is the author of Black Organized Crime in Harlem: 1920--1930.Robert J. Kelly is Broeklundian Professor of Social Science at Brooklyn College and professor of criminal justice at the Graduate School, City University of New York. He is author of Deviance, Dominance and Denigration and Organized Crime: A Global Perspective. Together, Schatzberg and Kelly edited Handbook on Organized Crime in the United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

African American Organized Crime
I was looking for a book that would give me reason to murder a main character occupying the pages of my crime novel.The murder took place in the Harlem of 1930s so I needed know what kind of murders were typical back then.Schatzberg and Kelly's history of African American organized crime answered my questions.It provided crime stats from 1900's to 1930's.Reading their book, I discovered pimping, numbers, real estate and smuggling liquor into speakeasies could be a dangerous and sometimes deadly business.

Don't think when you buy this book, you'll be reading a bunch of dry stats because you won't.The authors allowed us to peek into the world of crime.For example, I learned the Black vice industry and the Chinese vice industry of the 1920s were managed differently.

Black vice consisted of streetwalkers and pimps who settled quarrels with fights.Pimps relied on their reps as ruthless men to settle disputes.This caused an increase in the homicide rate but no gang wars.Streetwalkers and their friends often robbed their customers with some of the robberies turning into murders.

In contrast, Chinese vice relied on syndicated brothels, who resolved severe business rivalries with gang wars.Chinatowns had low homicide rates but often erupted into gang warfare but had no record of street robberies.The implication being, unorganized crime in the Black community increased the homicide rate but brought no gang wars with it; while the opposite was true in the Chinese community with the syndication of prostitution leading to gang wars but little or no petty street crime.

Schatzberg and Kelly turn their microscopes on illegal numbers next...they called it the policy racket and described how lucrative the business of betting pennies that certain numbers would come up winners could be.It made millionaires of several independent bankers and gave ex-teachers, wives of prominent community leaders and other upstanding citizens, good jobs during the 1920s when Blacks owned the policy industry.


... Read more

Product Description
Providing a fascinating and in-depth account of the criminal underworld, from Al Capone and Pablo Escobar to the lesser-known Russian and Chinese crime figures, this is an insider's guide to each organization's origins, codes of conduct, and control of illegal markets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Pretty Good; Not Bad for Beginners
I didn't know anything about organized crime for the most part.A great overview.The book best discusses the definition of organized crime, the methods and tactics, and goes into great detail about the America Mafia more than any other group.The book also does a good job of covering the Sicilain Mafia.All the other groups he covers very briefly (2-5 pages each) but does a good job of explaining who they are, where they came from, and what they are doing.Great graphics, but I could have lived without seeing the 3-5 topless women in the book.But by far the pictures do speak a thousand words when talking about all the different people.I got what I needed form the book.It's pretty good.

Nice Overview
For a coffee table-type book of less than 200 pages, this does provide a pretty good overview of the history, structure, and operations of major organized crime groups throughout the world and also offers a wonderful photo collection. Documentation is sparse, a few common legends are recirculated, and the sidebar on the Tommygun contains some inaccuracies but it's still a much better book than I expected.

Good overview of all organized crime.
This book does a good job of covering all organized crime groups in the world.

The book starts out by giving a brief history of organized crime from the Blackbeard pirate days to the American Mafia. The book then goes into the illegal activities that are the bread and butter money makers for these organizations.

From there the author dedicates a chapter to every type of group covering, The American Mafia, Sicilian Mafia, Drug Cartels, Yakuza, Triads, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. Also listed were groups that I never heard of or did not know much about like Sacra Corona, and Camorra.

The book has very good pictures and graphics. If you want to know about any of the groups in great detail, this is not the book for you. Just a good review of all organized crime in the world, and an excellent brief history on these organizations.

Good Stuff
When Albert Anastasia sat in the barber's chair and then gets shot by his mob opponents, it touched off decades of gang infighting. This book deals with some of those incidents and skims over others.

Organized Crime: An Inside Guide to the World's Most Success
This is a very good book with a lot of facts and picturies. ... Read more

Product Description
From burglary to armed robbery and murder, infamous bad guy Frank Cullotta not only did it all, in Cullotta he admits to it -- and in graphic detail. This no-holds-barred biography chronicles the life of a career criminal who started out as a thug on the streets of Chicago and became a trusted lieutenant in Tony Spilotro's gang of organized lawbreakers in Las Vegas. Cullotta's was a world of high-profile heists, street muscle, and information -- lots of it -- about many of the FBI's most wanted. In the end, that information was his ticket out of crime, as he turned government witness and became one of a handful of mob insiders to enter the Witness Protection Program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A must read
This is such a great book! Very well written. Frank Cullotta's life journey is a fascinating read. The book takes you behind the scenes of what mob life is really like. I came away with a new found understanding. Kudo's to Mr. Griffin for his ability to write with powerful imagery and kudo's to Frank for telling it like it is. I highly recommend this book!

Bathroom reading
Being a fan of Goodfellas, Casino, and not not missing any of the mafia documentaries on cable (not to mention being from Brooklyn), I was pretty excited to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately this book is one huge disappointment. It's written at a six grade level, there's no attempt to engage the reader, and its just plain boring. There's, maybe, 35-40 pages of real content. Meh.

Spilotro's Right Hand Man
"Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness" was a great read.If you have any interest in organized crime/La Cosa Nostra/Mafia, then this book is for you.Especially, if you happen to be from the Windy City, Chicago, since Cullotta was an Outfit associate and a good friend of Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, this book tells his tale!In my humble opinion, this book was very well written and contains new, previously unpublished information about Spilotro and the Chicago Outfit!So even if you are not from Chicago and just a true crime buff, the story of Frank Cullotta makes for a very interesting book.Since I personally try to obtain/read everything out there on organized crime, especially anything concerning the Chicago Outfit or one of it's associates/members, this was a great find and turned out to be a very good book.
Fast paced, a page turner that one will find very easy to read and be able to enjoy!!!

This book is Killer
Frank Cullotta lived the life that has been glorified in movies like "Goodfellas" and "Casino".A career criminal, he rubbed elbows with some of the highest level capo's in organized crime.

This book was made possible by the fact that Cullotta was apprehended and sentenced to a long prison sentence.His life was threatened by the very people he partnered in crime with.He decided to turn Government witness in exchange for protection of his life, and the promise of a new start in life.

This book provides an intimate glimpse into the mind of a man who early in life made a decision to live on the illegal side of the law.This led to a journey in which he lived the full spectrum of criminal life, from burglary and robbery to murder.This journey took him from Chicago to Las Vegas, where he came under the influence of Tony Accardo, the mob boss.

Although he always refused entreaties to join the mafia, he wanted to retain independence and worked on his own, while paying his dues to the mob bosses.

This book is well written, and reads easily and quickly.Cullotta's story is rivetting, and is told in a straight forward manner.

The over reaching message is that Cullotta, as well as many of his associates, were highly intelligent people, and had they applied the same energy and brain power to legitimate enterprises, society would have benefited.Cullotta came out of Witness Protection, and began a straight career, and at he end of the book, speaks of how lucky he is, and how much he loves his new career.

Highly recommended!

Cullotta - Life of a Chicago Criminal
Good book.My husband loves these kind of books.He's Italian, what can I say. ... Read more

Product Description
The Fix is the most explosive story of sports corruption in a generation. Intriguing, riveting, and compelling, it tells the story of an investigative journalist who sets out to examine the world of match-fixing in professional soccer.

From the Introduction
Understand how gambling fixers work to corrupt a soccer game and you will understand how they move into a basketball league, a cricket tournament, or a tennis match (all places, by the way, that criminal fixers have moved into). My views on soccer have changed. I still love the Saturday-morning game between amateurs: the camaraderie and the fresh smell of grass. But the professional game leaves me cold. I hope you will understand why after reading the book. I think you may never look at sport in the same way again.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Not A Good Bet
I'm betting not many people will enjoy this book either because of the message it delivers or because it reads like a term paper crossed with a sloppy magazine article."The Fix" is an investigation into how the Asian underworld is corrupting soccer leagues with its efforts to profit from sports betting.Underworld...Gambling...Soccer.Sounds like it should be interesting...but it is not.

This book has the feel of a bunch of magazine articles that have been spliced together.Repetition abounds.Mr. Hill travels all over the world without ever finding the focus of his own story.His writing jumps from topic to topic and back again without ever locking on to an aspect that the reader can latch onto.

The message of "The Fix" comes through loud and clear, though:all levels of the beautiful game are in danger because of the temptations faced by referees, players, former players, managers, boards, and even ownership.Apparently anybody can be bought by thugs from Asian sports betting syndicates.The fix may be in on any game you watch.

Maybe my high expectations are partially to blame for the fact that I was relieved to turn the last page of "The Fix."

not awesome
I'm not sure what I expected when I picked this book up, but whatever my expectations were, they were not met. I didn't really find the revelations in this book to be explosive and, overall, the book wasn't written very well.

The Dark Side of the Beautiful Game
"The Fix" is an exceptional reading that opens your eyes to reality of any professional sport in any country in the World. The book is well organized, very easy to read, extremely insightful, and keeps you interested cover to cover. The author provides significant proof and detailed description of how match fixing is done, how people (players, referees, officials, gamblers...) are involved and certain results are achieved. The book is a real eye opener for those who believe that soccer is "pure and clean" sport without outside influence. Sadly enough FIFA, knowing that the problem of match fixing exists, does not apply any actions toward investigating the exisitng and even growing threat in sport corruption. It's very simple - too much money involved; TV contracts; sponsors; stadium tickets.... And this books shows it all! "The Fix" is a must read for any fan of Beautiful Game or a fan of any professional sport, since the concepts are the same. Yes, it's possible that you will not look at the sport the same way as before, and that you might be sceptical about some matches and team performances. I am. Bit, I still love soccer. And i still love watching it! The book opened my eyes on the sports corruption since i had no idea it was on a such a huge scale. Most of us know that these problems exist in South America and that some World Cup matches were fixed and certain teams were "guided" to the play-offs and even Finals, but the problems in Asia and Europe were new to me. I strongly recommend this book to all sports fans - read it, you'll be shocked by revelations!

A Well Researched Book
I'm not an avid follower of soccer but nevertheless I found the bookvery interesting. Mr. Hill's detailed and exhaustive research into the fixing of international soccer matches at the highest levels makes an amazing and suspenseful story involving covert meetings, secret tape recordings and interesting but deadly characters. Unfortunately for the sport it's all true! It's actually a frightening read, especially as one can only wonder to what degree other high level sporting competitions are fixed.

The Tip of the Iceberg: 'The Fix: Soccer & Organized Crime' by Declan Hill

'The Fix: Soccer & Organized Crime' by Declan Hill***

To anybody who really follows the game of football/soccer, this book is no surprise. Historically, Hill, normally an investigative television producer/journo, gives the reader a good sense as to how lowly-paid players (before worldwide broadcasting brought hundreds of millions in cash to the game) were always susceptible to bribery from bookmakers and various gangsters. Nowadays, Hill shows, in a pretty much indisputable way, that match fixing in soccer is even more widespread, including matches at the World Cup level.

The fixers Hill discusses come from Asia, where betting on all sports is almost a fanatical religion. The vulnerable teams he discusses are from poor nations, usually in Africa, where player salaries are low. They are soft targets. Hill concentrates on Ghana's Jekyll and Hyde performance at the 2006 World Cup. This part of the book is very disturbing and definitely effective. Hill names, Stephen Appiah, a former midfielder for Italy's Juventus and Turkey's Fenerbahce clubs. Appiah, a young player in his pomp, once touted to be Patrick Veiera's successor at English powerhouse club, Arsenal, was freed from his contract by Fenerbahce as a result of his snitching. Indeed, since talking to Hill and the release of this book, Appiah's hopes of catching on with another big European club have thus far disappeared. It seems that both Hill and Appiah are high on FIFA President Sepp Blatter's mierda list.

Hopefully, this should help Hill sell lots of books. Hill surely had Blatter tearing what little hair he has left when describing contacts between fixers and players beginning at FIFA youth tournaments which theoretically 'promote' the ever developing game. FIFA, which is the ruling body for the professional game, a worldwide organization that rules with a kind of heavy-handed greed and secrecy that can't help but remind you of the mafia, does not come off well in this book. Hill nails the organization bang to rights. Unfortunately, Hill, who took on the Russian Vor ve Zakonye (a worldwide gangster organization) when he exposed their corruption of the NHL in some sterling work for the CBC, stops short here. A vague threat from ethnic Chinese gangsters to hurt or kill him is stated implicitly, but the full story hinted at is never quite told.

At the same time Italian football has always been corrupt. Massive scandals involving players, club directors, general managers, organized crime figures and even the prime-minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who owns A.C. Milan and the lion's share of Scudetto (Italian League) television rights. German Bundesliga games have also been fixed. A certain English striker, once a star for a top four English premiership team and a major Spanish club, has been banished from the England national squad for making and taking bets recently. With the hundreds of millions in laundered oil and drug cash floating around the game in Europe and hard rumors of Interpol catching the 2008 EUFA Cup Final, one gets the sense that Mr. Hill knows a lot more than he lots on!

One problem Hill has here is the narrative first-person stylings he uses spasmodically to move things along and make himself into the hero investigative journo. Hill is repeatedly 'shocked' to find gambling going on around him, so that it gets silly after a while. I'm reminded of Claude Rains' policeman raiding Rick's mini-casino in 'Casablanca.' Hill plays up his narrator/self as a mirror of the naïve boy who used to watch Arsenal games at Highbury as a teenager with his dad and stops to cry for himself. Nevertheless, he seems to have forgotten that the Arsenal team which featured the beautiful trickery of Liam Brady also played Spiv thugs like Peter Storey, Peter Simpson and Frank McClintock. 'The Fix' is a good read, but Hill has barely scratched the surface. Be sure to read it, but follow it up with a far, far better book on the way corruption in the game actually works, "Broken Dreams' by Tom Bower. Hill concentrates on soft targets in Asia and Africa. Next time, perhaps, he'll go after the Big Game. ... Read more