Mob Boss
The Life of Little Al D’Arco, the Man Who Brought Down the Mafia
Ratings1
Average rating3
15
The Life of Little Al D’Arco, the Man Who Brought Down the Mafia
Ratings1
Average rating3
"Reminiscent of Wiseguy, this compelling biography from two prominent mob experts recounts the life and times of the first acting boss of an American Mafia family to turn government witness As top boss of the Luchese crime family, Alfonso "Little Al" D'Arco was the highest-ranking mobster to ever share Mafia secrets when he changed sides in 1991. His testimony sent more than fifty mobsters to prison, and prompted others to make the same choice, including John Gotti's top aide, Salvatore "Sammy Bull" Gravano. Yet up until the day he renounced the mob, Al D'Arco lived and breathed the old-school gangster lessons he learned growing up on the streets of Little Italy. But after he narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, D'Arco decided to quit the mob. Taking the family down as he left, some of the spilled secrets are: One of New York's most famous pizza parlors, Ray's Pizza, was a major Mafia center for multi-million-dollar heroin deals A pair of Mafia hitmen carried out dozens of murders dressed as women, including one hit inside a funeral limousine wearing a black dress and veil Crazy Joe Gallo planned to kidnap the son of newsman Jimmy Breslin as revenge for Breslin's mocking novel, "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" about Gallo With the full participation of D'Arco, New York reporters Jerry Capeci and Tom Robbins detail a New York dominated by strutting gangland personalities in this riveting narrative that takes readers behind the famous witness testimony for a comprehensive look at the Mafia in New York City"--
Reviews with the most likes.
This was an interesting read. I'm not sure I ever wanted to know that much information about the life of a ‘Wiseguy,' but I got exactly what I wanted out of this book.
In typical biographical form, the story of Al D'Arco progresses in a chronological, flat, and factual connect the dots game. The delivery, the language, the flow all gave this story a strong feeling of authenticity. At no point throughout the book did I feel I was being sold a load of crap that was difficult to believe. That being said, given the book's introduction by the authors, they inform the reader their intention to write whatever they think is true. They gave Al a chance to provide his story, but that he would have no opportunity to review, edit, or refute anything contained in the narrative before final print. I find this interesting and I reserve the right to being somewhat skeptical.
