King of the Godfathers:

Front Cover
Kensington Publishing Corp., 2008 M06 1 - 352 pages
The Last Of The Old-World Mob Bosses--And The Ultimate Betrayal

For more than twenty years, Joseph "Big Joey" Massino ran what was called the largest criminal network in the U.S., employing over two hundred and fifty made men and untold numbers of associates. The Bonanno family was responsible for over thirty murders, even killing a dozen of its own members to enforce discipline and settle scores. 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. In the end, facing the death penalty and the prospect of leaving his family penniless, Massino started talking to the FBI--the first Mafia Godfather to break the sacred code of omerta, and the end of a centuries-old tradition.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony DeStefano, who interviewed Massino's family and friends as well as law enforcement officials and confidential sources, 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.

"The best and last word on the subject." --Jerry Capeci, Gangland News.com and bestselling co-author of Murder Machine

With 16 Pages of Revealing Photos!

Anthony Destefano was part of the team of New York Newsday reporters who won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the August 1991 subway crash in Manhattan. He covers organized crime for Newsday and was the lead reporter on several major criminal trials, including that of subway gunman Bernhard Goetz. He lives in New Jersey.
 

Contents

No Sleep Till Brooklyn
1
Amici
18
The Toughest Kid on the Block
31
Maspeth Joe
47
A Piece of Work
60
I Dont Do Nothing
67
Power Play
75
The Three Captains
86
By the Numbers
168
Ghosts
186
All in the Family
194
Lets Bring In the Jury
213
They Didnt Die of Old Age
223
They Thought They Might Get Killed
234
I Didnt Want to Do No More Time
245
This Is for Life
252

The Inside Man
97
Up on the Roof
102
Do It to Me One More Time
107
The Gathering Storm
113
Murder on the Lam
138
Return
145
Horatio Alger of the Mafia 151
163
He Is a Rat
259
Not One We Won
277
Only Your Friend Could Hurt You
295
Notes
321
Index
335
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony M. DeStefano has covered organized crime for over three decades, including the crime beat for New York Newsday for the past twenty years. His books on organized crime include Gangland New York, King of the Godfathers, Mob Killer, and Vinny Gorgeous among others.

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