Normalizing Murder, Torture, Theft and Evil

Would you consider the audio edition of Mafia Prince to be better than the print version?

I've not read the print version, but assume the audio version goes further to endear the criminals to the reader, which, in my humble opinion is unfortunate.

If you’ve listened to books by the authors before, how does this one compare?

I haven't read any other books by this author

Have you listened to any of L. J. Ganser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't heard any other books by this reader

If you could give Mafia Prince a new subtitle, what would it be?

"The Way it Was"

Any additional comments?

I had mixed feelings about the book. It's generally well written, the story, however, seems to work hard to exonerate the Mafia Prince from his crimes. The FBI might have given him his freedom but in my opinion he should have had many more years in prison to reflect on the lives he damaged, either through violence, theft, intimidation, torture and cold blooded murder. There were a lot of references on being a "Man's Man" and "Family & Honor"; these are not the qualities that I saw in this biography, I saw greed, evil, and the monster of psychotic mental illness in these characters and it saddens me that they weren't just characters, but actual human beings that confused their personal choices with "tradition" and "honor". As an Italian, I resent and am disgusted at any suggestions that this is "This Thing".
of Ours". Millions of Italians came to North America with nothing, suffered through poverty, while living law abiding, honorable lives, raising families with real notions of respect, pride, honor and decent family traditions. Once I remove my disgust with the personal choices made by the people in this book, I can concede that the story itself is well told.

11 people found this helpful

Guilty pleasure.

What did you love best about Mafia Prince?

An honest read. The best kind. Not one dull minute.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The narrator was the best!

Which scene was your favorite?

When Philip decided to become a whistle blower and think of himself and his family. Sometimes it is very difficult to make the intelligent choice. Everybody loves a winner.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.

Any additional comments?

I really couldn't put this book down. It is very well written and well read. I felt like someone was sitting across the table from me talking just to me. I love honesty in a story, and this book takes the academy award for that.

19 people found this helpful

Goodfellas sucks compared to this

This makes goodfellas or any other crime novel seem terrible. Great story, great narrator and outstanding performance.

5 people found this helpful

Honest and predictable

Narrator did an excellent job with his spot on accent. Book itself is nothing shocking or revealing for anyone who has read about the mafia in the past. However, on a deeper note, it is fascinating to learn about internal working of organized crime. The depiction of treachery and deceit between phil and his no good uncle is what makes this a worth while listen. Also enjoyed the mafia lingo and the related terms. Especially the "sign of the gun", which I now use during safety briefs to warn my troops to either behave "or else it's this....".
God bless Phil for changing his ways, wish him all the luck.

12 people found this helpful

I felt like I was watching a movie

LJ Ganser did a great job of performing this book. He made you feel like you were there in the room with Philip Leonetti and his uncle Little Nicky. I would definitely recommend this.

3 people found this helpful

Not bad, not exceptional

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Nothing wrong with it, but it's not a book I will remember. It's an OK mafia story, well told, but it wasn't, in any aspect, outstanding.

3 people found this helpful

An OK story for mafia buffs; not much new

I wanted to hear in detail about Atlantic City rackets and Little Nicky Scarfo. There was plenty on Scarfo, a ringside seat, but there is not that much to say: a mafia martinet, a guy whose strategy was to enforce a street tax by scaring everybody by killing pretty easily, with a strong streak of paranoid caution that led to more killings. It was all pretty logical, if one can step into the context of that dog-eat-dog atmosphere. But Scarfo was not too bright in some ways (as he is alive, I hope he doesn't read this!), for example, having a guy killed (at the beach house) right in front of the guy's closest associate who was an untested commodity, who wound up being a critical witness against Scarfo and the whole group. And that killing was fairly gratuitous, not really necessary. I saw elsewhere in a film, in a courtroom, he couldn't spell "Falcone," an associate (and victim's) name, I mean, these are not Rhodes scholars. I thought maybe there would be some detail about the higher reaches of corruption in New Jersey, but Scarfo was mostly a fairly street level guy, with some union and NY-centric crime family involvements. I was amazed how much his nephew "Crazy Phil" Leonetti was liked and coddled by his government handlers. I have seen this several times. It's one thing that law enforcement needs to coddle these people to take down the crime organizations. It's another thing, maybe human nature, for their handlers to get a little too nice and understanding toward them, which I have seen in several books. I find it repugnant.

6 people found this helpful

Incredibly well read

The reader makes you convinced he is the author. There is such a sense of reality. The book is great. It brings the reader
into a strange and forbidding world of murder and the psychopaths who commit those murders. Yet the author has a point of view as an honorable person within an insane context and as the victim of this way of life since birth.

2 people found this helpful

An interesting book.

A good read. Very believable. Did a term paper on the mob once, and enjoyed this.

2 people found this helpful

Best True Crime book ever written

Where does Mafia Prince rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is by far the best true crime book I've ever listened to on Audible. L.J. Garser does a fantastic job of narrating the scenes and personalities involved. He read the entire book using perfect verbal emphasis and voice inflections on the action involved. The book is well written without the diversionary repetitions so common in many crime books. My interest never flagged and I couldn't wait (I listen to an hour's worth of audible on my daily walks) for the next chapter. It's a gripping story of Mafia history and personal honor (from a reformed criminal's viewpoint). I highly recommend this audible book to anyone interested in true crime

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

How well it explained the inter-workings of the colorful cast of Mafia members in Atlantic City and Philly during the Mafia's heyday in the 1980's.

What does L. J. Ganser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's amazing how much Ganser's reading adds to the impact of the story. He presents the action and characters in an extremely conversational manner which keeps the listener's attention throughout the narration.

2 people found this helpful