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New York crime books

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  • 01-01-2009 11:14pm
    #1
    CSC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 653 ✭✭✭


    Can anyone recommend any good books about crime in New York in the 70's and 80's? Any help appreciated.


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    #2
    Hermy
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 11,382 Mod ✭✭✭✭Hermy


    I'm drunk now so I could be way off the mark but Mafia Wars by Leslie Waller was a good book.

    Genealogy Forum Mod



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    #3
    GiftofGab
    Registered Users Posts: 2,388 ✭✭✭GiftofGab


    CSC wrote: »
    Can anyone recommend any good books about crime in New York in the 70's and 80's? Any help appreciated.

    Yeah ive got a few:
    1. The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer-he lived in New Jersey but alot of his crimes were committed in New York. An unbelievable story, I highly recommend it. This guy personally murdered over 200 people. Can be quite graphic and gruesome at times but its all true.
    2. Murder Machine-I havn't read this book yet, I only heard about it of a friend. It's related to "the ice man" mentioned earlier. Its the story about another senseless killer called Roy DeMeo who was a member of the mafia.
    3. Donnie Brasco-much better than the movie featuring Al Pacino. It's the story about an undercover cop who infiltrated the mafia. He spent 6 years undercover!!
    4. Mr. Untouchable: The rise and fall of the black godfather-This is the story about Leroy "Nicky" Barnes, a drug lord in Harlem. Similar to Frank Lucas in which the movie American Gangster was based. He was self made millionaire who based his gang on a "corporation" with every gangster being a "equal member" and he even had a mission statement.
    Hope these keep you busy for a while


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    #4
    buck65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,969 ✭✭✭buck65


    new york trilogy by paul auster


    not crime in the obvious sense
    not fiction in the obvious sense either


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    #5
    studiorat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,408 ✭✭✭studiorat


    +1 For Paul Auster.
    House of Cards and Travels in the Scriptorium.

    Not what you would call specifically in the crime genre or 70's but excellent none the less.

    American 70's fiction


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    #6
    CSC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 653 ✭✭✭CSC


    GiftofGab wrote: »
    Yeah ive got a few:
    1. The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer-he lived in New Jersey but alot of his crimes were committed in New York. An unbelievable story, I highly recommend it. This guy personally murdered over 200 people. Can be quite graphic and gruesome at times but its all true.
    2. Murder Machine-I havn't read this book yet, I only heard about it of a friend. It's related to "the ice man" mentioned earlier. Its the story about another senseless killer called Roy DeMeo who was a member of the mafia.
    3. Donnie Brasco-much better than the movie featuring Al Pacino. It's the story about an undercover cop who infiltrated the mafia. He spent 6 years undercover!!
    4. Mr. Untouchable: The rise and fall of the black godfather-This is the story about Leroy "Nicky" Barnes, a drug lord in Harlem. Similar to Frank Lucas in which the movie American Gangster was based. He was self made millionaire who based his gang on a "corporation" with every gangster being a "equal member" and he even had a mission statement.
    Hope these keep you busy for a while

    Thanks for this, I'll have a look around to see if I can pick some of these books. I actually heard about the Iceman in a song by a New York band so look forward to reading about him.


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    #7
    Locamon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 363 ✭✭Locamon


    Bit surprised nobody recommended 'The Westies' by TJ English. An excellent book of the time and from the Irish American angle to boot. 'Mafia Dynasty' by John H. Davis covering the Gambino clan is also very good and covers some of the tie up with the westies.


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    #8
    Eoin
    Registered Users Posts: 21,256 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    GiftofGab wrote: »
    Yeah ive got a few:
    1. The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer-he lived in New Jersey but alot of his crimes were committed in New York. An unbelievable story, I highly recommend it. This guy personally murdered over 200 people. Can be quite graphic and gruesome at times but its all true.

    I just finished reading this over the weekend actually. I found the writing style very corny and a bit all over the place, but it is a good read all the same.

    I very much doubt all of it is true either. His claim of being involved with Jimmy Hoffa's death is thought to be quite dubious by many.


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    #9
    Locamon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 363 ✭✭Locamon


    eoin wrote: »
    I just finished reading this over the weekend actually. I found the writing style very corny and a bit all over the place, but it is a good read all the same.

    I very much doubt all of it is true eithe. His claim of being involved with Jimmy Hoffa's death is thought to be quite dubious by many.

    Everybody was involved in bringin' down Hoffa...

    A guy called Sullivan who often linked up with the westies is accepted by most to have been involved in the Hoffa hit...the 80's version of Murder Inc.


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    #10
    97i9y3941
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭97i9y3941


    into the mafia books myself,not out of morbid taste,has anyone ever read philip carlos other book "gaspipe,confessions of a mob boss",when i first heard that this book was coming out i had to buy it,i was well aware of gaspipe due to the infamous mafia cops case which was turned into a book "
    The Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia ",another excellent book,i have read the westies book it was great,i was also intrested in whitey bulger and his status as an informant *im sorry that wasnt new york crime but boston*,one of his enforcers kevin weeks wrote a best selling book called "brutal" which is graphic but shocking aswell showing how FBI where manipulated by Bulger and his sidekick steve flemmi into giving them protection in return for the 2 of them becomeing informants thus sending their rivals to prison or killing them*infact the movie the departed is based on all this*


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