Top Hoodlum
Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia
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3.7 • 10 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The definitive book on the ultimate mob boss—featuring new FBI revelations, rare family photos, and never-before-published material.
To authorities, Frank Costello was “The Prime Minister of the Underworld” and “one of the most powerful and influential Mafia leaders in the U.S.” To friends and associates, he was simply “Uncle Frank.” Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony M. DeStefano sets out to answer who Frank Costello really was in this definitive portrait of one of the most fascinating figures in the annals of American crime . . .
Using newly released FBI files, eyewitness accounts, and family mementos, Top Hoodlum takes you inside the Mafia that Frank Costello helped build from the ground up. These are the riveting stories and stunning revelations that have inspired American crime classics like The Godfather, Casino, Goodfellas, and The Sopranos. This is the man who made the Mafia such a powerful force in our nation’s history. The man who refused to admit his crimes long after he retired. This is Top Hoodlum.
Praise for Anthony M. DeStefano and his books on the Mafia
“Thrilling American crime writing.” —Jimmy Breslin on King of the Godfatherss
“Terrific . . . A fitting end to the murderous story of the 1978 Lufthansa heist.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy on The Big Heist
“The best and last word on the subject . . . DeStefano brings the story to life.” —Jerry Capeci, creator of the website GangLandNews
“DeStefano tells Costello’s story well.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A master at cutting through the secrecy of the Mafia.” —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist DeStefano (The Big Heist) draws from recently released FBI documents, family testimony, and court records to construct an engrossing chronicle of the life of notorious Mafia boss Frank Costello (1891 1973), a "reluctant prince of the Mafia" who, despite his criminal undertakings, was "on a quest to be seen as legitimate." Costello began building his empire as a bootlegger during Prohibition, importing booze from Canada, before expanding his operation to include gambling, and later building a web of political influence within New York City's famously corrupt Tammany Hall. Although he frequently butted heads with then mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who was on a mission to rid the city of organized crime, Costello managed to avoid serving major jail time. The book provides ample historical background, including a fascinating historical twist in which Costello's quest for legitimacy plays out during WWII when Costello and cohort Charles "Lucky" Luciano supplied the military with vital information on Sicilian geography just before the Allied invasion in 1943. DeStefano's canny insight into the don's mind and motivations set this biography apart from others on Costello.
