Five Families

The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires

By: Selwyn Raab

Narrated by: Paul Costanzo

Genovese, Gambino, Bonnano, Colombo, and Lucchese. For decades these Five Families ruled New York and built the American Mafia (or Cosa Nostra) into an underworld empire. Today, the Mafia is an endangered species, battered and beleaguered by aggressive investigators, incompetent leadership, betrayals, and generational changes that produced violent, unreliable leaders and recruits. A 20-year assault against the five families in particular blossomed into the most successful law enforcement campaign of the last century.

Selwyn Raab's Five Families is the vivid story of the rise and fall of New York's premier dons, from Lucky Luciano to Paul Castellano to John Gotti and more. The book also brings the listener right up to the possible resurgence of the Mafia as the FBI and local law enforcement agencies turn their attention to homeland security and away from organized crime.

©2005 Selwyn Raab (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This masterpiece stands an excellent chance of becoming a bestseller with crossover appeal beyond devoted watchers of The Sopranos." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great book

If you love the mob is this a great book for you covers a lot

Very informative

I loved this book. Incredibly informative. I thought this was going to be a book that painted Cosa Nostra in a better light, much like the GodFather movies or really any other Mobster movie, but it definitely did not. There arent a ton of books out there that straight up tell you that mobsters are bad guys. Dont fall for the Hollywood tricks. Once I started it, I couldn't stop.

great read

great book about the ever-changing nature of the American underworld. excellent look at organization and govt attempts to bring it down.

very good

long but very well written starts from before castalamaresse war and ends with commission case

one of the BEST mafia books out there

gives good insight into the history of the mob past to almost present day.

The Best book

This is the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. There isn’t a boring part of it.

Good material narration is annoying at times

why do some narrators way over pronounce certain words? I will be hearing this narrator say "Boar-got-ah" in my nightmares

A big long bloody history

Selwyn Raab has written a huge book here. Long and bloody, Five Families is a great history of the Mafia families in the USA. Well written, Raab paints an extensive picture of how the Mafia has shaped the 20th century in NY and the USA. I have removed a star because of a few errors (repeated words and sentences) in the recording. Apart from that, a good book for anybody looking for an overall picture of organised crime in America.

mob rules

interesting storyline. I'm left with the impression that inept leaders are allowing these gang types to flourish in our society by stripping budgets and bickering interagency. meanwhile domestic and foreign gangs prey on more people.... same as it ever was.

great stories

very informative and well told. enjoyed it didn't end with the ghotti trial like alot of mob books