The Good Guys

By: Joe Pistone, Bill Bonanno

Narrated by: Joe Pistone, Bill Bonanno

Hundreds of writers have tried to capture life inside the mob, but no one has ever had the inside access to write a book like this one. Drawing on the firsthand experience of former undercover FBI agent Joe Pistone, aka Donny Brasco, as well as former Mafia prince Bill Bonanno, The Good Guys straddles both sides of the law, races relentlessly through the New York City underworld, and crackles with characters and moments so vivid they will never let you go.

At Columbia University, a professor of Russian literature has gone missing. A few miles and light-years away, Little Eddie LaRocca and Bobby San Filippo are on the move, dealing in everything from hot-sheet hotels to bootleg Fuji film. When the hoods are sent to find the professor, they find out that someone else is looking, too.

Beautiful FBI agent Laura Russo is making her preppy partner's head spin. She knows the missing man is important, and somehow connected to a recent mob hit. While Eddie and Bobby are fighting their way through ugly deeds and pretty coeds, these feds will cook up some business of their own, turning a little disagreement among criminals into an all-out war.

Capturing the organized crime world of the go-go '80s, Pistone and Bonanno's one-of-a-kind collaboration is bad to the bone, and as marvelously authentic as it gets.

©2005 Joe Pistone and Bill Bonanno (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks

I liked it.

Not the most hypnotising story I ever heard but with the aura of authenticy.
So, in the end 3 to 4 stars from me

Solid mob story; dreadful narration

I will admit that I could not finish this audio book.

This is a solidly plotted crime story, with a missing Russian language professor, a dead wise guy, and an FBI investigation into the connection between the mafia and the Russian mob. Aside from some rather tired tropes (the FBI agent team are a male/female duo with some sort of boring mutual attraction), the plot works pretty well. The occasional attempts at humor are weak ("I always thought Arnold Schwarzenegger was the missing link") but as an investigation-oriented piece it worked ok. The producers chose to have the authors co-narrate the book in alternating chapters,, with Bonanno reading the mafia stuff and Pistone reading the FBI investigatory chapters.

This was a mistake. The reading is awful. While Bonanno plods on well enough, Pistone's reading became unlistenable. I greatly admire Pistone as an FBI agent and his amazing real-life undercover work (as portrayed in the Donnie Brasco movie). He is clearly an intelligent, courageous and resourceful man. His sustained undercover work demonstrates his grit and prowess. He is a hero. But he should not narrate audio books.

At some point an editor should have nixed the idea of the authors recording the narration of this book. Pistone's stilted, stumbling reading becomes distracting and cringe-worthy. I do not understand why producers of these works allow authors to perform them-- it is a completely different talent, and most cannot do it.

I noticed that there is another audible version with a different reader. I recommend buying that one.

Crime TV I’m

Distinguishing Hugh huh hhh hhh hhh uh juggling cccg hhh hhh diff lol got uuu I fg