Carlo Gambino: Boss of Bosses

Description: The stunning blood-soaked saga of a real-life Godfather--Don Carlo Gambino--the quiet gangster with a whispery voice who struck fear into his enemies as he rose to the top of the Mafia family ladder, told by an insider who lived in that world, knew those families, and met Gambino face-to-face . . .

He was one of the four Mafia leaders who inspired Mario Puzo's The Godfather--and perhaps, next to Lucky Luciano, the most powerful Mob boss of them all. Born into a mafioso family in Sicily, Carlo Gambino came to America illegally as a stowaway in 1921. Jumping ship in Virginia, he joined his cousins in Brooklyn and the Sicilian gangs that ruled the streets. By 1931, he was a soldier in Joe "The Boss" Masseria's war with the Castellammarese clan, a bloody rivalry between Old World crime families that ended with the creation of the Five Families system by Luciano. Over the next three decades, Gambino rose higher in the ranks after a series of brutal Mob hits and executions. In 1957, following the murder of Albert "Lord High Executioner" Anastasia, Gambino took over--becoming the biggest crime boss in America.

This is the life and times of an underworld legend. Packed with shocking details and firsthand insights, Carlo Gambino: Boss of Bosses is the definitive account of this real-life Godfather, written by someone who grew up in that world and met Gambino personally. Author Frank DiMatteo's chilling recollections of his encounters with Gambino add a rare human dimension to one of the greatest crime sagas ever told. It is the story of a quietly understated Mob boss who allegedly orchestrated some of the Mafia's most infamous hits--including the barbershop shooting of Anastasia--but who miraculously served time only for tax evasion. For better or worse, Gambino's story is the story of America, filled with ambition, fueled by greed, and riddled with bullets.

Review Quotes: Praise for Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson

OLIVE OIL KING

"I know well the authors of this book, and I can assure you that you're in great hands. Read on and enjoy, my friends, the story of Giuseppe Profaci, the Olive Oil King!" --Gianni Russo, actor, The Godfather, and author of Hollywood Godfather and Mafia Secrets

"Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson paint an honest portrait of Joe Profaci, the olive oil importer who hid behind piety and pinched pennies while building one of the original Five Families clans until his own greed lit the fuse on a war that nearly burned it all down. This is the real story behind the Corleone myth, told the way only guys who grew up on those streets can tell it." --Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

CARLO GAMBINO

"Finally, Don Carlo receives a fresh look with his cold and quiet calculations, and his unique mastery of Mafia politics. Frank DiMatteo is the real deal and tells a great story along with co-author Michael Benson." --Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

RED HOOK

"Readers who enjoy stories about organized-crime families will appreciate this book. Give to fans of Five Families by Selwyn Raab and For the Sins of My Father by Albert DeMeo." --Library Journal

MAFIA HIT MAN

"The authors give a detailed account of the suspected assassins [and] don't shy away from discussing Gallo's flaws . . . Fans of true crime and Mafia stories will appreciate the insider's look at the figures and neighborhoods that comprised New York Mob life in the 20th century." --Library Journal

LORD HIGH EXECUTIONER

"This title will please Mafia fans looking for gruesome details." --Library Journal

CARMINE THE SNAKE

"Carmine the Snake, written in a conversational style with street vernacular and sprinkled with Frank DiMatteo's personal anecdotes and reminiscences, offers another look at the infamous crime boss." --The Washington Times

THE PRESIDENT STREET BOYS

"Takes me back as if it was a time machine . . . Compelling reading. I loved the book because I was there." --Sonny Girard, author of Blood of Our Fathers

"DiMatteo tells what it was like to grow up with Mob royalty." --VICE

"The President Street Boys is nothing like any other Mafia-related book I've ever read. I loved this book. I will be reading it again in the future. The level of detail is so high, to me, it requires multiple passes to absorb it all." --Crimespree Magazine

"At times, this book is unsettling. Other times, it's humorous. No matter what part you're reading, it'll remain a tour-de-force." --Criminal Element