Gotti's Boys

May 27, 2019
In this solid true crime account, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist DeStefano (Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia) explores the inner machinations of the New York Mob and John Gotti’s rise to the head of the Gambino family. Relying on eyewitness accounts, conversations recorded on FBI tapped phones, court transcripts, interrogations, and interviews, DeStefano introduces the individuals at the mercy, and easy disposal of, the Teflon Don. Other prominent crime families—the Bonannos, Luchesses, Colombos—play a significant role in the narrative, as long-held resentments, new beefs, and power disputes lead to retribution, culminating with the assassination of crime boss Paul Castellano in 1985. With abundant references to the underbellies of Brooklyn and swanky locales of Manhattan, DeStefano does a fine job capturing the essence of New York in the recent past. Readers primarily intrigued by the mystique of the topic may wish for more narrative probing into the interpersonal relationships at the heart of the mob, but aficionados are sure to relish the finer, exhaustively researched details. Agent, Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary.