Gambino: The Rise Paperback – April 2, 2015

Just an absolute fantastic read about a legend in the underworld. I've read books about practically every family in the country. I've also read several about Gotti & Castelano but never found one specifically about the family namesake. The details in this book finally allowed me a better understanding of the man I was only used to seeing on tv being ushered into a squad car with a smile on his face. There's no sense in beating around the bush. I LOVED THIS BOOK. If your interests in this topic are as true as mine are you'd feel very secure in making this purchase. One piece of advise....cancel your plans because once you start you'll find it hard to stop. I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter and the author mixed it up a little by making some longed and some shorter. PERFECT BOOK! Thanks James!!

The book certainly used the truth as well as what could of been. It made the book and characters far more interesting than saying this might of happened. Like the barber shop hit was two guys not the main character. Yet it made the story more interesting. If you like anything about gangsters from the twenty s' to the fifty 's you will find this a good read.

This novel literally hits close to home because Carlo Gambino was a neighbor of mine. I never met the man but his home is around the corner from mine, and is the plainest, least adorned home on the entire block; so much so that one would never take notice of it in passing. This was not accidental because Don Carlo never left anything to chance, and this characteristic comes through loud and clear in this marvelous book. The author illustrated the multidimensional character that this kind/brutal/intelligent/thoughtful/sensitive/cruel/calculating brilliant man possessed. For those who like books about the mob, they will not be able to put down this one. I learned many things--not only about Mr. Gambino--but also about other members of the different organized crime "families" that I had not known before.I am eagerly looking forward to the next book which the author has on tap for sometime in the future.

Excellent book! Read it in one sitting. Literally. Gambino is the s***. He was so quiet and laid back, yet so viscous at the same time, willing to do anything to achieve complete power. I like the way the book went into detail about the incestuous relationship Carlo had with his cousin Catherine, and the emotional and societal struggles they had to overcome before they could get married. I also like how the book details all of the little nuances behind Carlo's rise to the top, including his battles with Albert Anastasia, which showcased Carlo's genius for gangster warfare. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Carlo Gambino personally. Recommend this to all mafia-lit and movie fans.

The story itself is reasonably good, but you have to wonder just how accurate it is due to very blatant mistakes.As example, it's the early 1900's and the author has the Interstate Highway system in use, which wasn't built until the 1950's.In an age of manual car transmissions people put the car in "Park".He has stainless steel kitchens long before they were available.It's the 1920's and he arms criminals with "assault weapons" which were not invented until mid-World War Two.The story has Gambino meeting a politician in early WWII, were they mention that Al Capone is about to go to prison for a long time.In fact Capone was sent to prison in 1931.People are shot with shotguns, which are then described as rifles.In one real howler, the author has hit men from Sicily known as "zips" being the equivalent of Navy SEALs.....SEALs of course, according to the author are in the Army!!.The story is badly disrupted by being laced with anachronisms that any research at all would have found.This raises serious questions about how well the author researched Gambino and the other historic criminals of the day, and how close to real life this book manages to come.It is a novel, which certainly allows for some literary license, but this one pushes that license a bit too hard.The story is further burdened by making Gambino a near god-like infallible figure.Having never been trained to use a pistol, Gambino is still able to shoot the tires out of a police car from a good distance as well as being able to cover a pistol with a pillow and merely point the gun and still hit a victim in the head.Because of glaring errors and a failure to do proper research as well as stretching credibility to the breaking point, I rate this as a pure fiction novel and not a true historic novel. This is on the same order as books that turn vicious Western outlaws into great Robin Hood-like heroes.Not recommended.

A pleasant read, interesting fictional background on some of the Mob’s most colorful characters at a time that that organization was in ascendancy

I was expecting a documentary, but this book read like a novel. I don't know how accurate it was, but it was entertaining. From what I have read about Carlo Gambino, facts of his life are going to be hard to obtain. An old school, secretive, Mafioso.

Great insight...only problem is that there was multiple shooters who killed Anastasia...no way would Gambino, a millionaire and leader of many men, go in by himself. They found multiple caliber shells. Also I thought Vincent Mangano was never seen again as was Tony Anastasia after they were whacked. And Frank Scalise was shot in a corner store I thought. I never heard of a car bomb in NYC other then DeCiccio's.