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The Last Godfathers - The Rise and Fall of the Mafia's Most Powerful Family
The Last Godfathers charts the spectacular rise and fall of the richest and most powerful crime family in history: the Sicilian mafia's Corleonese clan. John Follain follows the bloody trail left by the three who headed the clan from the 1950s onwards and the state's attempts to hunt them. His impeccable research is based on thousands of pages of judicial documents, wiretap transcripts, the testimony of mafiosi defectors and interviews with investigators. The Last Godfathers has been described by historian Andrew Roberts as, 'compulsively readable ... a scintillating mixture of history, true crime and whodunit.'
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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August 28, 2021
The Last Godfathers covers the lives of Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, and Bernardo Provenzano. Follain is a journalist who focuses on crime in Italy. He has access to many law enforcement and legal establishment players for first-person knowledge. The endnotes suggest that he consulted many personal stories of former mafiosi. The writing is short, crisp, and sensational. Follain remains focused on the topic without straying off on tangents. However, readers would need to have a bit more knowledge of the Italian justice system and other players to fully enjoy the fast pace Follain takes on in this book. On the other hand, there are passages that sound suspicious if not outright inaccurate throughout the book, questioning the overall narrative.
The three godfathers led the Corleonesi Mafia ca. 1958-2013. Leggio was the face of the Mafia in transition. A younger generation mafioso who led a crew of hoodlums who stole cattle, carved them up, and sold the meat in Palermo. Apparently, this was a money-maker for the Sicilian Mafia of the post war period. Violently taking over the Corleone Mafia in 1958, Leggio expanded outside of the "family's" traditional territory. Leggio led a gang of hyper-violent, hyper-loyal thugs who are often portrayed as semi-literate brutes. Their bravado and devil-may-care attitude won them admiration from the lower levels of other "families." Beginning with Leggio, and exacerbated under Riina, the Corleonesi used that adulation to sow discontent among the other Mafia families leading to intense violence. When the bloodletting subsided, the survivors were either loyalists or puppets of the Corleonesi.
Always on the look out for enemies in need of purging, the Corleonsi turned against the state, an action that led to massive crackdowns. Much of this book focuses on the distinguished corpses - public figures murdered by the Corleonesi for one reason or another. The resulting outrage led to a massive buildup of state resources to move against the Mafia. Powerful technology from American law enforcement was employed to track down and capture the Mafia bosses. Provenzano, the last of the Corleonesi godfathers, was captured in a shepherd's shack on a mountain near Corleone. He may have had untold wealth; but he was cornered like a sewer rat.
The former chapters are based on news stories and some speculative accounts. Most of the supergrasses who wrote their memoirs were young turks who killed off the older generations at the behest of the Corleonesi. Their knowledge of Mafia life before Salvatore Riina is sparse. Similarly, Follain found few voices in law enforcement or criminal justice with solid knowledge of pre-Riina Mafia circles. The dialogue and detail certainly increases during the Riina years and is almost boring by the time of the Bagarella-Provenzano years. The violence unleashed by Riina and Bagarella against the state and perceived enemies quickly turned more and more people - including their enforcers - against them.
All throughout the book, Follain remains on target. His focus is on the three godfathers. There is very little detail about their crimes. I had to reread the chapters on Leggio twice because I did not notice where his story ended and Riina's story really took off. Apparently, after Leggio's arrest in Milan, he was totally removed from command of the gang. Re-reading Follain, I was uncertain why Leggio was finally in jail. He was acquitted in court in Bari of murdering his predecessor. Apparently, in Italy, the prosecution can appeal an acquittal and re-try the case. That is what happened to Leggio. But it was very hard to tell from this book. Similarly, it was hard to pinpoint what specific charges brought down Riina and Provenzano. The Wikipedia page on Provenzano suggests that he was convicted in absentia of nearly every major crime in Italy. Follain certainly avoids any discussion of the evidence, trials, or legal system.
Without access to the wealth of supergrass stories from Italy, this reviewer is largely limited to confirming details whenever there are references to American gangsters. In multiple places, Follain shows an absolute lack of knowledge of this peripheral topic. It begins when he discusses the major American crime boss "Charles Gambino" (p. 58). Then Follain mentions the major Colombian drug trafficker Orlando Cediel Ospina Vargas (p. 213) who guaranteed the Corleonesi to be the sole European distributors for Colombian cocaine. Then, cocaine was purchased through the Bonanno Family of New York (p. 214). Lastly, Bagarella reached out to the "influential Italo-American boss Saro Naomi" to ask if the US would want Sicily as the 51st state (p. 234). None of these sections are cited in the endnotes. Nor can any information be found concerning Charles Gambino, Vargas, or Naomi.
The gross errors cited above question the overall narrative. Basic fact-checking should have blocked them from publication. Are there other errors? Did Leggio start the first great mafia war ca. 1963? Follain argues that Leggio started the war to destabilize his competitors. However, the general conclusion is that the LaBarbera Brothers started the war for control over Palermo's fruit and vegetable markets. Did Leggio mastermind the kidnapping of John Paul Getty? According to Follain, yes. According to most people it was the work of Calabrian gangsters acting on their own. Similar vague hyperbole was used throughout the book to attribute vast wealth and power to the Corleonesi and connect them to every major crime.
Overall, it is an entertaining read. I suspect it is equal parts novel and non-fiction. I am unable to verify much of the content outside of Wikipedia. And I noticed that Wikipedia cites Follain. Because this book reads so quickly, I can recommend it for casual readers. However, the sensational tone of the overall book suggests that it has the authority of a mass-market paperback. Readers will need to seek out verification elsewhere.
The three godfathers led the Corleonesi Mafia ca. 1958-2013. Leggio was the face of the Mafia in transition. A younger generation mafioso who led a crew of hoodlums who stole cattle, carved them up, and sold the meat in Palermo. Apparently, this was a money-maker for the Sicilian Mafia of the post war period. Violently taking over the Corleone Mafia in 1958, Leggio expanded outside of the "family's" traditional territory. Leggio led a gang of hyper-violent, hyper-loyal thugs who are often portrayed as semi-literate brutes. Their bravado and devil-may-care attitude won them admiration from the lower levels of other "families." Beginning with Leggio, and exacerbated under Riina, the Corleonesi used that adulation to sow discontent among the other Mafia families leading to intense violence. When the bloodletting subsided, the survivors were either loyalists or puppets of the Corleonesi.
Always on the look out for enemies in need of purging, the Corleonsi turned against the state, an action that led to massive crackdowns. Much of this book focuses on the distinguished corpses - public figures murdered by the Corleonesi for one reason or another. The resulting outrage led to a massive buildup of state resources to move against the Mafia. Powerful technology from American law enforcement was employed to track down and capture the Mafia bosses. Provenzano, the last of the Corleonesi godfathers, was captured in a shepherd's shack on a mountain near Corleone. He may have had untold wealth; but he was cornered like a sewer rat.
The former chapters are based on news stories and some speculative accounts. Most of the supergrasses who wrote their memoirs were young turks who killed off the older generations at the behest of the Corleonesi. Their knowledge of Mafia life before Salvatore Riina is sparse. Similarly, Follain found few voices in law enforcement or criminal justice with solid knowledge of pre-Riina Mafia circles. The dialogue and detail certainly increases during the Riina years and is almost boring by the time of the Bagarella-Provenzano years. The violence unleashed by Riina and Bagarella against the state and perceived enemies quickly turned more and more people - including their enforcers - against them.
All throughout the book, Follain remains on target. His focus is on the three godfathers. There is very little detail about their crimes. I had to reread the chapters on Leggio twice because I did not notice where his story ended and Riina's story really took off. Apparently, after Leggio's arrest in Milan, he was totally removed from command of the gang. Re-reading Follain, I was uncertain why Leggio was finally in jail. He was acquitted in court in Bari of murdering his predecessor. Apparently, in Italy, the prosecution can appeal an acquittal and re-try the case. That is what happened to Leggio. But it was very hard to tell from this book. Similarly, it was hard to pinpoint what specific charges brought down Riina and Provenzano. The Wikipedia page on Provenzano suggests that he was convicted in absentia of nearly every major crime in Italy. Follain certainly avoids any discussion of the evidence, trials, or legal system.
Without access to the wealth of supergrass stories from Italy, this reviewer is largely limited to confirming details whenever there are references to American gangsters. In multiple places, Follain shows an absolute lack of knowledge of this peripheral topic. It begins when he discusses the major American crime boss "Charles Gambino" (p. 58). Then Follain mentions the major Colombian drug trafficker Orlando Cediel Ospina Vargas (p. 213) who guaranteed the Corleonesi to be the sole European distributors for Colombian cocaine. Then, cocaine was purchased through the Bonanno Family of New York (p. 214). Lastly, Bagarella reached out to the "influential Italo-American boss Saro Naomi" to ask if the US would want Sicily as the 51st state (p. 234). None of these sections are cited in the endnotes. Nor can any information be found concerning Charles Gambino, Vargas, or Naomi.
The gross errors cited above question the overall narrative. Basic fact-checking should have blocked them from publication. Are there other errors? Did Leggio start the first great mafia war ca. 1963? Follain argues that Leggio started the war to destabilize his competitors. However, the general conclusion is that the LaBarbera Brothers started the war for control over Palermo's fruit and vegetable markets. Did Leggio mastermind the kidnapping of John Paul Getty? According to Follain, yes. According to most people it was the work of Calabrian gangsters acting on their own. Similar vague hyperbole was used throughout the book to attribute vast wealth and power to the Corleonesi and connect them to every major crime.
Overall, it is an entertaining read. I suspect it is equal parts novel and non-fiction. I am unable to verify much of the content outside of Wikipedia. And I noticed that Wikipedia cites Follain. Because this book reads so quickly, I can recommend it for casual readers. However, the sensational tone of the overall book suggests that it has the authority of a mass-market paperback. Readers will need to seek out verification elsewhere.
August 6, 2019
The Corleonesi are finally nailed to the floor by John Follain's exhaustive study of the terrible realities of Cosa Nostra in recent decades.Toto Riina & Bernardo Provenzano e tutti gli altri? are shown to be far from 'men of honour' with their primitive instincts & crude tactics of intimidation & murder. There is no excuse for the Italian state's capitulation to such evil minds, though their tentacles have reached as far as the politicians in Brussels...& they too seem resigned to accepting that the mafia is immortal...even if it changes its spots & wears its power more comfortably outside the small town in Sicily where so much malevolence has flowed for over a century. Follain pays tribute to many Italians who have been victims of this scourge, most notably Dalla Chiesa, Borsolino & Falcone...men of honour indeed!...all murdered by the brutes & psychopaths who still lurk in every piazza & every passegiata!
A stunning book.
A stunning book.
January 11, 2012
This is a very chilling story about a group of people who care nothing about anyone except them selves, and then they turn on each other to suit what they feel is important to them. A must read for anyone interested in organized crime in U.S. or Italy.
July 6, 2017
Hear the commandments of Cosa Nostra. You will not touch the women of other men of honour. You will not steal, nor will you exploit prostitution. You will not kill other men of honour save in cases of absolute necessity. You will never speak of the affairs of Cosa Nostra in front of strangers, nor will you introduce yourself on your own to other men of honour.
------------------------------------------
Riina shot a fruit and olive oil trader in the back, head and mouth, the last bullet a warning to anyone who witnessed Legio's crimes to keep silent.
-------------------------------------------
Such a town is corleone .... Men and women go perpetually in black, worn for old tragedies; for a father, five years; for a brother, three years; for a son, three years; a piled-up account of mourning that can never be settled. Sorrow leaks from these people into the streets.
-------------------------------------------
He was bloodthirsty. He liked killing. He had a way of looking at you which struck fear into everyone, including us mafiosi. The slightest thing was enough to make him get angry and a strange light would appear in his eyes which silenced everyone around him. When you were with him, you had to be careful what you said. The wrong tone of voice, a word misunderstood and there would be that sudden silence. Everyone was struck dumb and felt uncomfortable. You could smell death in the air...
--------------------------------------------
The Corleonesi never forgave and never forgot ... Riina liked to tell his henchmen : The best forgiveness is vendetta.
---------------------------------------------
One usually dies because one is alone, or because one has got into something over one's head. One often dies because one does not have the right alliances, because one is not given support. In Sicily the mafia kills the servants of the state that the state has not been able to protect.
---------------------------------------------
A news flash ran across the bottom of the television. "The boss of bosses, the head of Cosa Nostra, on the run for 43 years, has been captured." it read. "Provenzano was hiding in a farm near Corleone, his birthplace." The Godfather turned his head to look at the screen. "You don't know what you're doing." he murmured.
------------------------------------------
Riina shot a fruit and olive oil trader in the back, head and mouth, the last bullet a warning to anyone who witnessed Legio's crimes to keep silent.
-------------------------------------------
Such a town is corleone .... Men and women go perpetually in black, worn for old tragedies; for a father, five years; for a brother, three years; for a son, three years; a piled-up account of mourning that can never be settled. Sorrow leaks from these people into the streets.
-------------------------------------------
He was bloodthirsty. He liked killing. He had a way of looking at you which struck fear into everyone, including us mafiosi. The slightest thing was enough to make him get angry and a strange light would appear in his eyes which silenced everyone around him. When you were with him, you had to be careful what you said. The wrong tone of voice, a word misunderstood and there would be that sudden silence. Everyone was struck dumb and felt uncomfortable. You could smell death in the air...
--------------------------------------------
The Corleonesi never forgave and never forgot ... Riina liked to tell his henchmen : The best forgiveness is vendetta.
---------------------------------------------
One usually dies because one is alone, or because one has got into something over one's head. One often dies because one does not have the right alliances, because one is not given support. In Sicily the mafia kills the servants of the state that the state has not been able to protect.
---------------------------------------------
A news flash ran across the bottom of the television. "The boss of bosses, the head of Cosa Nostra, on the run for 43 years, has been captured." it read. "Provenzano was hiding in a farm near Corleone, his birthplace." The Godfather turned his head to look at the screen. "You don't know what you're doing." he murmured.
April 12, 2025
John Follain on kirjoittanut mielenkiintoisen, monipuolisen ja syväluotaavan tietoteoksen Sisilian mafian historiasta ja tarkemmin sanottuna Corleonen mafiaperheen noususta ja tuhosta 1950-luvulta vuoteen 2008, jolloin Corleone-klaanin viimeinen kummisetä Provenzano onnistuttiin vangitsemaan.
Kirja on jaoteltu yhteensä seitsemään lukuun, ja lopussa ovat asianmukaiset lähdeviitteet, lähdeluettelo ja asiasanahakemisto, josta pääsee seurailemaan keskitetysti jonkun mafiapäällikön tai tuomarin vaiheita. Opus on siinä mielessä myös erityinen, että tekijä on työryhmineen kahlannut tuhansia raportteja ja omertan lain hylänneiden mafiosojen kertomuksia, ja pidätyksiä päästään tarkkailemaan myös poliisiraporttien ja muistelmien avulla. Jonkin verran pyritään myös tekemään dokufiktiota, eli Follain kuvittelee olleensa kärpäsenä katossa, kun etupiirijakoja ja tappokäskyjä ”cupolassa” jaettiin.
Follain etenee kronologisesti, ja taustoittaa jonkin verran myös toisen maailmansodan jälkimainingeissa alkanutta mafian nousukautta, ja myös Mussolini esiintyy kirjan sivuilla. Toisin kuin monissa historiikeissa esitetään, Mussolini ei suinkaan kitkenyt Sisilian mafiaa vaan liittoutui heidän kanssaan, ja onpa teoksessa myös diktaattorin kunniaksi järjestetty paraati Corleonessa mainittu, jolloin itsevaltias oli mafiosojen vieraana.
Corleonelainen lääkäri Navarra sai vuosien ponnisteluiden jälkeen toisen maailmansodan päätyttyä Corleonen kaupungin haltuunsa. Niin kuin elokuvistakin tiedetään, kilpailu on kovaa, ja on kova tunku päästä hierkiassa ylemmäs, syrjäyttää oma klaanin johtaja, ja niin käy myös Corleonessa, jolloin Leggio, Riina ja Provenzano ottavat Corleonen mafian haltuunsa.
Vuosikymmenet vaihtuvat, ja corleonelaiset ”maalaismoukat” ottavat vähin erin ja säälimättömällä väkivallalla koko Sisilian mafian haltuunsa. Ei edes ”kahden mantereen” kummisetä Buscetta saa kurssia kääntymään, ja palermolaiset joutuvat alistumaan täydelliseen corleonelaiseen diktatuuriin. Sittemmin Buscetta ja monet muut alipäälliköt ryhtyvät luopioiksi ja paljastavat vähä vähältä perheiden salaisuuksia, jolloin köysi kiristyy Riinan ja hänen ryhmittymänsä ympärillä.
Oman lukunsa saavat myös tuomarit Falcone ja Borsellino ja 1990-luvun puoliväliin jatkunut mafiaterrori, ja kiristyksen uhrina mainitaan entinen pääministeri Berlusconikin. Lisäksi kirjassa esitellään liuta johtavia poliitikkoja niin Sisiliassa kuin mantereen puolellakin presidentti Andreottia myöden, jotka ovat väitetysti olleet mafian palkkalistoilla joko oman hyödyn tavoittelun tai kiristyskampanjoiden vuoksi.
Lukukokemus oli mukaansa tempaava, enkä ollutkaan tietoinen, että varsinkin Riina ajoi tosissaan pariinkin kertaan mafiauransa aikana Sisilian itsenäistymistä. Ensimmäinen vallankumousyritys karahti kiville heti alkuunsa, ja toista yritettiin pidempään, ja siinä aseena käytettiin järjestelmällistä terrorisointia, poliitikkojen ja virkamiesten ja muidenkin vastustajien eliminoimista.
Muistan itsekin lukeneeni lehdistä, kuinka Riinan ja Provenzanon vangitsemiset toteutettiin, jälkimmäisen 43 pakoiluvuoden jälkeen. Häntä seurailtiin vuosikausia, ja viimein pystyvä poliisiupseeri Cortese joukkoineen jäljitti viimeisen kummisedän Hevosten vuorelle Corleonen liepeille, jolloin lukija pääsee seurailemaan tapahtumia ikään kuin jännitysromaania lukiessa, kuinka kaikki eteni ja kuinka vähitellen cosa nostran capo di tutti capin pidätys päätti koko tarinan tämän jouduttua viimein vangituksi.
Kirja on jaoteltu yhteensä seitsemään lukuun, ja lopussa ovat asianmukaiset lähdeviitteet, lähdeluettelo ja asiasanahakemisto, josta pääsee seurailemaan keskitetysti jonkun mafiapäällikön tai tuomarin vaiheita. Opus on siinä mielessä myös erityinen, että tekijä on työryhmineen kahlannut tuhansia raportteja ja omertan lain hylänneiden mafiosojen kertomuksia, ja pidätyksiä päästään tarkkailemaan myös poliisiraporttien ja muistelmien avulla. Jonkin verran pyritään myös tekemään dokufiktiota, eli Follain kuvittelee olleensa kärpäsenä katossa, kun etupiirijakoja ja tappokäskyjä ”cupolassa” jaettiin.
Follain etenee kronologisesti, ja taustoittaa jonkin verran myös toisen maailmansodan jälkimainingeissa alkanutta mafian nousukautta, ja myös Mussolini esiintyy kirjan sivuilla. Toisin kuin monissa historiikeissa esitetään, Mussolini ei suinkaan kitkenyt Sisilian mafiaa vaan liittoutui heidän kanssaan, ja onpa teoksessa myös diktaattorin kunniaksi järjestetty paraati Corleonessa mainittu, jolloin itsevaltias oli mafiosojen vieraana.
Corleonelainen lääkäri Navarra sai vuosien ponnisteluiden jälkeen toisen maailmansodan päätyttyä Corleonen kaupungin haltuunsa. Niin kuin elokuvistakin tiedetään, kilpailu on kovaa, ja on kova tunku päästä hierkiassa ylemmäs, syrjäyttää oma klaanin johtaja, ja niin käy myös Corleonessa, jolloin Leggio, Riina ja Provenzano ottavat Corleonen mafian haltuunsa.
Vuosikymmenet vaihtuvat, ja corleonelaiset ”maalaismoukat” ottavat vähin erin ja säälimättömällä väkivallalla koko Sisilian mafian haltuunsa. Ei edes ”kahden mantereen” kummisetä Buscetta saa kurssia kääntymään, ja palermolaiset joutuvat alistumaan täydelliseen corleonelaiseen diktatuuriin. Sittemmin Buscetta ja monet muut alipäälliköt ryhtyvät luopioiksi ja paljastavat vähä vähältä perheiden salaisuuksia, jolloin köysi kiristyy Riinan ja hänen ryhmittymänsä ympärillä.
Oman lukunsa saavat myös tuomarit Falcone ja Borsellino ja 1990-luvun puoliväliin jatkunut mafiaterrori, ja kiristyksen uhrina mainitaan entinen pääministeri Berlusconikin. Lisäksi kirjassa esitellään liuta johtavia poliitikkoja niin Sisiliassa kuin mantereen puolellakin presidentti Andreottia myöden, jotka ovat väitetysti olleet mafian palkkalistoilla joko oman hyödyn tavoittelun tai kiristyskampanjoiden vuoksi.
Lukukokemus oli mukaansa tempaava, enkä ollutkaan tietoinen, että varsinkin Riina ajoi tosissaan pariinkin kertaan mafiauransa aikana Sisilian itsenäistymistä. Ensimmäinen vallankumousyritys karahti kiville heti alkuunsa, ja toista yritettiin pidempään, ja siinä aseena käytettiin järjestelmällistä terrorisointia, poliitikkojen ja virkamiesten ja muidenkin vastustajien eliminoimista.
Muistan itsekin lukeneeni lehdistä, kuinka Riinan ja Provenzanon vangitsemiset toteutettiin, jälkimmäisen 43 pakoiluvuoden jälkeen. Häntä seurailtiin vuosikausia, ja viimein pystyvä poliisiupseeri Cortese joukkoineen jäljitti viimeisen kummisedän Hevosten vuorelle Corleonen liepeille, jolloin lukija pääsee seurailemaan tapahtumia ikään kuin jännitysromaania lukiessa, kuinka kaikki eteni ja kuinka vähitellen cosa nostran capo di tutti capin pidätys päätti koko tarinan tämän jouduttua viimein vangituksi.
July 8, 2023
Brilliant évocation of the misery inflicted by the Mafia in Sicily - upon its community and upon its own cosa
Nostra .
The first half probably a little overwhelming with lists upon list of people shot killed murdered. The second half , beginning with the state fighting back under Judge Falcone, is a brilliantly told exciting story culminating in the fastidious rooting out of the mastermind provenzano.
This Mafia boss worth perhaps billions is living in a shepherds hut - hermetically sealed and hermit like unable to leave his hut. Unable to see his family or enjoy his wealth. On thé run for 43 years.
An astonishing story. And yet I can only assume the mafia lives on
Nostra .
The first half probably a little overwhelming with lists upon list of people shot killed murdered. The second half , beginning with the state fighting back under Judge Falcone, is a brilliantly told exciting story culminating in the fastidious rooting out of the mastermind provenzano.
This Mafia boss worth perhaps billions is living in a shepherds hut - hermetically sealed and hermit like unable to leave his hut. Unable to see his family or enjoy his wealth. On thé run for 43 years.
An astonishing story. And yet I can only assume the mafia lives on
August 14, 2023
Handling & Tema : 5/5
Karaktärerna: 4/5
Miljöbeskrivning: 4/5
Språk och berättarkonst 5/5
Den bästa dokumentär romanen om maffian och jag har läst många. Svårt att släppa ifrån sig.
Utdrag ur boken
Jag har aldrig sett något så värdigt som det utmärglade pojken, som har fått utstå så många umbärande... Personen jag såg framför mig , bunden och med huva, var mafioso i ordets ädlaste bemärkelse som jag såg saken då. Utan att klaga , bevärdiga oss ett ord eller ens ställa en fråga lät han sig låsas in i cellen utan protester. Och han satte sig omedelbart på madrassen och glömde ögonblicket senare att vi var närvarande. Han rörde inte en muskel när jag plötsligt öppnade titthålet för att kolla honom."
Maffia medlemen Monticciolo
Karaktärerna: 4/5
Miljöbeskrivning: 4/5
Språk och berättarkonst 5/5
Den bästa dokumentär romanen om maffian och jag har läst många. Svårt att släppa ifrån sig.
Utdrag ur boken
Jag har aldrig sett något så värdigt som det utmärglade pojken, som har fått utstå så många umbärande... Personen jag såg framför mig , bunden och med huva, var mafioso i ordets ädlaste bemärkelse som jag såg saken då. Utan att klaga , bevärdiga oss ett ord eller ens ställa en fråga lät han sig låsas in i cellen utan protester. Och han satte sig omedelbart på madrassen och glömde ögonblicket senare att vi var närvarande. Han rörde inte en muskel när jag plötsligt öppnade titthålet för att kolla honom."
Maffia medlemen Monticciolo
September 25, 2017
This book was so good I read it twice in a row (something I almost never do). Anyone who is into true-crime novels would love this one.
February 2, 2019
Luettu suomenkielisenä: Viimeiset kummisedät, Mahtavan mafiaperheen nousu ja tuho
February 12, 2021
Book that got me hooked to non-fiction, read it in almost one sit in a summer over a decade ago and still have fond memories about how much I liked this book
April 20, 2022
Excellent exceptionally gripping
May 21, 2023
Great in depth insight to the mafia underworld .
August 10, 2014
A thrilling tour through the history of the rise and fall of the Corleonesi family who came to dominate the mafia in Sicily (the 'Cosa Nostra') in the late twentieth century.
The book focuses primarily on three men who emerged to lead the Corleonesi - Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano. All three are vicious, power-hungry characters but each leads the mafia in a distinctively personal style that is brought to life well by the author, John Follain.
There is also a bewilderingly large supporting cast of other bosses, mafiosi, family members and police that are frequently introduced and often described in detail. The sheer number of characters Follain tries to squeeze in is admirable but is sometimes confusing and I frequently lost track of who was who.
The second half of the book is much stronger than the first. To narrate the early years of the Corleonesi, Follain evidently relied on historical records and as a result his descriptions of events tend to be short and he struggles to bring the characters to life. He races through generations, covering a lot of ground in not many chapters.
In the second half of the book, particularly when he gets to Riina and Provenzano, Follain seems to have access to more first hand accounts, including his own interviews. This is where he comes into his own. There are a series of absolutely thrilling chapters describing particular events from the 1980s onwards, that read more like pages from a crime novelist that a historian - in particular, the killings of Falcone and Borsellino, the heartrending story of the kidnapping of Giuseppe Di Matteo, and the long-awaited capture of Provenzano (the final, and in my opinion best, chapter in the whole book).
John Follain has a crisp, unemotional, factual style - an interesting way of writing about events that are often brutal and even gruesome. Whether he's describing relaxed meetings between mafia bosses or bodies dissolving in acid and lengthy strangulations, he presents it in the same matter-of-fact way and doesn't shy away from detail. This has the effect of laying bare his subject - removing any romanticism associated with the mafiosi and revealing them for the horrid thugs that they are.
The only time Follain seems to get a little excitable is in the section of the book dealing with the anti-mafia public prosecutor Judge Falcone. Falcone seems to be Follain's hero and Follain gets rather passionate when complaining about Falcone getting passed over for a promotion or his ideas for anti-mafia measures not getting implemented. Follain also reserves praise for a handful of other local anti-mafia police or investigators, such as General Dalla Chiesa and Renato Cortese. The picture Follain paints is of an anti-mafia campaign fought by a handful of brave men on the front line, with everyone else (particularly politicians) too scared to act.
This is overall a very good read that I would recommend. Get past those weaker early chapters and you're in for a treat.
The book focuses primarily on three men who emerged to lead the Corleonesi - Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano. All three are vicious, power-hungry characters but each leads the mafia in a distinctively personal style that is brought to life well by the author, John Follain.
There is also a bewilderingly large supporting cast of other bosses, mafiosi, family members and police that are frequently introduced and often described in detail. The sheer number of characters Follain tries to squeeze in is admirable but is sometimes confusing and I frequently lost track of who was who.
The second half of the book is much stronger than the first. To narrate the early years of the Corleonesi, Follain evidently relied on historical records and as a result his descriptions of events tend to be short and he struggles to bring the characters to life. He races through generations, covering a lot of ground in not many chapters.
In the second half of the book, particularly when he gets to Riina and Provenzano, Follain seems to have access to more first hand accounts, including his own interviews. This is where he comes into his own. There are a series of absolutely thrilling chapters describing particular events from the 1980s onwards, that read more like pages from a crime novelist that a historian - in particular, the killings of Falcone and Borsellino, the heartrending story of the kidnapping of Giuseppe Di Matteo, and the long-awaited capture of Provenzano (the final, and in my opinion best, chapter in the whole book).
John Follain has a crisp, unemotional, factual style - an interesting way of writing about events that are often brutal and even gruesome. Whether he's describing relaxed meetings between mafia bosses or bodies dissolving in acid and lengthy strangulations, he presents it in the same matter-of-fact way and doesn't shy away from detail. This has the effect of laying bare his subject - removing any romanticism associated with the mafiosi and revealing them for the horrid thugs that they are.
The only time Follain seems to get a little excitable is in the section of the book dealing with the anti-mafia public prosecutor Judge Falcone. Falcone seems to be Follain's hero and Follain gets rather passionate when complaining about Falcone getting passed over for a promotion or his ideas for anti-mafia measures not getting implemented. Follain also reserves praise for a handful of other local anti-mafia police or investigators, such as General Dalla Chiesa and Renato Cortese. The picture Follain paints is of an anti-mafia campaign fought by a handful of brave men on the front line, with everyone else (particularly politicians) too scared to act.
This is overall a very good read that I would recommend. Get past those weaker early chapters and you're in for a treat.
April 7, 2016
The Unholy Trinity can only be found in Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean and Italy's ancient breadbasket. It is also the birthplace and home of the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia. This excellent history by author Follain chronicles the rise of the most murderous and demented "Men of Honor" that ruled the mafia from the 1950's to the mid 1990's. These three butchers were Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riiuna and Bernardo Provenzano. Of course they have "cute" nicknames like all good made men. For example, Bernardo "Tractor" Provenzano. I guess for the way he ran over people. Those nicknames in no way lighten the fact that among them they murdered several thousand fellow mafiosi, mafiosi-related family members (many children and most innocent), law-abiding citizens included crusading priests, crooked politicans and finally hundreds of law enforcement personnel among them some of Italy's finest judge prosecutors. Names like Judge Falcone, Judge Borsellino, and police officials like Dalla Chiesa shall be fondly remembered by the Italian people long after the Unholy Trinity burns in hell.
The author does a very good job of making all this mayhem make sense within the cultural and historical context of the Sicilian experience. There are no excuses made for the barbarity of these individuals and considering the fear that they created in Sicily during their reign of terror the courage of those fighting them is all the more heroic. This is not a sociological work but more a crime exposition as Mr. Follain's expertise is in crime research and reporting. He does try to place events within the social circumstances and personal experiences of the people he includes in his work. Try to get past the horrific descriptions of murder as practised by these miscreants and one can feel the heart of the law-abiding and long- suffering Sicilian people.
The author does a very good job of making all this mayhem make sense within the cultural and historical context of the Sicilian experience. There are no excuses made for the barbarity of these individuals and considering the fear that they created in Sicily during their reign of terror the courage of those fighting them is all the more heroic. This is not a sociological work but more a crime exposition as Mr. Follain's expertise is in crime research and reporting. He does try to place events within the social circumstances and personal experiences of the people he includes in his work. Try to get past the horrific descriptions of murder as practised by these miscreants and one can feel the heart of the law-abiding and long- suffering Sicilian people.
February 13, 2015
Att vara en gangster, en mafioso, vad innebär det i praktiken? För de mafiosos från Corleonefamiljen som porträtteras i den här boken så innebär det hur som helst att de så gott som uteslutande antingen hamnar i fängelse eller mördas, eller både ock.
Ju mer makt och kontroll en maffiafamilj kan skaffa sig, desto större blir möjligheterna för den att tjäna pengar, vilket samtidigt innebär att möjligheterna för andra maffiafamiljer att tjäna pengar minskar, och att sannolikheten för att myndigheterna ska börja intressera sig för dig ökar.
Den siste gudfadern är historien om hur Corleoneklanen blev Italiens mäktigaste maffiafamilj. De blev så mäktiga att de under 1980-talet inledde ett regelrätt krig mot staten och övriga samhället där de helt enkelt mördade de poliser, åklagare och journalister som försökte bekämpa dem. . . .
Inga trevliga gossar och inte någon gangstermystik så långt ögat kan nå. Det är bara storhetsvansinne, brutalt våld, makt- och pengabegär.
Ju mer makt och kontroll en maffiafamilj kan skaffa sig, desto större blir möjligheterna för den att tjäna pengar, vilket samtidigt innebär att möjligheterna för andra maffiafamiljer att tjäna pengar minskar, och att sannolikheten för att myndigheterna ska börja intressera sig för dig ökar.
Den siste gudfadern är historien om hur Corleoneklanen blev Italiens mäktigaste maffiafamilj. De blev så mäktiga att de under 1980-talet inledde ett regelrätt krig mot staten och övriga samhället där de helt enkelt mördade de poliser, åklagare och journalister som försökte bekämpa dem. . . .
Inga trevliga gossar och inte någon gangstermystik så långt ögat kan nå. Det är bara storhetsvansinne, brutalt våld, makt- och pengabegär.
February 10, 2010
my first non-fiction book this year and the second i have read regarding the mafia. it was reallyreallyreally intriguing and shocking (dissolving body parts in acid :O) and just ... i have no words. to think the mafia makes more money than any other company/organisation in italy. and even though they keep catching bosses every now and then, it really doesn't change a thing. people trust the mafia more than they do the government (they are just two evils on different sides of the coin, IMO). the government is somewhere up north in milan and nobody gives a shit about the 'little' people in sicily or below rome in general. it's horrible and sad. i definitely want to educate myself a little more concerning this topic (that's why i have already two other books on the topic lined up haha).
anyway, this is a good start if you want to know more about the most powerful mafia family.
anyway, this is a good start if you want to know more about the most powerful mafia family.
April 19, 2013
This book tells the story of the real godfathers. How 3 men from Corleone in Sicily; Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano, came to dominate the Sicilian mob and wage a war of terror on the local people and the government of Italy. It tells how first ridiculed as “peasants” by the men of Palermo they rose to dominate the mafia through swiftness, cunning and sheer brutality. It tells of their unending war on justice including their blatant murders of prosecutors, judges, policemen, informers and their families including the famed judge Giovanni Falcone who tried the largest mafia case in history. It tells of their downfall as one by one they are brought to justice. An excellent read
April 18, 2012
Je moet niet verwachten dat je een mooi verhaal krijgt over het leven van Don Vito Corleone of zijn opvolgers. Dit is een al te realistisch verhaal over de maffia in Sicilië, meer bepaald Corleone en Palermo.
John Follain beschrijft op een aangename wijze de opkomst en ondergang van een maffiaclan, eerst bestaande uit simpele boeren, maar later een van de families die heel Italië op zijn kop zetten. Hij schetst duidelijk het probleem van de maffia en hoe de Italiaanse staat er eigenlijk niet in slaagt om het fenomeen de kop in te drukken, in de eerste plaats omdat ze het probleem ontkennen. Een schokkend en ongelofelijk interessant boek!
John Follain beschrijft op een aangename wijze de opkomst en ondergang van een maffiaclan, eerst bestaande uit simpele boeren, maar later een van de families die heel Italië op zijn kop zetten. Hij schetst duidelijk het probleem van de maffia en hoe de Italiaanse staat er eigenlijk niet in slaagt om het fenomeen de kop in te drukken, in de eerste plaats omdat ze het probleem ontkennen. Een schokkend en ongelofelijk interessant boek!
May 8, 2013
Having read numerous books on Mafia history I wasn't sure what I would get from this but it was exceptionally eye opening going extremely in depth about the Scicilian mafia, which tends to be overlooked in other books. A must read for anyone with an interest in Mafia history
September 9, 2009
This is about The Italian Mafia. They make their American counterparts look like day care centers.
July 24, 2012
A history of the REAL Corleones!
August 27, 2012
Fast paced narrative about the ruthless Corleonesi faction of the Sicilian Mafia. Insightful, informative and enjoyable to read.
July 27, 2013
This was an interesting history about the mafia in Corleone Italy. But nothing that I want to read again or to recommend to others.
July 25, 2014
Interesting and horrifying.
June 22, 2016
É um ótimo trabalho jornalistico que nos põe a par de todas as maldades e tradições de uma das mais perigosas organizações criminosas do mundo .
March 6, 2011
Disturbing, gripping and addictive.
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