Mafia

Most accounts of organized crime pass quickly over its early decades, and this opening volume is meant to fill that gap. It traces the mafia back to its beginnings in Sicily.

The narrative then follows a group of colorful figures who crossed the Atlantic as men on the run and made new lives in the United States. Among them are Lucky Luciano, Vito Genovese, Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, whose lives and rivalries drive the story.

Their combined reach was considerable. The book shows how they supplied alcohol during Prohibition, helped create Las Vegas as a gambling destination, and came close to controlling the island of Cuba.