Vinny Gorgeous: The Ugly Rise And Fall Of A New York Mobster

I wasn't impressed with DeStefano's writing in his previous work like "King of Godfathers" or it's other title "The Last Godfather" but this one definitely is a step up. Very well researched, Vinny Basciano has led a violent, active, and event filled life rarely having a year where nothing is documented. From racketeering to drug dealing and murders, to conspiracy to commit murders, from conspiracies to conspire to commit murders Basciano does it all and this book does a great job of covering it.A few things were disappointing such as Basciano and Massino conversations in prison not being an edited wiretap transcript of their conversations which were very entertaining and interesting.Another thing the book goes a little too much into Basciano and the lawyers who defended him. Brafman and Levin are interesting men but a lot was left out like DeStefano could have wrote waaaaaaaaaay more about Bruno Indelicato, Basciano's crew member, who has a very very interesting life as well.The book also skims over a murder of an Albanian that was killed at a Basciano social club. It doesn't give the guys name, the date, or barely anything involved in the homicide.A good book nonetheless, I'm glad DeStefano covers the Bonanno family in a well researched way. Go ahead and buy it!

This is a story with no winners. A convicted murderer gangster Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano is sent to spend the rest of his life in prison on the testimony of the one man he thought he could trust, mafia boss Joseph Massino. The oath of omerta is a joke. Each made member is out to save their own skin and if that means testifying against other members so be it. If there is a lesson to be learned from this book it is that there is no loyalty within the mob and there is nothing glamorous about being a gangster. The end result, more often than not, is a prison sentence or an early grave.

Excellent work by a master journalist. Vincent "Vinny Gorgeous" Basciano, who some say remains the Bonanno crime family's official boss, is serving a life sentence. He was a product of the Mafia in the Bronx, the borough where Cosa Nostra crime families still supposedly have a strong presence, is written primarily from documents (court filings, testimony transcripts, etc.) meaning it's built on a solid factual foundation, as are all DeStefano's works. General readers may find parts of this a bit dry, but I found it an extremely compelling andimportant work. (My copy is dog-eared, filled with highlights and scribblings in the margin.) As someone who blogs and writes about the Mafia, this is an indispensable addition to my library. DeStefano also includes footnotes at the end, fortunately going against the grain of many mob books that don't include and source information.

Anthony DeStefano FINALLY hits a bulls eye with this slickly told and candid look into what is arguably the last hurrah of the notoriously rogue Bonanno clan of NYC's Five Families. A successor to Joe Massino, Vinny rose through the Bronx ranks of the family in the 90s and 2000s...a time that has informants littering La Cosa Nostra and Albanian Mob forces on the rise. Greed, betrayal, and bloodshed rules his corrupt lifestyle until it all comes crashing down with a one-way ticket to Colorado's ADX Supermax Federal Prison in 2011. I admit I was anticipating this book but was weary at the same time because I know the author can be inconsistent (journalists-turned-authors can be problematic). But I must say he gets it right here and has improved a great deal. Definitely recommended.

Well written and very sad ! Our paths had crossed on occasion and he was lovely man to be around.Always a gentleman and always kind to the people that had been given a bad hand in life ! What he was convicted of and reality is between him and the government. They say he murdered two people...George Bush murdered hundreds of thousands of INNOCENT people while lying to the our entire country. One gets a pension and an officefor life. The other get's life.

I often take a break from historic fiction to read something contemporary and frequently select a Mafia expose. This was good and what made it different is the government cooperation by a head of a NY family. Wondering what type of sentence Vinny would receive based on the information provided by Massino made the story compelling. What I especially liked was at the end of the book DeStafano gave a synopsis of what happened to each of the "players" in the book. Nothing particularly unusual in this book...just a good read.

If you are like me and can't get enough mafia stories, this book will satisfy. I know there are too many five star reviews on these sites, but I don't want to knock this book at all, so I'm giving it five. That is because for me, the pages turned and my interest grew. I will also say this...there are signs the author went all-out to get his information and stories straight (in other words he did good research and interviews). So if you hate embellishment and b.s. you will appreciate the work DeStefano put into this book.

Could have had more detail but, overall a good read. Vinny stood when others would scamper off as a rat, and I wish he would have at least allowed for an interview with the writer. I enjoyed the book, Vinny may have been the last "stand up guy" and makes a good character for the story, I just wanted to know more!

Good read enjoyed it.

If you like reading about the American mafia this will give you a good insight into the workings of the Italian mafia.

Explains what chaos the modern cosa nostra is in. Post 1990 you would have to be nuts to join up!

Excellent book

Interesting if you have an interest in mob film/history but allot of this book was courtroom based, lost interest a bit, decent time passer.