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Title: They don't come better than this...
Review: An excellent resource for those fascinated by the murky, violent world of American organised crime is Carl Sifakis' Mafia Encyclopedia. The new edition is well-updated (though John Gotti is now dead, and Vinnie the Chin was recently jailed).Sifakis' book is accurate without being too dull. The Mafia has the potential for humour (albeit rather black humour), as seen in Goodfellas. Sifakis doesn't get as "heavy" as some other books, narrating stories with a real verve - such as his description of Mad Dog Coll whistling when he heard his boss Maranzano was dead!Sifakis' information is very accurate, and is ideal for a crash course in Mafia history and practices. I am a little hesitant about his insistence that the Mafia is flourishing - it's very hard to tell, but I think most people think the Mafia is dying, and no longer able to maintain its old strangeholds.
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