Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America

Kudos to Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard for their well-written, and fact filled, historical account of the unknown yet widespread influence of illegal and government corruption intertwining influences of how powerful organizations such as organized crime operate to also corrupt, control and influence governments worldwide . The book "Killing the Mob", is eye opening and shines a bright light on the frequent, yet often unknown and secret collusive relationships that have long existed in halls of power, including organized crime, in centers of government power, and in the making or breaking of celebrities. The stories and facts told in this remarkable book make it well worth the time and readers will be astonished by the wisdom and insight shared across decades of well researched factual investigation. A remarkable work! The authors provide coherent and compelling story and share new untold information including the connections between the mob and figures such as JFK, Frank Sinatra, and J. Edgar Hoover and reveal the dynamics of power and corruption of the the Mob and the government.

The stories in this were interesting and kept my attention.

I've read a lot of the "Killing" series. A lot of info from the early days (Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde, etc). Most info I already knew but a good read. Great footnotes to further explain or a side note. Authors spend a good amount on the mob in the 30s & 40s; including how the mob helped during WW2. Skip ahead to the 60s, JFK, RFK & the mafia. Short chapters for 70s & 80s. Then book ends after Donnie Brasco. I was kinda disappointed that book ended so abruptly.Overall, a good read but did leave me wanting more.

The story telling, fullness of detail, and flowing, yet diverse, narrative made this an enjoyable book to read. Follows in the stellar line of the killing series

Good read for any history buffs

Interesting book.

Interesting and easy to read. Great book.

The formative novels in the Killing series are “Killing Jesus”, “Killing Lincoln”, “Killing the SS,” and “Killing Crazy Horse.” Living up to the prose of these heavyweights is difficult and Messers. O’ Reilly and Dugard fall short with “Killing the Mob”.Given the narrative, “Killing the Mafioso” or “Killing La Cosa Nostra” are more accurate titles, since the novel covers the Italian Mafia in America (with some references to Sicily). In Boston and Chicago from 1900-1980 the Irish Mob was prominent and often embroiled in turf fights with the Italian Mob. The Irish Mob was involved in politics, bootlegging, prohibition, et al. When Joseph Kennedy entered on the scene in “Killing the Mob”, the authors opened the door to start pouring Tullamore Dew and singing Danny Boy, but to no avail. The Irish Mob does not even get a whisper in these pages. Given Mr. O’Reilly’s heritage, it is surprising he did not dramatize the Irish mobsters Henry Hill, Danny Green, Dean O’Banion, and the titan James Joseph “Whitey” Bulger jr. (for years FBI’s Most Wanted). (T.J. English penned “Paddy Whacked” in 2006. This is a well-researched history of the Irish Mob, a terrific book, but I would have loved to read the Killing authors “spin” on the Irish Mob history.)The beginning of the book details the harrowing tales of Bonny and Clyde, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson. The writing is scintillating. The authors are adroit, crafting page turning prose about these ex-felons, but with one glaring issue: They are bandits, the Robin Hoods of the American Depression and Post-Depression. They were not organized or hierarchical like La Cosa Nostra or the Irish Mob. These characters are not the Mob, so why are they in the book? Their stories encompass the entire first part. Their stories do not blend with the Italian Mob or the Mob theme. Precious pages were devoted to these outlaws, when a parallel narrative with the Irish Mob would have proved more interesting.JFK, RFK and J. Edgar Hoover occupy a lot of space in this novel. These characters were fleshed out in “Killing Kennedy,” and revisited Ad Nauseum in “Killing the Mob”. The information is redundant in many instances. The Kennedy expose is not fresh material. Again, Joseph Kennedy was heavily involved in Hollywood beginning in 1926 ( so was the mob) and invested in Scottish distilleries, which punctually went online immediately after Prohibition ended. There are hypotheses which implicate the patriarch Kennedy in clandestine mob businesses are not addressed in the novel. But Kennedy aside, the Irish Mob’s history in Boston is significant. Whitey Bulgar’s brother Billy was President of the Massachusetts Senate, while Whitney wielded supreme power in South Boston for decades!This is a thrilling read. I read in two days, evenings after work. It was worth the $30, but I am extremely disappointed the authors did not touch on the Irish Mob, instead spending valuable pages on non-Mob related exploits of Depressions Era bandits and revamping the Kennedy story from a prior book. “Killing Mob” is a not a 20th Century American Mob story, but only an Italian one. Perhaps that what Mr. O’Reilly intended.

all his books are a good read.

Those who were expecting a detailed history of the capitulation of the mob will be sadly disappointed. This is more a story of the murders of bank robbers and only one mobster.

Enjoyed learning the history of the mob. I’m thinking a lot of this still goes on today. Will listen again for the second time. Thanks for putting this together

Easy-to-read page-turner filled with well-researched detail, e.g., the Mafia’s control over Hollywood and specifically Frank Sinatra’s role as middleman between the Kennedy family and the Mob…

Very good reading.Informative and entertaining.