Gaspipe

Confessions of a Mafia Boss

By: Philip Carlo

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, the boss of New York's Lucchese crime family, was a Mafia superstar, responsible for more than 50 murders. Currently serving 13 life sentences at a federal prison in Colorado, Casso has given journalist and New York Times best-selling author Philip Carlo the most intimate, personal look into the world of La Cosa Nostra ever seen. By pure happenstance, Casso had lived next door to the family of young Philip Carlo, who was able to get into the mind, heart, and soul of one of the most cunning, ruthless mob bosses in the annals of crime history. In Gaspipe, Casso reveals the shocking details behind headline-making crimes and crime figures, such as:

The mob's decision that John Gotti had to be taken out after whacking Big Paul Castellano without approval - and how Casso got the order to hit Gotti

A fly-on-the-wall view of the Mafia commission sit-down at which John Gotti was made capo di tutti capi, the boss of all bosses

The insidious relationship between La Cosa Nostra and the Russian Mafia, and how the Lucchese family murdered the most-feared assassin in the Russian mob

Details of secret sit-downs with mob bosses Vincent "The Chin" Gigante and John Gotti, and the notorious Sammy "The Bull" Gravano

How Gravano made fools of the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI

The real story of the Mafia Cops and the revelations of other law enforcement personnel on Casso's payroll

How the Mafia managed to get a tight stranglehold on most unions in America

The truth behind the Mafia's real role in bringing huge amounts of narcotics into the United States

How federal prison officials were bought and sold by the Mafia

The intimate details of the women behind the Mafiosi

The truth behind the assassinations of JFK and RFK

Who killed Jimmy Hoffa, and where his body is

©2008 Philip Carlo (P)2008 Tantor

Misses the Mark

I think out of all the high profile rats in LCN, Casso’s story is one of the most interesting. However the book was really poorly done, lots of patently ridiculous mistakes (wrong names for prominent mobsters, grossly overrated size of the families, and things like that). It’s also really odd how the author goes above and beyond in describing men’s appearances and their physiques. All in all, not a bad listen, just sloppily executed.

"Great book"

The author gives great insight into the ups and downs that come as one ages. Very interesting look into how police and FBI conduct business with the mafia families. A must read if you enjoy Mafia history/tales. Gaspipe is a Machiavelli type leader. Uses his head instead of his muscle.

Really great book

If you could sum up Gaspipe in three words, what would they be?

engrossing, compelling, unsetdownable

What other book might you compare Gaspipe to and why?

The First Family by Mike Dash....
Same "personal" connection for me.

What does Alan Sklar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I'd probably remember more (as usual) if I'd read it, but it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining....Skylar is a talented reader.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

What else, "Gaspipe".

Any additional comments?

No book has ever caused me to look into the locations of everything from resturants to "Social Clubs", to infamous "hits", as this book has. I'd highly reccomend using Google maps to view the present day locations of places mentioned in this book, mostly the Dyker Heights area of Brooklyn....mostly between 14th Av & 16th Av on 86th St., Brooklyn.

Get it.

Very interesting book.I recommend this book.Never a dull moment.They don't make men like that anymore.

Outstanding

If only Audible had more mafia books and the Italian mafia narrated by Italian Americans and not cowboys and Indians.

Awesome recording!

Excellent story and performance by reader! Depth and plot went well together. Reader did a great job of putting you in the room in some parts.

Good Read, if you wanted an inside look on the Maf

Would you listen to Gaspipe again? Why?

Yes, to catch up on the details

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gaspipe?

The revenge for the attempt on his life

Which scene was your favorite?

The revenge for the attempt on his life

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

Good insight into the Mafia.

Fantastic read.

Would you consider the audio edition of Gaspipe to be better than the print version?

All audio books are better than the written version.

What does Alan Sklar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A really cool, deep voice that is similar to Morgan Freeman.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This dude was a ruthless sick bastard.

Any additional comments?

Great read if you like true crime. What disturbed me a bit was it seemed to be written from his perspective, and made him out to be a nice guy through parts of the book. They left out some particular details about his life, but I do a lot of research on mobsters so I'm probably biased in that regard.

WOW... Fascinating and Fantastic

Fantastic to listen to the accounts from a true mafia boss. The book takes you through the life of Anthony Casso who in spite of everything is a man of his word. It is a fascinating and fantastic journey from the pinnacles of power to love to spare and powerlessness of a jail cell.

Superb

Good book narrative flows naturally, easy to follow it’s like watching a movie on Gaspipe