Carmine the Snake

Carmine Persico and His Murderous Mafia Family

By: Frank DiMatteo, Michael Benson

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In this blistering street-level account, "Mafia survivor" Frank DiMatteo teams up with true-crime master Michael Benson to take down one of the most notorious figures in the American La Cosa Nostra. This is the real inside story of Carmine "The Snake" Persico, from his crime-filled childhood on the streets of Brooklyn to the long-term jail sentences that didn't stop him from controlling his criminal empire, with the help of his brother - the equally kill-crazy Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico.

This is the story of his deadly teen years as leader of the fearsome Garfield Boys; his recruitment into the Profaci - later the Colombo - crime family; his bloody betrayal of the Gallo brothers; his role in the hair-raising ambush and slaying of Albert Anastasia - the Lord High Executioner of Murder, Inc. - as he sat in a barbershop chair getting a shave; the terror he struck into the hearts of the New York Mafia's other families, and even his own crews; and the many courtroom trials where Persico walked after witnesses came down with sudden cases of "amnesia."

Today, Persico schmoozes with Ponzi king Bernard Madoff behind bars. There, at age 84, his legend - packed as it is with coldblooded brutality - continues to inspire goodfellas everywhere.

©2018 Frank DiMatteo and Michael Benson (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Interesting…

Book was good. Interesting story about the life of a well known (?) mob boss. Starts out in Brooklyn NY in the early 1950’s, so was very nostalgic for me on a personal level. Johnny Heller does a fantastic job with the narration!

My one major criticism is the constant introduction of new names and people, which became very difficult and frustrating for me to follow. Reading the book after listening will probably help with this!

Anyway, overall, a decent book for those who enjoy true stories about Organized Crime dating back to the mid-20th century.

awesome book

I usually don't fly through a book I got for free so fast. I love how I recognized so many of the mobsters names.

If you ever wanted to know about Carmine Persico..

It's been said that everyone has one great book in them, clearly that person underestimated Mr. DiMatteo.

I had my doubts about this book, after all the author's father was loyal to Larry Gallo and its hard to imagine anyone from President Street being fair on the subject. It would be like Donald Trump Jr. writing about Joe Biden, or so you might think.

The author addresses this conflict of interest right away and proceeds to write a very good book. If you've read any of his other books you won't be surprised by his research, it is thorough, and a great story is woven around the historical dates.

What a life and what a character, well done.

Solid

Most of the time these books are written by or with rats, and personally I have a hard time believing them in terms of the details they add and the narrative they push. This book was clearly written by someone who is well versed in the life and has a solid understanding of the men he’s writing about. This is a solid book; highly recommend.

As detailed as a life story could be

This was a deep look inside Carmine Persico. How New York mobs ran everything and I mean everything

True Mafia ShotCaller

I have read many True Crime books about the Mafia, and without a doubt this book hit all the points. As a teen, I hung out in Red Hook, and South Brooklyn. I heard the stories of the neighborhood legends. Junior Persico was without a doubt the "True Shotcaller". Bigger than "Gotti", more ruthless than the " The Chin". Junior and his Family was a True Mafia Dynasty.

The Snake Was a Rat?

By coincidence, as I finish this book the NY Daily News is reporting that Carmine was a "Top Echelon Informant." Quite a twist, if true.

Anyway, the reader is excellent, with just the right Brooklyn mob guy tone. And when the book digs fairly deep into a specific set of facts, like the extended section on Carmine acting as his own lawyer, it's really interesting. But when it quickly rattles off multiple shootings by multiple shooters, it can feel a bit repetitive. Very good for the most part, though.

Great 👍

loved it. well told, well performed. great story, thanks for sharing. four words remaining

the names that were given

the book is well read and easy follow. the story is a peak into the life of the Persico family life from early history to modern times

Great book

I loved this book, Carmine's son Allie boy lived up the road from me in our Federal Prison before he died.