The Gotti Wars

Taking Down America's Most Notorious Mobster

By: John Gleeson

Narrated by: Adam Grupper

“Riveting…an electrifying true crime story of the Mafia-smitten eighties and nineties. Suspenseful and multifaceted, The Gotti Wars can’t be missed.” —Esquire, “The Best Nonfiction Books of the Year”

A “meticulous chronicle of good triumphing over evil” (The Washington Post) from the determined young prosecutor who, in two of America’s most celebrated racketeering trials, managed to convict famed mob boss John Gotti, leader of the Gambino crime family, and ultimately helped dismantle La Cosa Nostra.

John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared mafioso in American history. He seized control of the Gambino family with the brazen, very public murder of Paul Castellano outside Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985. Not one to stay under law enforcement’s radar, Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss—earning the nicknames “The Dapper Don” and “The Teflon Don.”

This is the captivating story of Gotti’s meteoric rise and equally dramatic downfall. Watching every move was his legal adversary—Assistant US Attorney John Gleeson in Brooklyn—who prosecuted both of the high-profile trials. The first case, a seven-month battle ending in acquittal, saw Gleeson falsely accused under Gotti’s intimidation tactics and perjury by a manipulated witness.

Five years later, he led the second racketeering prosecution, using FBI wiretap evidence and turning Gotti’s underboss, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, into a federal witness. Gravano’s flip—making him the highest-ranking mafia turncoat ever—helped secure Gotti’s conviction and dealt a blow to the entire Italian mob structure.

A spellbinding, page-turning courtroom drama, The Gotti Wars “tells us in electrifying detail how the good guys finally won, how justice triumphed over evil, and how Gleeson himself was transformed by his long war” (Nelson DeMille).

©2022 John Gleeson. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Highly recommend audiobook

Highly recommend audiobook. Well written with excellent narration. The story moves quickly from chapter to chapter and is very entertaining.

I spoke to soon.

I’d foolishly reviewed this after only hearing the first 4-5 chapters. That was unfair and a mistake. Out of boredom I gave it another listen & found it quite interesting & entertaining.

Riveting from Beginning to End!

If you love Mafia or crime, this book is for you. I remember i was a Senior in H.S. when the major Gotti stuff, the trial, Sammy flipping...and if you remember it, too...this book is even BETTER!! It took me months to listen to this, but I would look forward to my morning commute excited to find out what happens next in the story! Incredible writing and narration. Highly Recommend!

Great book

In depth look at the prosecutors role in the Gotti story. Well written and a great listen.

Excellent writing, excellent narration.

Fast paced, I couldn’t put it down. Lots of questions were answered by this book.

Fantastic crime story

A great look from the prosecution side, must read for mafia buffs. Well written, read, and paced it provides an inside look into the mafia, US Attorneys, the FBI, and trials.

Artfully crafted biographical courtroom drama

John Gleason blends the meticulous details of the procedural intricacies of building the case of the century with the thrill of a mafia crime story. Superb storytelling with great depth of characters and satisfying complexity in his recounting of the strategies to build his case.

Quite Riveting!!!

I’ve lost a lot of sleep I should have been getting listening to this book. Remembering who’s who with the many names is a bit overwhelming but doable and worth it. Great book, great lawyer, great author!

Good book and an eye opener

A good listen and quite a detail oriented book. Everything you want to know about getting Gotti was in the text. I liked the author in the first quarter, mainly because of his humility but lost my luster for him as the book continued. The author, an attorney, went on to become not so humble as the book went on and a bit full of himself.

Many have wondered how the famous turncoat/witness, Sammy the Bull Gravano only got five tears for being involved in 19 murders. Everyone blamed the judge. This book shows that Gleeson had very much to do with it. It was clear that Gravano conned many people with his style and glibness, including Gleeson. But Gotti went down and so did many others--A good thing.

Great narrative!

Very good narrative and the subject matter really draws you in. Shows you the other side of organized crime - the prosecution. Great book!