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World's Most Notorious Gangsters and Drug Lords
- Biographies of Al Capone, El Chapo, Jesse James, Whitey Bulger, John Gotti, and Pablo Escobar
- Narrated by: Derik Hendrickson
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
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World's Most Notorious Gangsters and Drug Lords
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Publisher's summary
Uncover the stories of the world’s most notorious gangsters, drug lords, and criminals.
From Columbia and Mexico to even America’s own soil, criminals have always lurked behind the scenes - some more successful than others. Now, this biography delves into the lives and careers of some of history’s drug lords, from Pablo Escobar’s empire to the legend of Al Capone.
Inside, you’ll find some of history’s most infamous crime lords, including:
- Al Capone, the crime boss during prohibition, who earned the name “Scarface”
- El Chapo, a man once considered to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world
- Jesse James, the notorious American outlaw and train robber
- Whitey Bulger, crime boss-turned-FBI informant
- John Gotti, who became the boss of the Gambino crime family
- Pablo Escobar, the Columbian drug lord and wealthiest criminal in the world
Each of these men have a story rich with conspiracy, crime, and murder. From drug trafficking, racketeering, and even robbing trains, the world of the criminal underground continues to fascinate and unnerve those with a morbid curiosity.
This bundle is a must-listen for anyone interested in the incredible - and infamous - stories of the world’s most notorious crime lords.
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
Born in Los Angeles, the gang MS-13 was founded in the 1980s by Salvadoran refugees who had been hardened in a civil war stoked by American foreign policy. Foreign correspondent William Wheeler tracks MS-13 from LA, where he meets the founders of the gang, to El Salvador, where three generations of Salvadorans have been drawn into an escalating cycle of conflict. State of War tells the tragic story of a brutal civil war that has never ended.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great insight!
- By jose flores on 05-19-23
By: William Wheeler
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Paddy Whacked
- The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster
- By: T. J. English
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 580
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 513
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 512
In Paddy Whacked, best-selling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike "King Mike" McDonald, Chicago's subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York's most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey Featherstone, troubled Vietnam vet turned Westies gang leader; and James "Whitey" Bulger, the ruthless and seemingly untouchable Southie legend.
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4 out of 5 stars
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First Half - 4 Stars - Second Half - 2 Stars
- By Lulu on 08-29-16
By: T. J. English
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Outlaws of the Wild West
- Infamous Western Criminals and Killers
- By: Daniel Brand
- Narrated by: Wayne Butler
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23
The Wild West was a troublesome area for a long, long time. Hard conditions brought hard people - not everyone was suited to live there, but those who did had a choice - the boring everyday life or a life of an outlaw, filled with daring escapes, adventures, and thievery. If it was you, which one would you choose?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Review
- By Delora L. on 08-19-23
By: Daniel Brand
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The Dope
- The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade
- By: Benjamin T. Smith
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 95
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 84
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 84
The Mexican drug trade has inspired prejudiced narratives of a war between north and south, White and Brown; between noble cops and vicious kingpins, corrupt politicians and powerful cartels. In this first comprehensive history of the trade, historian Benjamin T. Smith tells the real story of how and why this one-peaceful industry turned violent. He uncovers its origins and explains how this illicit business essentially built modern Mexico, affecting everything from agriculture to medicine to economics - and the country’s all-important relationship with the United States.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Stuffy British Reader Abuses the Spanish Language
- By pilot on 03-19-22
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Gangster Warlords
- By: Ioan Grillo
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 352
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 316
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 317
In a ranch south of Texas, the man known as The Executioner dumps 500 body parts in metal barrels. In Brazil's biggest city, a mysterious prisoner orders hit men to gun down 41 police officers and prison guards in two days. In Southern Mexico a meth maker is venerated as a saint while enforcing Old Testament justice on his enemies. A new kind of criminal kingpin has arisen: part CEO, part terrorist, and part rock star, unleashing guerrilla attacks, strong-arming governments, and taking over much of the world's trade in narcotics, guns, and humans.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good analysis and interpretation, but...
- By James H. McDonald on 10-30-19
By: Ioan Grillo
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Say Nothing
- A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
- By: Patrick Radden Keefe
- Narrated by: Matthew Blaney
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,805
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6,885
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Story5 out of 5 stars 6,835
Jean McConville's abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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On a par with I'll Be Gone in the Dark, plus...
- By Grace O'Malley on 03-01-19
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The Mob and the City
- The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York
- By: C. Alexander Hortis
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 520
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 456
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 453
Forget what you think you know about the Mafia. After reading this book, even life-long mob aficionados will have a new perspective on organized crime. Informative, authoritative, and eye-opening, this is the first full-length book devoted exclusively to uncovering the hidden history of how the Mafia came to dominate organized crime in New York City during the 1930s through 1950s.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Hard one to rate....
- By Jeffery D. Giuliani on 09-24-20
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The Bourbon King
- The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition's Evil Genius
- By: Bob Batchelor
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
October 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Volstead Act, which put the enforcement teeth into Prohibition. But the law didn't stop George Remus from cornering the boozy, illegal liquor marketplace and amassing a fortune that eclipsed $200 million (the equivalent of $4.75 billion today). As eminent documentarian Ken Burns proclaimed, "Remus was to bootlegging what Rockefeller was to oil." Author Bob Batchelor has unearthed a treasure trove of untapped historical archives to cover the life, times, and crimes of the man who ran the largest bootlegging operation in America.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing
- By Amazon Customer on 06-02-20
By: Bob Batchelor
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Gangsters of Harlem
- The Gritty Underworld of New York City's Most Famous Neighborhood
- By: Ron Chepesiuk
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Author Ron Chepesiuk chronicles the little known history of organized crime in Harlem.
African American organized crime has had as significant an impact on its constituent community as Italian, Jewish, and Irish organized crime has had on theirs. Gangsters are every bit as colorful, intriguing, and powerful as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, and have a fascinating history in gambling, prostitution, and drug dealing. In the late 1800s, Harlem became a highly fashionable neighborhood.
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3 out of 5 stars
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weak --reader is terrible!
- By Meyer Rosenbloom on 10-18-13
By: Ron Chepesiuk
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American Mafia
- A History of Its Rise to Power
- By: Thomas Reppetto
- Narrated by: Paul Costanzo
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Organized crime - the Italian American kind - has long been a source of popular entertainment and legend. Now Thomas Reppetto provides a balanced history of the Mafia's rise - from the 1880s to the post-World War II era - that is as exciting as it is authoritative. Structuring his narrative around a series of case histories featuring such infamous characters as Lucky Luciano and Al Capone, Reppetto draws on a lifetime of field experience and access to unseen documents to show us a locally grown Mafia.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Mob at its best
- By Thomas on 02-14-23
By: Thomas Reppetto
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The Corporation
- An Epic Story of the Cuban American Underworld
- By: T. J. English
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 486
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 431
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 433
By the mid 1980s, the criminal underworld in the United States had become an ethnic polyglot; one of the most powerful illicit organizations was none other than the Cuban mob. Known on both sides of the law as "the Corporation", the Cuban mob's power stemmed from a criminal culture embedded in south Florida's exile community - those who had been chased from the island by Castro's revolution and planned to overthrow the Marxist dictator and reclaim their nation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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uncle joey approved
- By Anonymous User on 04-14-18
By: T. J. English
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From Russia with Blood
- The Kremlin's Ruthless Assassination Program and Vladimir Putin's Secret War on the West
- By: Heidi Blake
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 528
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 465
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 464
The untold story of how Russia refined the art and science of targeted assassination abroad—while Western spies watched in horror as their governments failed to guard against the threat. Unflinchingly documenting the growing web of death on British and American soil, Heidi Blake bravely exposes the Kremlin's assassination campaign as part of Putin's ruthless pursuit of global dominance—and reveals why Western governments have failed to stop the bloodshed.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Putin & Polonium; Oligarchs & FSB Assassins; Oh My
- By Michael J Canning on 01-09-20
By: Heidi Blake
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The Nine Lives of Pakistan
- Dispatches from a Precarious State
- By: Declan Walsh
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 84
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 84
Declan Walsh is one of the New York Times's most distinguished international correspondents. His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals. On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis....
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Fascinating Look at a Troubled Country
- By Dipam on 07-11-21
By: Declan Walsh
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The Patient Assassin
- A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence
- By: Anita Anand
- Narrated by: Anita Anand
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 41
The “compelling [and] vivid” (The New York Times Book Review) true story of a man who claimed to be a survivor of a 1919 British massacre in India, his elaborate 20-year plan for revenge, and the mix of truth and legend that made him a hero to hundreds of millions.
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4 out of 5 stars
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more interesting history
- By Autodidact on 09-07-19
By: Anita Anand
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Boxing and the Mob
- The Notorious History of the Sweet Science
- By: Jeffrey Sussman
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
More than any other sport, boxing has a history of being easy to rig. There are only two athletes and one or both may be induced to accept a bribe; if not the fighters, then the judges or referee might be swayed. In such inviting circumstances, the mob moved into boxing in the 1930s and profited by corrupting a sport ripe for exploitation. In Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science, Jeffrey Sussman tells the story of the coercive and criminal underside of boxing, covering nearly the entire 20th century.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book
- By Lester Boggs on 05-22-19
By: Jeffrey Sussman
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Mafia Summit
- J. Edgar Hoover, the Kennedy Brothers, and the Meeting That Unmasked the Mob
- By: Gil Reavill
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 290
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 246
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 245
In a small village in New York, mob bosses from all over the country - Vito Genovese, Carlo Gambino, Joe Bonanno, Joe Profaci, Cuba boss Santo Trafficante, Jr., and Paul Castellano - were nabbed by Sergeant Edgar D. Croswell as they gathered to sort out a bloody war of succession. For years FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had adamantly denied the existence of the Mafia, but Robert Kennedy immediately recognized the shattering importance of the Apalachin summit....
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4 out of 5 stars
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Something I Didn't Know
- By Kevin on 03-29-13
By: Gil Reavill
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Mob Rules
- What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman
- By: Louis Ferrante
- Narrated by: Louis Ferrante
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 91
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 79
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Story5 out of 5 stars 79
As an associate of the Gambino family, Ferrante relied on his instincts to pull off some of the biggest heists in US history. By the age of 21, he had netted millions of dollars for his employers. His natural talent for management led Mafia bosses to rely on him. After being arrested and serving an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence, Ferrante went straight. He realized that the Mob's most valuable business lessons would allow him to survive and thrive in the real world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Business Without Order Is A Business Doomed To Fail
- By Fabrice76718 on 05-15-24
By: Louis Ferrante
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What listeners say about World's Most Notorious Gangsters and Drug Lords
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Natalie Ryan
- 10-23-23
frustrating
Narration was very challenging.. Some things were repeated and pauses not natural. At times I had trouble following because there were so many characters referenced
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-13-20
very good book
keep me wanting to listen to good book I would read it again all of my life wanted read it
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jaime Carrillo
- 09-09-22
Narrator stinks
I couldn’t get into this book. The narrator reads as a child learning to read
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gardenstate Reader
- 06-03-23
Interesting summaries but…
Interesting, concise summaries that made me want to read more about the individuals. Biggest flaw is that narrator! I refuse to believe that was a real person and not a text-to-speech program. Cadence was painful to follow, no emotions, way too slow, had to listen to it at 2x the speed to keep my sanity. Frequently the “reader” would repeat the same lines. If there’s a print version, get that and save yourself the aggravation
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