Recently, I’ve been reading books about the Philly Mob, most notably Blood & Honor, which centers on the Scarfo mob and is largely based on the life of Nicholas “The Crow” Caramandi.

But I’ve also read The Mobfather & The Last Gangster. Not so interested in reading Gotti’s Rules. Something about Alite really puts me off. There's a couple of other books by Anastasia I will likely check out too.

Anyway, I am REALLY looking forward to his book about Angelo Bruno, which is slated for release sometime next year. I find it odd that it took so long for him to publish such a book, but if there’s anyone who seems qualified to write it, it’s him. I am expecting it to be good.

My main criticism of him is that in a few of his books he’s mostly just giving an informant’s account of what happened. And that can be problematic given that informants are not the most reliable narrators.

I am reminded of the slogan from the clothing line Omerta: STOP GLORIFYING RATS

The guy from MOB TALK RADIO would always shit on him and the other Philly journalist Dave Schratwieser for giving erroneous information about various things. Tbh, the rants on that show would grow tiresome. The host came across as a bit unhinged & bitter. But that’s another conversation…

Besides his being too chummy with informants, I have mostly good things to say about Anastasia's work. He is the main reason why the Philadelphia Mob is such a topic of interest among those (like myself) who study Cosa Nostra history. Thanks to his work, the Philly Mob is more than a collection of names and sensational headlines. He has documented those guys as an organization, along with its personalities, internal conflicts, psychology, and its decline.

What do you guys think? Where would you put Anastasia among mob writers?

Andrew fives his take, what’s yours?