Dimensions
129 x 198 x 26mm
Remarkable though it may now seem, the biggest criminal organisation the world has ever seen actually started as an alternative form of local government in the Sicilian countryside and was arguably a force for 'good'. But this first incarnation of the Mafia was crushed by Mussolini, and its post-war successor took the more familiar form that has been immortalised in films such as The Godfather.
A.G.D. Maran examines these eras before going on to address the 'third' Mafia and the connections between politicians and the underworld. Along the way, he asks many provocative questions, including:
Why was Lucky Luciano, the father of modern organised crime, freed from a life sentence in America and deported to Italy, allowing him to organise the international drug trade?
What was the role of the Mafia in the death of Pope John Paul I?
What was the organisation's connection to the Kennedy family?
Why did the Mafia murder Roberto Calvi, known as God's Banker?
Why did it take 40 years to find the Last Godfather, Bernardo Provenzano, captured in 2006?
These and many other intriguing issues are covered in Maran's refreshing new take on a perenially enthralling subject. He uncovers a number of genuine revelations along the way.
