Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and easy to read
Review: This book is really about the life of Muriel Humphreys who was the brains of the Outfit since the Capone days. Much of the material is new, coming as it does from his Widow and her recounting of her knowledge of Humprheys' life in the Outfit that fills in some of the gaps of what was previously known of the shadowy history of the Chicago Mob. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the true workings of Chicago Organized Crime with the caveat to beware of some of the accounts described in the book. Be sure to read the footnotes, for some of the secondary sources the author uses are of dubious worth and validity.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Account Marred by Some Dubious Secondary Resources
Review: This book is really about the life of Muriel Humphreys who was the brains of the Outfit since the Capone days. Much of the material is new, coming as it does from his Widow and her recounting of her knowledge of Humprheys' life in the Outfit that fills in some of the gaps of what was previously known of the shadowy history of the Chicago Mob. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the true workings of Chicago Organized Crime with the caveat to beware of some of the accounts described in the book. Be sure to read the footnotes, for some of the secondary sources the author uses are of dubious worth and validity.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and easy to read
Review: This is a nonfiction book full of facts, but is an easy read like a novel. The author makes his points, then backs them up with thorough research. With all the information the reader is presented, the book never gets dry, boring, or drawn-out. It is an interesting story about how the U.S. really works.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated author
Review: This is about as good as it gets in terms of criminal history. I agree with others that some of the secondary sources Russo cites are questionable (my eyes crossed when he cited the discredited "Last Testament of Lucky Luciano"), but Russo does an excellent job of placing the Outfit in historical context and telling their tale. Much previous writing on American organized crime has focused on the fractious and colorful New York families, but after you do a certain amount of reading, it begins to occur to you that the guys in Chicago seem to have a finger in every pie, but (after Capone) a knack for staying out of the papers. Russo makes the argument that the Outfit was actually much more powerful and cohesive than the New York families and had a much greater influence on American politics and culture. He convinced me. I am also convinced by Russo's basic thesis -- that "upperworld crime" utterly dwarfs underworld crime, both in terms of dollar volume and its affect on society. For example, it would take a thousand Outfits a thousand years to steal as much money as Wall Street did during the dotcom bubble. Thorough, well-organized, but never dry, this book will probably stand as the best work on the subject for many years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Sets a New Standard
Review: This is about as good as it gets in terms of criminal history. I agree with others that some of the secondary sources Russo cites are questionable (my eyes crossed when he cited the discredited "Last Testament of Lucky Luciano"), but Russo does an excellent job of placing the Outfit in historical context and telling their tale. Much previous writing on American organized crime has focused on the fractious and colorful New York families, but after you do a certain amount of reading, it begins to occur to you that the guys in Chicago seem to have a finger in every pie, but (after Capone) a knack for staying out of the papers. Russo makes the argument that the Outfit was actually much more powerful and cohesive than the New York families and had a much greater influence on American politics and culture. He convinced me. I am also convinced by Russo's basic thesis -- that "upperworld crime" utterly dwarfs underworld crime, both in terms of dollar volume and its affect on society. For example, it would take a thousand Outfits a thousand years to steal as much money as Wall Street did during the dotcom bubble. Thorough, well-organized, but never dry, this book will probably stand as the best work on the subject for many years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive Work on the Chicago Outfit
Review: This is the best and most informative book I've read on the Chicago Sydicate (aka, the Outfit). Mr. Russo really did his homework on this opus on one of the most successful criminal enterprises this country has ever seen. I was particularly interested in the role of Curly Humphreys. This shadowy figure was the backbone of the Outfit and was a brilliant strategist. He is not as widely known as Meyer Lansky, but was just as savvy. There was also much information on the rest of the Chicago bosses and bigwigs (Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, Paul "The Waiter" Ricca, Sam Giancana, and Johnny Rosselli, among others). There was also some great information on Frank Sinatra and has involvement with various mob families across the country. If you want to read a definitive work on the Chicago Mafia and its far-reaching influence, then this book is it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Book
Review: This is the best mob book I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them. The author's style is intelligent, witty, detailed, and extremely personable. He tells us so many facts about the Chicago mob, from its incarnation in the early 20th century to the 1990's, that I felt I was experiencing a living history class on the Outfit while I read. Russo supplies his readers with wonderfully colorful accounts of the "Chicago Boys" and their outrageous acts when they ruled Chicago. One of the most fascinating characters, about whom I never knew before, was the Welsh genius who essentially played consigliere to the Outfit for several decades. Curly Humphreys was never mnade because of his Welsh blood, but he could have been the smartest Boss the mob ever had. He came up with the 5th Amendment dodge that kept gangsters from having to tell the Kefauver or McClelland Committees anything damning about themselves or their gangster pals. He actually knew more about the Constitution than any of the Senators or lawyers attached to the Committees! He was brilliant.
Russo pulls no punches when recounting the Outfit's numerous murders and cruelties. He does not glamorize the mob. At the same time, he offers fascinating insights into the minds and personalities of everyone from Johnny Torrio to Al Capone to Johnny Roselli, humanizing them. He throws in some juicy tidbits about "friends" of the Outfit like Frank Sinatra. He also provides a behind-the-scene look into how FDR, Truman, and Kennedy became President with the Outfit's help. In addition, the stories about Chicago politicians and cops (far more corrupt than the mob guys) could make a whole book. Some of the facts presented, all with verifiable authentication, made my jaw drop.
Anyone who loves mob stories must get this book. You won't believe what you read.
Rating:
Summary: I hope the Pulitzer people read this book.....
Review: This is the first book that I have recommended for the Pulitzer, and this book richly deserves the honor and many more to be heaped upon it.
This book is a fascinating and well researched book, but it is much more than that. It is funny, smartly written and so entertaining that the book is actually a real page turner. The book is a real eye opener to the inner workings of the Chicago mafia and their dealings with the upperworld and political figures spanning 50 years. This book is shocking! The Outfit describes in great detail the association between the mafia and Truman, Lyndon Johnson, The Kennedy's, and numerous state and federal officials.
The book also details the life of Curly Humphreys, the most important mob figure, Tony Accardo, Paul Ricca, Johnny Rosselli, Sam "Momo" Giancana, and Al Capone. The book is rich in details of their lives, it tells of all their exploits and describes their murders, rackets, and other operations. The book breaks down myths and realities regarding certain aspects of their businesses. They talk about the control of unions, the fixing of the Kennedy election, Las Vegas, and various other well known mob exploits that are often surrounded in modern day folklore.
This book is absolutely excellent and it will give you straight facts, which is the most amazing aspect. While entertaining, it is extensively researched which is the best part of the book. I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.
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