The author has used unsealed files to revile classified secrets about Sinatra and the Mob. He opens with the tale of Frank Jr. being kidnapped and will go into detail about and the total outcome later in the book. The book itself is good and for some parts I had known about so the author using unsealed files just proved those. Another item was interesting that though he and Dean Martin were good friends Martin did not want in on his deals because Martin knew the men Sinatra was dealing with having grown up around that lifestyle in Ohio. The relationship with the Kennedy has been talked about in other and older mob books once again this has just proved that along with an interview with actor Lawford and how because he was associated with the Kennedy by marriage Sinatra dumped him from their group and he was no longer welcomed around anywhere. There is much more in this book and was a good read.

The book uses the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr. in 1963 as a framing device to show Sinatra's relationship with the Mafia; whereas publicly Sinatra was willing to let the FBI find his son, in reality he turned to his life-long friends in the Mafia to do whatever they needed to do to find Frank, Jr.

Through extensive research and interviews, the authors have put together a fascinating story. There's an Italian saying "la famiglia e tutto" meaning "family is everything" and in the case of Sinatra and the Mafia, his found family was everything - support for his singing and acting career, money and status, muscle to handle his disputes and disagreements - and Sinatra reveled in the perceived power it gave him.

Sinatra is revealed to be a petty bully with a massive anger / inferiority problem - there was little about which he didn't explode and used his Mafia "cred" to solve pretty much any dispute or perceived slight. Along the way, we get the inside scoop on the Rat Pack days in Vegas and Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe, Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill, Sam Giancana, Judith Exner, Carlos Marcello, Johnny Roselli, Pat and Peter Lawford, and so many more.

The authors' detail how "the boys" weren't too happy with the making of The Godfather and the careful negotiations to never mention "the Mafia" in the film. However, once the movie was made .... "the boys" loved it. Sinatra, on the other hand, deplored the weak, spineless depiction of himself in his alter ego Johnny Fontaine (which for the most part seems pretty much accurate).

Especially noteworthy is the authors' take on the Kennedy family, starting with Joe using the Mob to get JFK elected, and how promises were made and not kept, RFK's mission to take down the Mafia, and the resulting assassination of JFK in Dallas in 1963. The story seems pretty plausible, IMHO.

The content of the book is 4 to 5 stars, but the editing (dear gawd, the horrible editing) and run-on sentences make reading the book a challenge. Also I wearied of the casual sexism, racism, homophobia. One small example - Judith Exner is described as brainless "little Judy" running from JFK's bed to Sam Giancana's.

Rating: 3.5 stars - strong content marred by weak editing.

Wow, this book was certainly very shocking reading and quite unexpected for me anyway. I have loved Frank sinatras music, but I knew nothing about his past. Let's say very eye-opening. I can't believe how bad he really was as a person. Arrogant doesn't seem to sum it up enough. It was shocking what he was able to get away with. There certainly was never a dull moment in this book. It definitely had me turning the pages. It was well written and obviously well researched. It kept my attention throughout. I found it funny how he was served. It's definitely a must-read book if you want to learn more about Frank. I am sure this book will rock a few boats as it doesn't hold back.


So much praise goes out to the authors and publishers for bringing us this extremely shocking story.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/frank-sinatra-and-the-mafia-by-douglas-thompson-mike-rothmiller-ad-lib-publishers-4-stars under my name ladyreading365

Fascinating and interesting….Mike Rothmiller and Douglas Thompson draw on previously secret LAPD intelligence files, a cache of FBI documents released to the authors in 2021, and extensive interviews with prime sources, including many who worked with Frank Sinatra and many more who tracked his long and fatal association with the American Mafia, notably his ongoing connection, after his original godfather was assassinated: Sam 'Momo' Giancana, who shared a lover with President John F. Kennedy.

Sixteen days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy on 30 November 1963, while the singer was 'consoling' the president's widow, nineteen-year-old Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped at gunpoint from his hotel room in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. A $240,000 ransom was demanded from his father. While the FBI and Nevada and California law-enforcement agencies sprang into action, Frank secretly contacted his Mafia friends for help. The Mafia believed they could free young Frank much more quickly through their underworld connections. In the end, nine people died, having been beaten for information.

Revealed here as never before is the extent to which Sinatra was adopted by the Mafia. They promoted his career and 'watched his back' and, in return, Sinatra danced to their tune. New information disclosed here shows that Sinatra also offered to spy for the CIA. Inside sources say Sinatra wanted the CIA to intercede to stop an investigation into his gaming license in Las Vegas. But the CIA declined because they were already working with the Mob and were concerned Sinatra would learn of the Mafia's connection to the CIA and leak it.

Enjoyable retelling of Sinatra's ties to the mob which, as we discover, we extensive and undeniable, despite his attempts to deny it at the time! Fascinating he was so keen to distance himself in public from the Mafia, even though they basically saved his career.

Who knew what the real Frank Sinatra was like? I had heard that he wasn’t a great guy but this book was a real exposé of the man. I was fascinated with every single page and I couldn’t believe some of the stories. I was hooked from the beginning and I didn’t stop until the end. The book starts with a kidnapping of Frank’s son and suddenly goes back to the beginning of his time connected to the mob. I felt every kind of feeling as I learned about his life and criminal connections. This is a great nonfiction about a man who had the world in his hands and back covered by the mob.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

It was a well written account of Frank Sinatra's life and as I read I realised it confirmed that there was very little to like about him, other than his music. Very interesting reading though.

This is a good one! I grew up listening to Frank Sinatra music playing in the background, My parents loved him. I remember hearing speculation regarding his ties to the mafia but never really knew what to think. This book lays it all out there! Sinatra’s background with the mafia and all the juicy details! I couldn’t put it down!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Ad Lib Publishers and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

An interesting glance at what was in Hollywood.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend anybody interested in Frank Sinatra or the Mafia. Despite many denials about Sinatra's involvement with mob this book clearly illustrates the fact that 'ol blue eyes' owed a debt to their involvement in his career.

#netgalley #FrankSinatraAndTheMafiaMurders.
Thanks to netgalley, Douglas Thompson and Mike Rothmiller, and Ad Lib Publishers for sending this ARC e-book for a fair review.
We all have heard of Frank Sinatra. His fan base is still wide and deep. People around the world knew Frankie. The FBI, CIA and many major Police Departments also knew him, and had hundreds of files and photos of him, with gangsters and mob figures. In this engrossing novel, we learn what was in these files. He has been investigated and followed from 1944 until his death in 1988. This definitive novel uncovers and reveals just how deeply he was involved and "marrried to the mob". His involvement with the mafia, Kennedy family, are among the activities that have been achived until now. He helped them, they helped his career.
This is a real page turner, wicked and engrossing and I enjoyed every page and photo.
Highly recommended.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Loved this
The level of research is off the scale - I learned so much - particularly the early days

A fascinating read

Meticulously researched. Written well and rich in information and stories about the ‘chairman of the board’ and his life. As a late to the party Sinatra fan, this book was a must for me. I shared a love of the man with my grandparents and that love has grown.
Great read.

A Sensational Account..
The side of Frank Sinatra not often glimpsed in this meticulously researched and well documented account. Detailed information, not previously released, from international law agencies, Federal and State agencies and police departments together with various testimonies and investigations are all used to compile this intricate and fascinating expose of Sinatra’s links to the mob. A sensational, well written read.

Frank Sinatra was back by the mafia early in his career when he sang for cheese sandwiches in the pack of Lucky’s cigarettes. This association with scar his life but also benefit him tremendously in the long run and that is what this book is about and what an interesting book it was. It even discusses the time the association with the mafia helped his girlfriend get out of the murder charge in Cuba. I found this book so interesting and so revealing and learned so much I didn’t know about Frank Sinatra I thoroughly enjoyed it and totally recommend it. If you love all Hollywood and tails out of school you love this book. I received this book from NetGalley And the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Whew! This one’s exciting! I read it in a flash. Highly readable and interesting.

I’m game to read anything about Sinatra, and was thrilled to see a new selection. This is a rare case when the galley phrase “revealed here as never before” is absolutely true. It’s long been known that while Frankie enjoyed being a benefactor, his alter ego was dark and sometimes cruel. This book is NOT about his good side. Mike Rothmiller and Douglas Thompson delve into the darker pieces of his personality with depth and novelty.

For those interested in the Kennedy’s, Lana Turner, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe…(the list goes on and on!), you’ll find plenty to drop your jaw. There’s a lot of interesting stories about most everyone in Mr. Sinatra’s circle.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for granting access to a digital ARC in exchange for a review.

Frank Sinatra and the Mafia Murders is another meticulously researched book from Douglas Thompson and Mike Rothmiller,whose previous book on the murder of Marilyn Monroe is one of the best True Crime books I've read.

Using recently released FBI and LAPD Intelligence files and interviews with those who knew Frank Sinatra this is a comprehensive telling of "Old Blue Eyes" connections to the American Mafia. While those links are fairly common knowledge this book shows just how close Sinatra was to shadowy underworld figures even from a young age and while very short of being a "made man" Sinatra was personally close to many of the Mafia's most notorious figures. The book vividly paints the picture of organised crimes grubby feelers slithering into the worlds of Hollywood,Casinos, the entertainment industry and eventually into big business tarnishing and corrupting everything in its path from the 1930's onwards with corrupt politicians and law enforcement officers selling their souls along the way.

Sinatra is revealed as a deeply unpleasant person who kept the company of notorious criminals and was an immoral narcissist, his friendship with the equally immoral Kennedy clan is an eye-opener as described in the book, the self-styled Knights of "Camelot" wearing distinctly tainted armour..

A fascinating read,and an insight into places and people in American history,notably Hollywood and the Kennedys, that have entered legend as glamorous but were in reality sleazy,decadent and sordid.

5 stars

Wow! This is really interesting. It gives a lot of substance to the long time rumors. I think it is a must for any Sinatra fan, history buff, or any pop culture enthusiast.

This was quite an eye opening read. I’ve learned bits and pieces of some parts of this book in other books thru the years, including Rothmiller's. But nothing like this more detailed look behind the scenes, thanks to the release of many previously withheld documents of several law enforcement agencies. Sad to say, it just makes me feel even more hopeless for the situation our country has ended up in today, as you can see where some of it started way back. A good read for Sinatra fans, and those who enjoy revealing mob books.

Thsi was an excellent book. I lived in Palm Springs for many years, and to say Sinatra was Mafia or had those connections was common, but this book provides more prove that the rumors were more than just that.