Carmine (Carmillo) “The Cigar” Galante was said to have been born troubled and continued this worsening trend throughout his life. Already in juvenile detention at the age of ten years old, he was “the terror of the East Side” as a runner for members of organized crime. At twenty, he was already a murderer for some of the most famous crime families in history, a clinically diagnosed psychopathic personality who sadistic kills were matched by the delight he took in performing them. He was determined to become the boss of all bosses (“capo di capi”) by killing the heads of the biggest crime families world wide. (This didn’t sit right with many of the heads of organized crime families, as one might imagine). The rise of Carmine “Lilo” Galante was infamous, first as a hit man for the Genovese and Luciano families, and eventually promoted to “consigliere” (advisor, a very high position) by Joseph Bonnano. Nicknamed “Lilo” because of the ever-present Sicilian stogie cigar in his mouth, he became the biggest illegal drug dealer in the country, selling more heroin than any rival would dare according to police officials. Eventually, the heads of the five crime families decided the psychopathic Galante needed to be stopped, and so ordered his death. His murder occurred while he sat on the outdoor patio of his cousin’s restaurant in Brooklyn, on July 12, 1979, at the age of sixty-nine.

“The Cigar” was a fascinating look into a bit of history regarding organized crime. It was written by Frank Dimatteo and Michael Benson, the former being a low-level member of organized crime. DiMatteo’s father and uncles were shooters for The Gallo Brothers, and his uncle was the capo in the Genovese family and bodyguard to Frank Costello, head of the Lucky Luciano family. He heard and saw that to which no young man should ever be exposed, hence, he speaks about what he knows through these pages. I have always been fascinated by the drama and portrayals of organized crime, and I’ve read books and seen movies. I did really enjoy the honesty reading “The Cigar,” though there was much gore and many murders described in detail. It was a straightforward account by first person observation regarding the lives of men in organized crime families, which also talked about the hierarchy within each structured family. (There was also mention of FBI undercover agent Joseph Pistone, aka Donny Brasco, who got further into an organized crime family (The Bonanno family) than any other police official ever did. Pistone wrote a book and was featured a Hollywood movie (that Pistone claimed was “85% accurate”) that I equally enjoyed, and he was discussed many times throughout the pages. He and his family remain in hiding today). This is my first, but I would happily read more books by Frank DiMatteo regarding his first-person account of the many men he either encountered or of whom he had intimate knowledge. If you are a fan of organized crime and its members and/or true crime stories, this book is for you. (Note: graphic violence, murder, drugs, and language).

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Frank DiMatteo, Michael Benson, and Citadel Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC

This is the story of Carmine Galante, the terrorizing boss whose catch phrase was “I rule everything”. He was called a “sadistic thrill killer”, a psychopath and “the biggest dope peddler in the country” - always seen with a cigar in his mouth. In 1979, in a restaurant in Brooklyn, Galante got what many saw as a long-time coming: a shotgun blast to the face, his cigar still clenched between his teeth.

This was a very diligent account of Carmine Galante’s life as a mobster. I am always fascinated by “mafia history” - as long as I am on the outside looking in! That being said, my family originated from Brooklyn (and before that, Naples), so some of the places mentioned are familiar to me from growing up. Also — this was a very special buddy read for me: I got to read it with my husband. He is the cigar aficionado around here and it was fun to read and discuss together :)

Thank you to Netgalley, Frank DiMatteo, Michael Benson and Citadel/Kensington publishing for the ARC! “The Cigar: Carmine Galante, Mafia Terror” releases March 28th!

This review will be shared to my isnstragm blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I found this was a dry read until around chapter 13, where it improved slightly and I enjoyed a few chapters…. but overall I found myself bored (even though Galante is one of the most fascinating mobsters in Italian mafia history, I just don’t think this novel did him justice). I also felt the authors use of limerick and slang throughout the book to be sloppy and overused… The way it was written just landed flat for me. As the years passed throughout the book, I felt like I was missing a lot of details on Galante himself. When I read these books, I like to understand who the mobster really is as a person, which I didn’t feel I got in this one. If you prefer straight facts with little personification of the subject, you may enjoy this writing style. It just wasn’t for me.

I gave it 2.5 stars because despite my thoughts above, Galante’s story is truly fascinating & some chapters did that justice. That said, there are better #mob books out there.

The Cigar is a chronicle of the violent life (and death) of mobster Carmine Galante. Meticulously detailed, this is a fascinating account of Galante’s life in the Mafia, and his ascension from street thug to ruthless killer and his insatiable quest for power, which ultimately led to his death. Lots of name-dropping here, as the author does a remarkable job of recounting mob hits and locations, culled from police and court reports and interviews. Loved the “conversational” and witty writing style, this is a must read for any mob aficionado. I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a look at the life of Carmine Galante, a none too savvy mobster. There is debate whether he was born in Italy before his family moved to the US, or if he was born here in the US as his birth certificate showed. It made it harder for him to be deported as they could never prove he was from Italy. Another good mob read by this pair of authors.

A fascinating story of Mr. Galante, of which I had very little knowledge of. Anyone interested in Mafia stories will find this an interesting read, with all the whacking of mob guys you wonder how some of them lived past middle age. I received an e-book in return for an unbiased review.