Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss Reviews

• Good read for those fan's of the mafia, but!

  
  By A16B59SHVUHBTS on 2008-08-15
  I have been an avid reader of true crime and mafia related books for over 15 years and have a personal library of over 300 books relating to American, Canadian and Italian mafia history and if there is one thing I am certain of is that unless so called facts are substantiated and reinforced or backed by solid research and hard evidence, you cannot believe everything your read! For the better part of 5 decades, mainly since the Senate Committee Hearings on Organized Crime of the 1950s and 60s there have been countless books written about mafia crime families, La Cosa Nostra leaders and members, and the events that surround their lives and the history of the American mafia, but most of the early books written by investigative reporters, journalists and independent authors were based strictly on willing participants within various local and federal law enforcement agencies and on their records, along with court records and media (mostly newspaper) accounts. Basically, it was not until the 1980s that authors of mob related books obtained the ability to research their subjects (groups, individuals and events) through the best means available for roughly more than 25 years, allowing for more accurate and credible accounts and sources. Those accounts and sources would be law enforcement bugs and wiretaps, along with surveillance records and photos and of course, mob informers, a.k.a., the "rats", "stoolies" and "co-operating witnesses" who end up in the witness protection program or in prison doing a short stint for co-operating or serious time otherwise.
  
  What must be remembered even now is that all those organized crime members who co-operate in some manner with law enforcement are criminals! In other words their very nature is to lie, cheat, steal and corrupt and nothing changes when they pen or co-operate on a book. The only so called facts in any book that should be taken seriously and without doubt are those that can be collaborated or backed by direct proof such as those I mentioned previously, mainly law enforcement wiretaps and bugs and surveillance records, and in many cases court records dealing with large scale prosecutions of organized crime figures and groups. When statements or so called facts in a book can be reinforced by such sources than the credibility of the author and those involved multiply greatly.
  
  Do not always depend solely on the past credibility of the author, in fact his sources and their credibility are just as important or even more important in some cases. With that said, let me say that "Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss" is a great read and without a doubt a well written book, but at the same time it's author Phil Carlo has lost an immense amount of credibility since his previous work, "The Iceman: Confessions of Mafia Contract Killer", which is without a doubt one of the worst true crime-mob related books ever written. For anyone who wishes to read not only my opinion of the book, but would like to read true facts as to why "EVERY" mafia related story in the book concerning Richard Kuklinski is completely and utterly untrue they only need to read my Amazon review of the book, which dissects all the mafia related murders Kuklinski and Carlo stated "The Iceman" was involved in and all the lies that are attributed to Mr. Kuklinsi and his alleged actions. The book reads like a classic mafia tale, with a modern and gritty edge that showcases the modern mafia mentality, to obtain money and power at all costs, even at the cost of loyalty and honor. At the same time, as stated by other Amazon reviews, "Gaspipe" carries a number of contradictions within the book. One of the most obvious being that author Phil Carlo stated in his book, "The Iceman" that Kuklinski was alone responsible for the death of Gambino crime family soldier and hitman, Roy DeMeo. Yet in "Gaspipe", subject Tony Casso, the former Lucchese crime family underboss details his participation in the murder of DeMeo and that of his and DeMeo's associates, "The Testa Brothers", Joey and Patty. It was in fact stated by witnesses and law enforcement members during the trial of former DeMeo crew associates and eventual and Lucchese crime family members, "The Gemini Twins", Joey Testa and Anthony Senter that they were the ones who killed DeMeo on orders of Gambino crime family Boss Paul Castellano and DeMeo's capo, Nino Gaggi and Castellano aide, capo Frank DeCicco, all detailed in court documents and information easily found in F.B.I. files. Something that should have been debated by Carlo in the book or at the very least been mentioned in some manner to draw light on Casso's alleged knowledge of the murder.
  
  Just as with "The Iceman", author Phil Carlo has left himself vulnerable to criticism to say the least. Just as facts surrounding the DeMeo murder can be argued, Carlo's has once again shown himself to be less than accurate when it comes to New York mafia history and that of "The Five Families", especially the Gambino crime family. Influential Queens mobster, Joseph N. Gallo was longtime Consigliere to Paul Castellano and continued to hold the title shortly after John Gotti took over the family in early 1986 after the murder of Castellano by the Gotti faction in late (December) 1985, and Gallo was not in his 20's if I remember correctly What Carlo stated. Carlo's facts about the Gambino crime family membership was most likely a typo, 250 members being what should have been stated, not 2,500. It is the author's responsibility to substantiate the facts given by his sources, even his main source, who is also the main subject of the book. Casso states that Gambino crime family capos "Handsome Jack" Giordano and Joseph "Joe Butch" Corrao met with Gambino associate and Casso murder victim Jimmy Hydell after the botched hit on Casso. For years there has been information from informers and law enforcement that stated the Casso hit was at the time sanctioned or ordered by Gambino crime family soldier and Casso business associate, Michael "Mickey Boy" Paradiso, who was in conflict with Casso allegedly over a drug deal gone bad. Jack Giordano and Joe Corrao were highly respected, influential and high ranking Gambino crime family members, who would have never met with a low level associate to deal with matters of such a nature, especially one who is not a member of their crew. That would fall to Hydell's boss and keeper, his uncle, Gambino crime family capo Danny Marino, who was in fact a close associate of Tony Casso and a John Gotti rival at the time within the Castellano faction that eventually planned to hit Gotti with the sanction of the Genovese and Lucchese crime family leaders, which included Casso. All information that Carlo should know, but did not even mention or touch on in any manner and any information surrounding these particular people and events seem mixed up, just like so several others in the book. Mafia protocol, rules and traditions dictate much of a mobsters actions, especially those actions that are suppose to be on the books or ordered by a superior, and Carlo should know this and other matters that pertain to the mafia and it's members, but just as he did with "The Iceman" he fails bitterly with "Gaspipe" when it comes to some basic or general mafia knowledge.
  
  Carlo's knowledge on the New York mafia is tainted at best and at times confusing to readers. The story of Anthony "Gaspipe"Casso reads well and is highly entertaining for any fan of the New York crime families and the American mafia, but too many so called facts and information are either outright incorrect, clouded by surrounding or related circumstances, but never dealt with, such as the DeMeo and Hydell killings. Nothing to serious, but simple mistakes in the book are evident, such as Gambino crime family soldier and former John Gotti associate and aide, Angelo Ruggiero being called "Quack Quack" because he ducked subpoenas frequently, when in fact he was given that nickname by Gotti because he talked too much. Legendary Lucchese crime family Boss' Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo went by the nickname "Tony Ducks" because of ducking subpoenas frequently, something very well known, but obviously not to Carlo, the so called mafia expert. I guess Carlo figured the "quack quack" and the "duck" had to fit somehow?
  
  For the second time Mr. Carlo proves that he is a less than credible author where American mafia history and his research methods are concerned. The book itself as I stated reads well and is entertaining. The direct history that concerns the main subject, Anthony Casso covers the former mafia boss, his history, his influence and reputation within the New York mafia very well and at times the book lends some fresh information regarding the New York mafia, mainly those events directly related to Casso. All in all the book is your typical run of the mill "Mafia Story" with some new twists, but where accuracy and the facts are concerned, knowledgeable "Mob Watchers" will shake their heads at times and even give a good laugh other times. Mr. Carlo's does tend to regurgitate the same old facts concerning the New York mafia that end up in most books that deal with "The Five Families", but without a doubt the information that concerns Casso is worth reading. The majority of the story regarding Casso's life and criminal exploits is worth read if your a fan of mafia related works, at the very least the book is entertaining. This book is certainly not on par with the work of Jerry Capeci, Selwyn Raab or Dave Critchley. Mr. Critchley is in fact an author from the U.K. who's expertise centers on ealry American mafia history. He is the author of a great concerning the early New York mafia entitled, "The Origin of Organized Crime in America:The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931", a superbly researched and written book. I know this firsthand because I helped the author research and verify some information and because Critchley carries the type of reputation and credibility which is enhanced by his meticulous research. He is somebody Carlo could learn from or at the very least take some pointers from!
  
  Regardless what is true or false, accurate or inaccurate, "Gaspipe:Confessions of a Mafia Boss" is an interesting and entertaining read for any fan of the American mafia, but for those who are looking for serious research material there is much within the book that must be questioned.
  
  
  
  

• Philip Carlo does it again

  
  By ADQI2VDA2W66Q on 2008-07-02
  I got this book July 1st AM (the day it was released) and once I started reading it I couldnt put the book down.
  
  What I like about the authors style is he never sits on one subject too long and there isnt a moment that I feel like saying "oh this is getting boring".
  
  Being from Brooklyn NY and reading the local newspapers all the time I thought I knew everything there is to know about gaspipe but this book really blew my mind, real stories real crimes that happened not too long ago and the author is very strict about giveng details like street names and other data bringing the book to life even more.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "NO MATTER HOW TOUGH SOMEONE WAS, A BULLET TO THE HEAD WON ALL ARGUMENTS!"

  
  By A1623N94C3XATU on 2008-07-03
  ***************************************************************** ANTHONY "GASPIPE" CASSO, FORMER HEAD OF THE LUCCHESE CRIME FAMILY IS CURRENTLY SERVING *THIRTEEN* CONSECUTIVE LIFE-SENTENCES "PLUS" 455 YEARS IN THE ADX FLORENCE PRISON, THE SUPERMAX PRISON IN FLORENCE, COLORADO.
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  Anthony was born into the "life", a synonym for being a Mafioso. His Father, Michael Casso's nickname was "Gaspipe" because he always carried an eight-inch length of lead gaspipe that he used like a blackjack, or held in his fist to add additional destructive power when he threw a punch. Anthony inherited his Father's nickname and it was attached to him for life. His Father took him everywhere with him including the mafia "social-clubs" where he learned firsthand how a man of "respect" was treated. Anthony said "his best friend in life was indisputably his Father." It was only natural that while other kids his age dreamed of being doctors, lawyers, or firemen, Anthony dreamed of being a "made-man". "Gaspipe" became part of an organization filled with men with names like: "Kid Blast", "Crazy Joe", "Ducks", "Mad Dog", "Blackout", "The Horse", "Sally Dee", "Beansy", "The Bull", "Fat Pete", "The Bug", "Pep", "The Iceman", "Quack Quack", "The Chin", and countless others.
  
  "Gaspipe" grew from an independent criminal with his own crew originally specializing in "B&E" (breaking and entering) into a full-service killing/torturing/bank-robbing/money-making machine whose talents were highly coveted by all the mafia families. Despite offers from multiple "families" "Gaspipe" chose the Lucchese family. In rapid fashion "Gaspipe" became known as a man of his word who shouldn't be messed with, as he would just as soon kill you, as allow you to become a bothersome loose end he may have to fret about. Just as important as all of that, is the fact that he became an envied "EARNER". By the very nature of the way the mafia did business, it would be logical that the La Cosa Nostra would be infested with cold-blooded murderer's... but within this select group Casso stood out, and was feared and respected as a "SECRET SWEEPER." "GASPIPE" KILLED THOSE WITHIN THE MAFIA'S COMMUNITY WHO NEEDED KILLING. HE WAS "A-KILLER-OF-KILLERS". Concurrently with the rapidly growing number of murders, Casso like most other "made-men" were loving Fathers and husbands, and families were always of utmost importance, creating perhaps the greatest dichotomy within the La Cosa Nostra.
  
  The mafia commission did not want any of the families involved in drugs. Not because of any altruistic values, but because the punishment was too severe. One mafia member "faced twenty to twenty-five years in jail-basically a life sentence" for selling a pound of coke. The old-school mafia leaders felt men so condemned, would be tempted to turn on their own. Despite the mafia ban on drugs, many members sold drugs "off-the-record", and none did it more successfully than "Gaspipe"! He was selling so much grass, cocaine and heroin, that "he bought three shrimp trawlers to bring more grass over from South America, and trucks with secret compartments to transport the grass. He even bought a 707 cargo plane to bring drugs over from South America. This was in addition to his growing fortune from his B&E crew, loan sharking, drug dealing, no-show jobs at the docks, and an interest in five after-hour clubs.
  
  The mafia was starting to change, as unauthorized internal "hits", such as the John Gotti organized murder of Gambino boss Paul Castellano highlighted; century old rules were being broken. A power struggle between Gotti and "Gaspipe" that involved respect and old-school ways, as much as anything else, led to a failed assassination attempt on September 16, 1986 when Casso was shot six times, but "Gaspipe" escaped death. "Gaspipe's" plan of "REVENGE" included mafia "owned" cops and mafia "owned" FBI agents leading "Gaspipe" to the failed assassin. Twenty-two days later the "mafia-cops" delivered a car to Casso with a package in the trunk. Casso drove the car with his gift in the trunk to a "safe-house" and opened the trunk. "Trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey was a big, blonde-headed man. His wrists and ankles were cuffed tightly, his mouth taped shut. When he saw Casso, his eyes nearly popped out of his head, cartoonlike." Casso lifted him out of the trunk, carried him into the house, and laid him on a tarp covered floor. "Gaspipe" would not rest till he found out who ordered the "hit". "He took out a knife and cut off the victim's clothes. He drew out a 16 shot .22 automatic fitted with a silencer. He didn't want to kill him, but he wanted to make him suffer, make him talk." "With a hand as steady as a diamond cutter's, Casso began the torture. The first bullet he put through the victim's left kneecap, the next through his right knee, and the third through the space midway between his ankle and knee. POW! POW! Suddenly there were bullet holes in each of the victim's shins. He then took aim at the space where Christ had been crucified, the area just above the metatarsals, and fired. The man furiously twisted and turned to no avail. The amazingly well-placed .22 slugs continued to drill holes in him-the left and right elbows, the wrists, and the shoulders were pierced. Satisfied that he had hit most of the major bones of the man's body, Casso moved on to his large muscles. He shot holes in the biceps, the calves, the thick thigh muscles. He then scrupulously took sight of the folded mushroom that was his "manhood". He pulled the trigger. The man's shriveled up sex organ seemed to explode. It was suddenly no more. Calmly Casso reloaded the gun. He would leave the man alone for a while; he'd allow the wounds to swell and fester, the symphony of pain to begin... a Beethoven's fifth of suffering." "Silently, with the quiet stealth of a large cat, Casso turned and walked away, feeling whole and complete for the first time since he'd been shot. When, several hours later, Casso returned, be began the questioning... "WHO", he demanded in little more than a growl, "hired you?"
  
  Today the mafia is basically no more. What happened? The simple code... the entire heart... of what the entire mafia had been built on... oh so many years ago... the most powerful word in organized crime for generations... **** "OMERTA" **** "THE CODE OF SILENCE"****... existed no more! More Mafia rats began "singing" in the last decade-and-a-half, than had sung in every opera since time immemorial. If only all the "made-men" and their associates had truly taken to heart the old organized crime mantra:
  
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  "IF ALL THE FISH IN THE SEA KEPT THEIR MOUTHS SHUT, THEY'D NEVER GET CAUGHT!"
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• a disappointmen

  
  By A2FPC24TD0WPR5 on 2008-07-15
  Where are the confessions? This book is very dissappointing. There is nothing new in here I hadn't read before. Read the books Five Families or The Brotherhood. They are much more factual and alot more readable.
  
  

• The "Glamorous" Life Of A Mobster

  
  By AXMKAXC0TR9AW on 2008-07-09
  Author Philip Carlo was a neighbor of mafia boss Anthony Casso growing up in Brooklyn, and perhaps Casso felt more open to speaking to someone he felt more comfortable. I like the short chapters, although some are ridiculously short. One paragraph! I find it hard to be sympathetic to mafia boss Casso who claims "to be a better man than most of the people on the streets these days." This coming from a man who ordered hits on others due to mere paranoia on his part. He also engineered the torture killing (I won't go into details here) of an individual who tried to do to him what he (Casso) had done to many others. Anthony Casso laments there is no loyalty within the mob. This is true desite their comedic ritual of Omerta where one is required to hold a burning piece of paper while blistering the hands until the fire goes out. Certainly there is no rest for the wicked. Living a ridiculously outrageous lifestyle with ill-gotten gains, and living in fear of what another may implicate you for leads one to plot the other's demise. I did find a contradiction in this book with author Philip Carlo's book The Ice Man. On page 280 of The Ice Man author Carlo states Richard Kuklinski placed five bullets into mobster Roy DeMeo and killed him. On page 129 of Gaspipe author Carlo states the Testa brothers, Joey and Patty, along with Anthony Casso killed him. Patty poured Roy coffee while Joey and Anthony shot Roy to death. Are there other contradictions in the book? Probably! I was also bothered by some of the sentence structure which was confusing. One sentence in particular on page 200 I found puzzling was in regard to Vinnie Albano. Casso emptied his gun into Albano's chest. "Albano was dead before he knew it." Casso laments the government reneged on its so-called deal if he testified against mobsters, but I find it hard to sympathize with him. There is always forgiveness, but like other mobsters, their life ends with either an early grave or a prison sentence.
  
  
• good and bad
  By A28MOIHV44K93L on 2008-07-24
  This book was interesting in part but philip carlo is a terrible writer, there were so many false facts and obviously not much research went into the book. Philip carlo is very repetitive and sounds like he trys very hard to write a book, His Iceman book is also filled with constant lies, if you treat the book as a novel it may be interesting, There was no interview done for this book i believe carlo never spoke with casso about the book, i will bever buy another carlo book.
  
  
• Interesting if a bit biased
  By AZ2CU5NYOLZSQ on 2008-08-08
  While overall I enjoyed "Gaspipe" I was nagged but the author's attempts to portray such a merciless killer in a sympathetic light. I've no doubt that Carlo's sympathetic tone stems from his personal ties to Casso (the author's parents were friends of Casso and his wife)but the author's lack of objectivity made me question whether what I was reading was accurate or just Casso's spin on the events in the book.
  
  
• Gaspipe Rocks
  By A3F3ODNO1FAIR7 on 2008-08-15
  Both my husband and me thoroughly enjoyed Gaspipe. Both of us come from Dyker Heights and thought Carlo's portrayal of the Mafia culture was eerie and uncanny. We note with dismay the posting here of R.J. Rios. I can only say that this fellow's sources of information are the three hundred books he says he read. That's woefully inadequate. The Mafia is all about secrecy. The Mafia is clandestine by its very nature. Having said that, it seems ludicrous that any one person, based on the reading of books, would set himself up as an authority. I am sure there are people in law enforcement who knew nothing about what Carlo wrote so insightfully and simply in Gaspipe. We note, too, that Carlo has publicly said -- we recently heard him on a radio show -- that Richard Kuklinski, aka the Iceman, did lie about certain crimes. When most of the participants in any given crime, murder, are dead, it's very hard for an author to verify one way or another what exactly happened. No author in any one book could tell all the tales, trials and tribulations of a character like Anthony Casso. To do such a thing, the book would have to be thousands of pages. A compelling book has to be a condensed version of all that happened. The days of Tolstoy and Joyce are long gone and forgotten. We think Carlo wrote the most insightful, in-depth tale of a Mafia boss ever put on paper. It's a first class job from a first class writer. Highly, highly recommended.
  
  
• A tour de force in the literature on organized crime. A MUST READ!
  By A2929006JZJUOZ on 2008-07-14
  As an investigative reporter I've written two books relating to Gregory Scarpa Sr., the Colombo killer whom Philip Carlo references via Anthony Casso throughout this brilliant book. I've also written about the infamous "Mafia Cops" case, but I was stunned at how much ground breaking new material is in GASPIPE -- a page turning read that I could not put down. Philip Carlo is the rarest of writers covering the LCN -- a journalist from the means streets of Brooklyn who has been there and knows "the life" like few others. My only regret is that this rating system doesn't allow me to give it more than Five Stars. Peter Lance www.peterlance.com.
  
  
• a very compelling read...
  By AFGGD8MU6H04Z on 2008-07-25
  I first must address the review posted here by Uncle Paul. In my mind, he didn't read the same book I read. Throughout the book, Anthony Casso beared his soul to Carlo. He told Carlo about the relationship with his wife and her untimely death in great detail; he told Carlo about his first murder, when he made his bones; he told Carlo about his breaking and entering crew in amazing, colorful detail; he told Carlo too about the death of his father with such personal intimacy that I cried; he told Carlo in amazing candor about his drug-dealing operation, the shrimp boats he owned that brought tons of marijuana from South America to Brooklyn's great Jamaica Bay, about the jet he bought which reularly brought huge amounts of cocaine from Colombia to South Florida; he also told Carlo about why he betrayed his oath of Omerta and why the government ended up betraying him. I read FIVE FAMILIES and what Carlo garnered from Casso is far more detailed, far more in-depth. Also, throughout Carlo's book, Anthony Casso is constantly quoted. At the back of Carlo's book, there are several pages, in Casso's own words, about why he became an informer.... why he feels LCN is dying. In short, this book gave me a fly-on-the-wall perspective of not only Casso's life in La Cosa Nostra, but the whole world that he was such an intricate, important part of. Carlo writes with authority, simplicity, with a razor sharp edge that, at times, left me breathless.
  
  
• good story, but with caveat
  By AWAEO6SXEZNQP on 2008-08-06
  most stuff about the mafia is interesting on its own merits; carlo's tale is no exception, however, just as with his bio of serial killer kuklinski (in which he credits kuklinski with participation on some of the mafia's "greatest hits"--hoffa and galante), realize that for all the time he spent in person with his subjects, that's probably as little time as he spent doing fact checking to verify the accounts conveyed to him. for instance he talks of "twenty-five year old capo" joseph gallo, when in fact joe gallo was gotti's consigliere, and he wasn't a 25-year old. also, carlo endlessly repeats himself. that said, you do get a different, more realistic picture of casso than the one presented by breslin in "the good rat," which is more a portrayal of casso associate burton kaplan, although breslin is a superior writer. carlo is actually more interesting to listen to.
  
  
• novel-like work
  By A1B7UHVNSZ3O96 on 2008-08-20
  Great Novel-like read...Altho author biases towards Casso, he truly makes a hero out of him in reader's eyes. Paints vivid pictures of every crime and non-crime-related tale and leaves reader waning more and more after each chapter, not only about Casso but every Made Man mentioned.
  
  
• Even you, Brutus
  By AJRO9NGMOWWII on 2008-08-01
  Recently finished reading Gaspipe by P. Carlo. All in all I would recommend this book because it does give a glimpse into a very interesting time in the world of NYC LCN particularly the Lucchese family in their twilight.
  That said, I wanted to point out some (what I found to be errors) in the story. In no particular order.
  On page 171 the book states that the Gambino family had 2500 made members. I think this might be a typo. The number at the time I believe was 250 w/ perhaps 1000 associates.
  On page 166 the book states that Anthony "Ducks" Corallo ordered capo Luongo killed. I believe, according to other sources Amuso and Casso did this on their own accord in a power grab.
  On page 139 the book states that Joe N. Gallo was 25 years old. He was in fact in his early seventies at the time. And Gallo always went by Joe N to avoid confusion w/ Crazy Joe Gallo of the Colombo family.
  The book states that Handsome Jack Giordano and Joe Butch Corrao came by to hear Jim Hydell tell about the botched hit on Casso. All other sources state it was his uncle Marino, who BTW was also in on the DeCicco bombing w/ Casso.
  The book Rudy Giuliani used as an impetus for the Commission case was "Man of Honor" by Joe Bonomo not Gay Talese "Honor thy Father (with was printed in 1971).
  The book states that Angelo Ruggiero went by Quack Quack because he was good at ducking subpoenas - That was Tony Ducks. Angelo was called Quack Quack because he talked incessantly. Also, most other sources state Gaspipe was called by that name because his father hooked up illegal gas connections.
  The book tells the a part of the story of the killing of Roy Demeo. No mention is made of the fact that Nino Gaggi and Frank De Cicco arranged the hit w/ Testa and Senter. And Testa had a little brother that helped hide Gaspipe when he was on the lam. Gaspipe killed him. And author stated in another book that the Ice Man Richard Kuklinski killed Demeo.
  Lastly, and this one I could go on about, I stopped counting the number of times the book states that Gaspipe believed a mans word should be his bond. Gaspipe promised a dying Hydell he would throw his body in the street so his mother could collect the small life insurance policy. He didn't. The body was never found.
  However, these points are debatable and maybe lost to history. All in all, I enjoyed and recommend the book.
  
  
  
• Ugly Things Written Beautifully
  By A2R9QB8VM1SPE4 on 2008-08-18
  Man, I sure hated all those mafia books on the shelves taking up space in my bookstores! I thought, who cares about these cretins? Not me!! Even though I have a couple thousand true crime books, none deal with Cosa Nostra, I've never seen The Sopranos, and have only seen Godfather I. The topic was of zero interest to me.
  
  However, having loved Mr. Carlo's '96 Night Stalker, I admired his writing stle enough to pick up Ice Man.That book just blew me away because of the way Mr. Carlo was able to actually humanize a monster like Richard Kuklinski (not glamorize!). There were no holds barred when it came to his reporting of the atrocities committed, but Mr. Carlo's use of backstory and tell-it-like-it-is views from Kuklinski's family had me hooked from the beginning to end. And for the first time, I bought several copies and mailed to friends in Texas that couldn't care less about such things. Now THEY are buying Mr. Carlo's books, too.
  
  This leads me to his book Gaspipe. I didn't even hesitate to buy it because it was written by Philip Carlo; that's good enough for me! It's extremely rare to find a book where the author and family live next door to the book's subject, grew up in Bensonhurst where so many made guys lived, and understands "the life". If Mr. Carlo can turn my taste in non-fiction around with just two books, then I consider that a writer with a truly great gift.
  
  While he never sugar-coated the horrific crimes Anthony Gaspipe Casso did, just as in Ice Man, Mr. Carlo makes you see the whole man, especially his deep love for his parents, wife and kids. (Yes, I know Hitler adored his mother!) And NO WAY would I ever have had sympathy for a mudering goon like Casso, but it really hacked me off about the FBI's actions in picking and choosing the evidence to come out in court. It's also an OUTRAGE that the government didn't honor their commitment to Casso's 6-1/2 years sentence like they did for other informants.
  
  I am a huge fan of Mr. Carlo, and have ordered his other books. i wish him many happy years of writing and continuing his meticulous research.
  
  
• La Cosa Nostra extraordinaire
  By AVXLDPLZG0BTO on 2008-07-25
  I am an avid reader of both true crime and fiction. I found Carlo's book on Gaspipe riveting. For the first time, I got a handle on the true inner workings of not only a mob family -- the Luccheses -- but on how a young boy from South Brooklyn was inducted and became part of the criminal enterprise we have come to know as the Mafia. Somehow, Carlo managed to not only give us the heart and soul of Anthony Casso, but he puts in our hands the inner workings of the mob; what drives it, how its motor, pulleys and pistons work. I noted, with dismay, reviewers here attack Carlo -- say that there were no confessions in this book. This really shocked me for the book is replete with direct quotes from Casso and the death of his wife, all the different scams and murders he was involved in are here in living color. His working with the so-called Mafia Cops is here. His being given a contract to kill John Gotti is here...how and when and where and why the contract was issued. I highly, highly recommend this book. Salud, Philip Carlo.
  
  
• Another great book by Philip Carlo
  By ASHEBC3G23DHE on 2008-07-25
  Some of the negative reviews on here are ridiculous and to say that Philip Carlo did no research and/or never spoke to Casso is idiotic. I don't think those people even read the book because there were obviously many intimate details and quotes from Gaspipe that have never been known or heard before.
  Gaspipe was a brilliantly written book that moves at a fast pace while still prviding the detailed information that the reader knows.
  As with The Ice Man and The Night Stalker, Gaspipe was a great read and I could not put it down and finished it the first weekend that I owned it.
  I recommend any true crime lover to read the Philip Carlo books I've mentioned, especially Gaspipe. You will NOT be sorry!
  
  
• Interesting story, poorly written
  By A22C74R2ZGJCKS on 2008-07-30
  Carlo's account on Anthony Cassos life and time in the mafia is an interesting, if difficult, read. The story itself holds the readers interest and is worth the time spent reading. The writing style and ability of the author leaves much to be desired. Carlo is very repetitive, often repeating things almost to the word only a few paragraphs or a chapter later. That gets annoying pretty quickly. He uses lazy slang like "till" for "until". There are also blatant problems, for example, when talking about Shorty Speros death, he mentions that it happened in 1980, in the same sentence, he says "years later, in 1980..." Huh?
  
  I might be picky compared to some but these things were annoying enough to distract me from being fully involved in the story being told. Three stars, wait for the paperback.
  
  
• very good book
  By A18U3MSYTQZJ2S on 2008-08-04
  The book was well written. I am of Italian heritage and to see how the "LCN" was a driving force in crime for so many years. The goverment as usual shows it true colors. But we should not feel sorry for Gaspipe he did do these heinous crimes; and in the end he got what he deserved.
  
  
• Chiseling to the Core of the Professional Criminal
  By A4UM7I97F9REH on 2008-08-15
  With the skill of a linguistic sculptor, Philip Carlo reveals a microscopic characterization of all his protagonists in true crime and in fiction. In Gaspipe, Mr. Carlo is chiseling to the core of the professional criminal only as an artist with a deep familiarity and innate understanding of his subject and his material can do. Carlo holds us spellbound and turning the pages of Anthony Casso's life because Carlo has been there-physically, emotionally, and pyschologically- in the place where Anthony Casso has spent his life of crime. Carlo knows the neighborhood, the culture and its people. and he knows how to take us to that place where he and Casso learned their life lessons. Carlo gets Anthony Casso, and he shows us who the Mafia underboss is inside and out. This is one of those marathon reading experiences---you cannot put Gaspipe down until the very last of Philip Carlo's words on him have been read. Anthony Casso is real. Philip Carlo is a master of true crime.
  
  
• confessions of a mafia boss
  By AK6RH60K1D0R0 on 2008-08-30
  i'm disaapointed by this book, I got half way reading it but got bored. Nothing I have not read already in the papers. I give it 1/2 star.
  
  

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