Blood and Honor: Inside the Scarfo Mob, the Mafia's Most Violent Family

by George Anastasia

Book Overview

Here is the inside story about the rise and fall of Philadelphia's notorious Scarfo organization. It is a first-hand account of murder, money, and corruption told by wiseguy-turned-witness Nick... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688092608
• ISBN13: 9780688092603
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

One of the best books I've read.

This is the book which got me started reading mob books. If ever there was a book written from the street level perspective of organized crime this is it. Caramandi and Anastasia have it down, scam to scam, hustle to hustle, score to score that a mobster makes just to stay afloat when he's starting out. Then as the Crow starts to move up in the criminal ladder he launches into long stories about mafia politics and the power struggles and the jealousy and the double cross that was his every day life for 10 years.. It's absolutely fascinating stuff. It's worth every penny one pays for it. I've read it four times.

Accurate, dramatic, chilling.

George Anastasia got it right -- exactly right. Told from the point of view of a Mafiosi, Nicholas "Crow" Caramandi, a small time con man who rose through the ranks to become a "made guy," this book is right on target.I was a newspaper reporter for a New Jersey paper during the late 1980s and was assigned to cover some of the big organized crime trials in Philadelphia that are mentioned prominently in Anastasia's book. After reading his book, I don't think there's a better reporter in this country than Anastasia. Caramandi, the small time hood who gets his badge under Scarfo, is never a sympathetic character, but you can understand his motivations. Caramandi was doing fine as long as he kept within his abilities. He was a thief and a con man who lived by his wits. He only cheated others who had larceny in their hearts. However Caramandi was elevated in the Nicodemo Scarfo organization and he no longer had to be a con man, now he had the threat of violence of the mob behind him. And that led to his demise.Nicodemo Scarfo, the crime boss of Philadelphia from the time of his predecessor's murder to his own arrest and incarceration, a period of about seven years, was the most violent mob boss of the modern age. Nearly two dozen murders have been attributed to Scarfo.George Anastasia weaves a spell-binding tale. All the more spellbinding because every word of it is true. This book is a "must" read for anyone who wants to understand organized crime in America.

one of the best mafia books i have read.

i was born in south philly and played baseball with most of these men this is the most chilling,mafia true story,i have ever read.

Outstanding! It's a shame it hasn't been made into a movie.

I was surfing the net and decided to see if the BEST non-fiction book I read was listed, and it was. It was chilling to hear a person talk about murder, intimidation, corruption, etc., in such a matter-of-fact tone. The book really showed how the ways of the old mafia of operating in the shadows, with little violence, were replaced with methods which are leading (have lead0 to the final demise of this organization. The resulting random street violence is tied to this to some extent, since there is no overpowering controlling influence over this particular aspect of American society. What I found the most startling was that if Nicky Scarfo did not sanction the hit on Nick Caramandi, he might still be free and running his organization. Caramandi was going to take the fall and due the time, which was probably somewhere from three to five years. Under Angelo Bruno, according to the book, Caramandi's family would have been cared for, if took the weight and did the time. But, under Scarfo the rules were different. If you get caught, you must die, because you MIGHT talk. I don't have these people look over the shoulder all day and night. It must be a relief to some of them when they are finally apprehended. The points/thoughts I have expressed George Anastasia hits you head on with in this fine literary piece. It is a must read if you are a fan of the "Goodfellas" genre.

Best behind the scenes mob book

This book is nearly impossible to put down. Excellent story telling by ex- mobster, Nicky the crow Caramandi. This book gets deep into the daily routines of a mobster. Best book I've ever read.