Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia by Anthony M. DeStefanoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I appreciate the old-time mobsters who prioritized laying low, going legit, and trying to blend into society. So obviously Frank Costello was pretty high on the list (as is Carlo Gambino, so I'm itching for a good biography of him).
The book itself was actually better than I imagined it would be. The research conducted by the author was extensive, even though there were still some seemingly elementary mistakes (including calling Vito Genovese a Sicilian, when his being Neopolitan was what kept him from being part of the commission initially).
However, as with any of these old-timers, there is unfortunately not that much about his youth, and the kids he ran with, how he initially met Luciano, Lansky, Adonis, etc.
Still, probably the best book about him. And a great book for those who see him as quite underrated (he hardly ever appears in movies or in any cultural references, as opposed to Capone or Luciano, etc.)
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