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The Mafia needed better exposure than it has had beyond a few select websites. History and function are well-covered elsewhere, but a deeper look at what the Mafia does, what its goals are, is very well documented in this volume. I would give it a five star rating, but the lack of illustrations to depict the Mafia's hierarchy and plot hooks to get prospective writers going are absent. The detailed explanations and the lexicon make up for their absence, but I feel that they could have been included to make the book a little more complete.
However, this is one book that will satisfy both scholars and intellectuals. The witty slang and informal dialogue paints the portrait of the Mafia very endearingly and very wittily. What the Mafia does, who performs which role and how the organization subsists is all chronicled very conscientiously. The only thing you will need to do is read in between the lines at times as more than one subject tends to be mentioned under one heading. The photos of past Mafiosi offer a helpful look at the faces of the Mafia. Looking at them gives interesting impressions that writers can use to create their own characters.
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