Last Days of the Sicilians

The Pizza Connection case is assumed to have begun with the murder of mob boss Carmine Galante at a Brooklyn restaurant in 1979. In 1987, after what is called the government's most effective assault on organized crime in its history, the case ended with the convictions of 18 defendants. What took place in those eight years is the basis New York Times reporter Blumenthal's book, a work impressive for its tying together of so many seemingly disjointed elements. Tracking down the participants in the Pizza Connection posed such problems because the group represented a new, secret franchise of the Sicilian Mafia in the U.S. and Italy, many aspects of whose operations are still a mystery. Blumenthal accentuates the tireless role of the post-Hoover FBI and the dedication of lawmen in general. Major ad/promo. (September)