Mobshot: My Life and the Mafia

Ciacci, a wiseguy turned podcast host, proves an entertaining guide to the life of crime he left behind in this collection of episodes of the podcast Mobshot. Listeners follow Ciacci from petty theft, through armed robbery, drug deals, and into the depths of alcoholism. By his own admission, given the choices he made in life, he ought to be in prison or dead. Even when he attempted to change his ways by moving from New York City to Los Angeles, he couldn’t escape his underworld lifestyle. As he states, “wherever you go, you take you with you.” It was through the birth of his daughter and his embrace of AA that Ciacci was finally able to turn his life around. Ciacci’s colorful New York accent sounds like he’s straight from central casting. His delivery is casual and captivating. He presents his life as is, without apology, and often ends his stories with a self-deprecating chuckle that seems to suggest he can’t believe his past himself. (Apr.)