 Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Ovid Demaris |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Organized crime, gambling |
| Genre | Biography novel |
| Publisher | Crown Publishing |
Publication date | January 13, 1980 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 463 pp. |
| ISBN | 0812909550 |
The Last Mafioso: The Treacherous World of Jimmy Fratianno is abiographical novel detailing the life ofAmerican Mafia memberAladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno. It chronicles Fratianno's life from his childhood in Cleveland to becoming actingboss of theLos Angeles crime family. AuthorOvid Demaris gained the information for the book from Fratianno himself in the early 1980s, where they spent hours recording the pair's conversations. Demaris also conducted his own research. The book was released on January 13, 1980 byCrown Publishing. It was the first of two biographical books written about Fratianno; the other isVengeance is Mine (1987) by Michael J. Zuckerman.
The book begins in 1947 with Jimmy Fratianno becoming amade man in theLos Angeles crime family, then headed byJack Dragna. It then goes back to Fratianno's early childhood, growing up inCleveland, Ohio in the 1920s and 1930s. The book then generally follows a chronological timeline of Fratianno's life up to 1978, when under the threat of death, Fratianno decided to turn against his crime family and become an FBI government witness. Events covered include his three prison stints, two failed marriages, numerous girlfriends, five murders, working for theChicago Outfit, running a successful trucking company, and attempts at buying into a Las Vegas casino.
The book is a revealing tale of life in the Mafia. It gave an in depth look at the Los Angeles crime family, TheChicago Outfit, and TheCleveland crime family. Amongst the notable mobsters prominently featured areJack Dragna,Mickey Cohen,John Roselli,Sam Giancana,Frank Bompensiero,Louis Tom Dragna,Dominic Brooklier,Michael Rizzitello,Frank Tieri andPeter Milano. With dozens of Mafiosi and their connections featured in the book, it quickly became an important source of the Mafia's history and workings. Notable non-mobsters featured areFrank Sinatra,Dean Martin andJoseph Alioto.
Being a close associate and friend of Fratianno, Johnny Roselli's life is also detailed (he is one of the few mobsters Fratianno speaks highly of, the others being Mike Rizzitello and Leo "Lips" Moceri). The book describes conversations the two had about Roselli's involvement in the CIA's plot to assassinateFidel Castro. Details were revealed over 25 years before the plot, known as "Family Jewels", becamedeclassified in 2007. The book also mentions Roselli's alleged involvement in theJohn F. Kennedy assassination, but dismisses the notion that the Mafia had anything to do with the murder.
This book, while comprehensive, has a few factual inaccuracies. It states several times that Jack Dragna died in 1957 when he actually died on February 23, 1956. The book also describes casino ownerMert Wertheimer as being murdered inReno, Nevada, when he actually died of leukemia.[1]
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