Anyone fascinated by the gritty mobster world fictionalized by The Godfather
or The Sopranos
will find this audio selection inviting. Most of these selections are excerpts from nonfiction works, making the accounts of people entering the mob business, doing their first "hit" and leading double lives that much more unsettling. Aselford's reading of the wonderful introduction by editor Willis sets the right tone for the coming selections: he admits being equally enthralled and terrified of the mob; he recalls passing up a magazine assignment that would have required him to delve into the financial secrets of some very powerful and connected people. Two of the selections—from Peter Mass's Underboss
(read by Richard Rohan) and Killer
by Joey and David Fisher (read by Gary Telles)—are quite riveting. Joey is matter-of-fact about his many successful killings, but insists he's just a regular guy who takes out the garbage and likes to watch Jeopardy. Telles's Brooklyn tough-guy accent is so convincing that listeners will occasionally grimace as they listen to some of the more gruesome details. Rohan's narration of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano's tales of life in the Mafia is equally credible and mesmerizing. Based on the Thunder's Mouth paperback (Forecasts, Nov. 5, 2001). (Mar.)
