S.J. Peddie

Sonny: The Last of the Old Time Mafia Bosses, John Sonny Franzese S.J. Peddie

A gripping account of an old school gangster, someone who absolutely refused to turn states evidence, refused to rat, the last of a breed. Sonny is well worth the time, whether one is a die-hard mob book fan or simply an interested party.  Peddie has a great book here, something that really adds to the genre. Mystery Tribune

John Sonny Franzese reportedly committed his first murder at the age of fourteen. A made man for the Colombo crime family, he operated out of his Long Island home, specializing in racketeering, fraud, loansharking, and other illicit deeds he would deny to his dying day. His career in organized crime spanned over eight decadesand he was sentenced to fifty years in prison for robbery charges. But even behind bars, Sonny Franzese never stopped doing business . . .

Through it all, Franzese refused to break the Mafias code of silence. Authorities believe he may have murdered, or ordered the murders of, forty to fifty people. Yet he earned a grudging respect from law enforcement and an absolute reverence from his fellow gangsters. Eventually he managed to outlive them alluntil his death in 2020 of natural causes, a rare event in the Mafia. Thanks to a series of exclusive firsthand interviews, the astonishing life story of John Sonny Franzese can be told in all its bold, brutal, and blood-spattered glory. This is a must-read for anyone fascinated with Mafia historyand a rare look inside a criminal mind that has become the stuff of legend.
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