The Last Godfathers

THE LAST GODFATHERS charts the rise of the notorious Corleone clan. From its humble origins in the town of Corleone, the clan manipulated Cosa Nostra's code of honour, deceiving and bludgeoning its way to the top of the secret brotherhood, purging its rivals and launching a terrorist campaign which decimated anti-mafia judges, police and politicians.

Journalist John Follain focuses on the three godfathers who headed the clan from the 1950s onwards. Luciano 'The Professor' Leggio, Salvatore 'The Beast' Riina and Bernardo 'The Tractor' Provenzano, who forged a vicious clan bent on the subversion of democracy.

Cutting through the romantic aura of Hollywood films, THE LAST GODFATHERS portrays the true face of the crime family which inspired Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER. Based on thousands of pages of judicial documents, wiretap transcripts, the testimony of mafiosi defectors and interviews with investigators, this is the definitive word on the world's most notorious criminal organisation.

“more detail and more gruesome colour than in any previous account. Follain musters this material with great skill into a compelling narrative. At the heart of the book there are two epic battles...an epic of modern police work and Follain brings it vividly to life. - Independent There's something disturbingly gripping about the relentless blood-spilling, feuds and betrayals; men taking life as breezily as if they were lifting a piece off a chessboard. - Tobias Jones, Mail on Sunday 'Although the story has often been told, Follain brings real suspense to its retelling. His prose is gripping.' - Misha Glenny, The Sunday Times - Misha Glenny, The Sunday Times”

more detail and more gruesome colour than in any previous account. Follain musters this material with great skill into a compelling narrative. At the heart of the book there are two epic battles...an epic of modern police work and Follain brings it vividly to life. - Independent

There's something disturbingly gripping about the relentless blood-spilling, feuds and betrayals; men taking life as breezily as if they were lifting a piece off a chessboard. - Tobias Jones, Mail on Sunday

'Although the story has often been told, Follain brings real suspense to its retelling. His prose is gripping.' - Misha Glenny, The Sunday Times - Misha Glenny, The Sunday Times

John Follain was born in 1966. He studied at Oxford before joining Reuters, for which he worked as a correspondent in Rome and Paris. He has covered Italy for The Sunday Times since 1998. His previous books include DEATH IN PERUGIA, THE LAST GODFATHERS, which was translated into 10 languages, MUSSOLINI'S ISLAND and the international bestseller ZOYA'S STORY. He was voted runner-up for the 2006 Paul Foot Award for Campaigning Journalism, and nominated for the 2008 Magazine Journalism Awards for his interview with the Knox family.

THE LAST GODFATHERS charts the rise of the notorious Corleone clan. From its humble origins in the town of Corleone, the clan manipulated Cosa Nostra's code of honour, deceiving and bludgeoning its way to the top of the secret brotherhood, purging its rivals and launching a terrorist campaign which decimated anti-mafia judges, police and politicians.Journalist John Follain focuses on the three godfathers who headed the clan from the 1950s onwards. Luciano 'The Professor' Leggio, Salvatore 'The Beast' Riina and Bernardo 'The Tractor' Provenzano, who forged a vicious clan bent on the subversion of democracy.Cutting through the romantic aura of Hollywood films, THE LAST GODFATHERS portrays the true face of the crime family which inspired Mario Puzo's THE GODFATHER . Based on thousands of pages of judicial documents, wiretap transcripts, the testimony of mafiosi defectors and interviews with investigators, this is the definitive word on the world's most notorious criminal organisation.

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