Product Description

This is the true crime story of Danny Greene, a fiercely proud and fearless Irish-American gangster who fought the Mafia for control of the rackets. After numerous bungled attempts, the brazen Celtic mobster was murdered with a mob bomb. Danny's murder brought about the development of several high-ranking Mafia turncoats including Jimmy 'The Weasel' Fratianno and Angelo 'Big Ange' Lonardo, whose testimony helped to cripple La Cosa Nostra families in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Kansas City, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Fratianno and Lonardo were predecessors to more recent, powerful L C N turncoats like Sammy 'the Bull' Gravano. Read about figures like the notorious Shondor Birns and feared Mafia enforcer Eugene 'the Animal' Ciasullo, and their roles in the battles with the Irishman. Over fifty photographs including modern La Cosa Nostra figures like Joe 'Loose' Iacobacci and Lenny Strollo.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82841 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 223 pages

From the Author
Fearless racketeer Danny Greene and his war with the Mafia
TO KILL THE IRISHMAN is a true crime story of Danny Greene, a fiercely proud and fearless Irish-American gangster who fought the Mafia for control of the rackets. After numerous bungled attempts, the brazen Celtic mobster was murdered with a mob bomb.

Danny's murder brought about the development of several high-ranking Mafia turncoats including Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratianno and Angelo "Big Ange" Lonardo, whose testimony helped to cripple La Cosa Nostra families in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Kansas City, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Fratianno and Lonardo were predecessors to more recent, powerful L.C.N. turncoats like Sammy "the Bull" Gravano.

Read about figures like the notorious Shondor Birns and feared Mafia enforcer Eugene "the Animal" Ciasullo, and their roles in the battles with the Irishman. Over fifty photos including modern La Cosa Nostra figures like Joe "Loose" Iacobacci and Lenny Strollo.

MOVIE! RIGHTS FOR TO KILL THE IRISHMAN HAVE BEEN SOLD TO DUNDEE ENTERTAINMENT OF HOLLYWOOD, CA.

About the Author
Rick Porrello

Customer Reviews

An accurate, well written account of a real life story!
Read this from cover to cover in two evenings. It helps some if you were in Cleveland during the 70's, but is paced right and full of descriptions so you can know all the characters even if you're from out of town I was on the first-in responding fire crew when they blew up Danny and I testified at the first trial. I learned stuff I never even knew from this book and I was there!

Well done Rick!!!!!!!!!!!

A terrific story needs better telling
The rise of Danny Greene and his battle with the Cleveland mafia makes for an interesting tale. As a relative newcomer to northeastern Ohio, I found the book to be a useful history lesson. However, the writing lacks polish. Porrello could use a good editor, and was ill-served by his publisher who allowed so many spelling and punctuation errors to go to print. It's also hard to keep track of the large number of players mentioned in the book, and sometimes their relation to events at hand is unclear, at best. Still, if you like to read about wise guys, it's a book worth picking up.

The story of how the Cleveland family destoyed itself
After reading the predecesser, "The rise & fall of the Cleveland mafia" i decided to give its follow up a whirl, to make a change from reading the same stuff about NY all the time.
Danny Greene was indeed a facsinating figure in the Ohio underworld in the 1970s, taking on the might of the local mob don "Jack White Licavoli", and his cohorts, the book gives the reader a interesting background of the colourful if somewhat eccentric celtic warrior detailing his life in general, his rise and ultimatly his grizzly and clumsy end that lead the law so easily to the doorsteps of the local bosses in cleveland, and the indictment of many.Even in death it seems that Danny Greene is still the scourge of the mob in this once powerful family (although for the author to describe the Cleveland family as the 3rd biggest nationwide after Chicago and NY five families seems to take a little believing for me.)And you cannot help but wonder how long Greene would have lasted on the streets of the windy city, or manhattan, had he been situated there.Licavoli's goombas, spent an awful long time chasing their man and bocthing things up before finally nailing him.
All said it was a worthwhile read, although like the 1st book that covered in general the 1st 70 years of the family, John Scalish who is surely the families most legendary father is barely mentioned between the 2 books, despite heading the family for 3 decades. A little more info on him would have got 4 stars from me.