Top Hoodlum

BOTH FRANK COSTELLO AND VITO GENOVESE FEATURE AS MAIN CHARACTERS PLAYED BY ROBERT DE NIRO IN THE FILM THE ALTO KNIGHTS, WRITTEN BY NICHOLAS PILEGGI AND DIRECTED BY BARRY LEVINSON.

From Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony DeStefano, Top Hoodlum is the definitive book on the man who defined the Mafia as we know it: Frank “The Prime Minister” Costello. From a dirt-poor childhood in southern Italy, Costello rose through the ranks of New York's Mafia and became its most public face, even becoming the inspiration for The Godfather’s Don Corleone. Now with new FBI revelations, eyewitness accounts, family mementos, and never-before-published material, Top Hoodlum takes readers inside the life of the preeminent Mob boss of the 20th century.

The press nicknamed him “The Prime Minister of the Underworld.” The U.S. Treasury's Bureau of Narcotics described him as “one of the most powerful and influential Mafia leaders in the U.S.” But to friends and associates, he was simply “Uncle Frank.” Who was Frank Costello really? That's the question Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony M. DeStefano sets out to answer—in his definitive portrait of one of the most fascinating figures in the annals of American crime . . .

Using newly released FBI files, eyewitness accounts, and family mementos, Top Hoodlum takes you inside the Mafia that Frank Costello helped build from the ground up, from small time bootlegging and gambling to a nationwide racketeering empire.

Praise for Top Hoodlum by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony M. DeStefano:

“A longtime journalist, DeStefano writes clearly about the case . . . Readers also know when they are in capable hands. DeStefano knows gangsters and mob history.” —Sunday Star Ledger on The Big Heist

“Terrific. He finally gives us a fitting end to the murderous and fabled story of the 1978 Lufthansa heist.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy and Casino

“This is a dark, informed, and effective bio, and DeStefano is a master at cutting through the secrecy of the Mafia hierarchy.” —Publishers Weekly on Vinny Gorgeous

“DeStefano’s book tracks the downfall not only of Massino himself but all of the old organized crime families . . . DeStefano gives us unique insights.” —New York Law Journal on King of the Godfathers

“Thrilling American crime writing.” —Jimmy Breslin, author of The Good Rat

“DeStefano vividly recalls the crime boss whose wounding by an assassin in 1957 got a bugger headline in the Daily News than the death of Senator Joseph McCarthy.” —The New York Times on Top Hoodlum

“Biography of a low-profile ‘original gangster’ who connected the Prohibition era and the Five Families, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist DeStefano creates another readable, well-researched take on organized crime . . . Will appeal to readers of criminal histories and tales of New York's political underworld.” —Kirkus Reviews on Top Hoodlum

“Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist DeStefano draws from recently released FBI documents, family testimony, and court records to construct an engrossing chronicle of the life of notorious Mafia boss Frank Costello, a ‘reluctant prince of the Mafia’ . . . The book provides ample historical background, including a fascinating historical twist in which Costello’s quest for legitimacy plays out during WWII when Costello and cohort Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano supplied the military with vital information on Sicilian geography just before the Allied invasion in 1943. DeStefano’s canny insight into the don's mind and motivations set this biography apart from others on Costello.” —Publishers Weekly on Top HoodlumPraise for Anthony M. DeStefano

JIMMY THE GENT

“At last! Anthony M. DeStefano’s Jimmy the Gent explains the mystery behind Jimmy Burke being the only Irishman at the Mob’s Italian table.” —Nicholas Pileggi, bestselling author of Wiseguy and Casino

BROADWAY BUTTERFLY: VIVIAN GORDON

“Mob expert Tony DeStefano tells the little-known story of Vivian Gordon, one of Prohibition’s most notorious racketeers, who, along with the corrupt cops and politicians of her day, set New York on a crooked path that is often followed today.” —Nicholas Pileggi, bestselling author of Wiseguy and Casino

“DeStefano wrangles the sprawling implications of Gordon’s still unsolved murder into an entertaining package. DeStefano paints an alluring portrait of Prohibition-era New York and the mobsters and millionaires who ran it.” —Publishers Weekly

GOTTI’S BOYS

“In this solid true crime account, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist DeStefano explores the inner machinations of the New York Mob and John Gotti’s rise to the head of the Gambino family . . . DeStefano does a fine job capturing the essence of New York . . . Aficionados are sure to relish the finer, exhaustively researched details.” —Publishers Weekly

TOP HOODLUM

“DeStefano vividly recalls the crime boss whose wounding by an assassin in 1957 got a bigger headline in the Daily News than the death of Senator Joseph McCarthy.” —The New York Times

“Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist DeStefano draws from recently released FBI documents, family testimony, and court records to construct an engrossing chronicle of the life of notorious Mafia boss Frank Costello, a ‘reluctant prince of the Mafia’ . . . The book provides ample historical background, including a fascinating historical twist in which Costello’s quest for legitimacy plays out during WWII when Costello and cohort Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano supplied the military with vital information on Sicilian geography just before the Allied invasion in 1943. DeStefano’s canny insight into the don’s mind and motivations set this biography apart from others on Costello.” —Publishers Weekly

“Biography of a low-profile ‘original gangster’ who connected the Prohibition era and the Five Families, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist DeStefano creates another readable, well-researched take on organized crime . . . Will appeal to readers of criminal histories and tales of New York’s political underworld.” —Kirkus Reviews

THE BIG HEIST

“Terrific. DeStefano finally gives us a fitting end to the murderous and fabled story of the 1978 Lufthansa heist.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy and Casino

“A comprehensive account of the legendary 1978 heist . . . impressive.” —Publishers Weekly

“A longtime journalist, DeStefano writes clearly about the case . . . Readers also know when they are in capable hands. DeStefano knows gangsters and Mob history.” —The Star-Ledger

VINNY GORGEOUS

“A dark, informed, and effective bio, and DeStefano is a master at cutting through the secrecy of the Mafia hierarchy.” —Publishers Weekly

“Dramatic . . . thrilling . . . tantalizing.” —Kirkus Reviews

KING OF THE GODFATHERS

“Riveting.” —Nicholas Pileggi, bestselling author of Wiseguy and Casino

“The best and last word on the subject . . . DeStefano brings the story to life.” —Jerry Capeci, bestselling co-author of Murder Machine and creator of GangLandNews.com

“Thrilling American crime writing.” —Jimmy Breslin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Good Rat

“Tracks the downfall not only of Massino himself but all of the old organized crime families . . . DeStefano gives us unique insights.” —New York Law JournalAnthony M. DeStefano is a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, and preeminent Mob historian. He has covered criminal justice and organized crime for more than three decades as a reporter for Newsday and appeared as an expert source on HISTORY’s documentary series American Godfathers: The Five Families. His books on the subject include Jimmy the Gent, Broadway Butterfly, The Big Heist, King of the Godfathers, The Deadly Don, Top Hoodlum, and Gotti’s Boys, among others. He can be found online at TonyDeStefano.com.