Gangland Gotham: New York's Notorious Mob Bosses
Authored by a well-known writer in the field of organized crime, this volume contains 10 lengthy biographies on Mob bosses from New York and New Jersey. May presents case studies of organized crime in New York State through biographies of Jo Adonis, Albert Anastasia, Louis Buchalter, Frank Costello, Carlo Gambino, Vito Genovese, Lucky Luciano, Arnold Rothstein, Dutch Schultz, and Abner Zwillman. Noticeably absent are Meyer Lansky and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, the author notes, because they left the New York/New Jersey area the earliest. The book also includes brief biographies of 15 other prominent figures mentioned in the text, in entries ranging from one-third of a page to more than three pages. An “Appendix” is provided, but what it contains is not obvious to the user and its organization is unclear. Chapter bibliographies are augmented by a bibliography for the whole. A time line covers events from 1882 (Arnold Rothstein’s birth) to 1976 (Carlo Gambino’s death).   This is a valuable resource for public and college libraries where patrons are interested in biographies of organized crime members, although the limited coverage may cause it to be considered only as an additional selection. Also available as an e-book. --Sara Marcus