The Quiet Don: The Untold Story of Mafia Kingpin Russell Bufalino

Not very detailed regarding Buffalino himself but regardless, an interesting read on the corruption of Pa’s Governor & his Mob associates. Not much on the Hoffa/ Buffalino relationship at all. A better read on Buffalino is “I hear you paint houses”.

So much information about the mob that you typically don't hear about. The mafia in New York & Chicago are well documented, but mobsters and their associates from other parts of the country aren't usually well known. Getting so much information about Russell Bufalino all these many years after he was at the height of his powers is both a great thing and very frustrating. The book itself is oddly structured, with many items described at an earlier point of the book and then covered again in a later portion of the book. It sometimes gives you a sense of deja vu. But to learn about the mob's activities in Pennsylvania, and the associated activities of business & government in the same region is fascinating. There are some things int he book that may not be completely accurate, in particular the circumstances surrounding the death of Jimmy Hoffa and how the mob factored into the killing of JFK. The circumstances behind both killings may never be fully known. But otherwise, this is a good book full of details, obscure people and events that helped shape the world in which we lived back in the 50's, 60's & 70's and even up to this day.

A very good read on a lesser known area of the Mafia. (Bufalino did a good job of staying under the radar of the LE community for the most part, but they knew who he was.)First, I had some prior knowledge of this story and its many intersects. (A couple of family members grew up in the Wilkes-Barre area.) Having heard many stories of Bufalino and his influence and organization, I really didn't expect to learn much more. I was wrong. I had to ask those who lived it if some of this story really was true (it was).That said, I've actually read this book twice now. It's a good, solid read on a part of the Mafia somewhat ignored in other Mafia stories. It's a real page-turner, borderline addicting. If you like crime dramas, complete with all the unsavory stuff that goes with it, this is well worth the time to read.

Matt Birkbeck has blown the lid off the scandal behind the selection of casino licensees in Pennsylvania. While the background story and history of Russell Buffalino and his crime family is interesting, I was more interested in Bufalino's legacy that controlled gambling in Pennsylvania.I was a member of the PA House and at one time Chaired the Gaming Oversight Committee. While many of us suspected that slots locations and licenses were pre-determined, it was not easy to prove. Even when a grand jury report provided details on how this happened, those in charge sneered at the report, dismissed it because they knew they were shielded from wrongdoing.This book answers the question of why a person with a felony conviction, a known associate of gangsters, evidence of various criminal activities associated with selling flooded cars after Hurricane Katrina, could get a license. This book also answers the question of how this same individual could not be indicted by a grand jury no matter how hard Dauphin County DA Ed Marsico tried. You see, our illustrious Supreme Court was more interested in tracking down alleged leaks from the grand jury than the underlying question of whether Mr. DeNaples lied during his gaming license approval hearings. The Supreme Court used an extradorinary judicial power called Kings Bench to reach down into the county court system and immediately take hold of the DeNaples case and grand jury proceeding. The court's actions thus ended any ability to complete the grand jury proceedings against Louis DeNaples.This book exposes this shameful episode which implicates every level of Pennsylvania state government: Executive, Legislative and the Courts!Congratulations to MAtt Birkbeck for having the courage to expose this.

The title of this book is very misleading. The majority of the book is about a corruption scandal that occurs 20 years after Bufalino died. The structure of the book is very confusing, skipping from early 2000's back to the 1940's and back again. It felt like the author had contracted for a certain number of pages, did not have nearly enough information about Bufalino to meet that requirement and then just started adding things to meet that requirement. There is a stretch of at least 10 pages that are just transcripts from a hearing.Don't know why the author wouldn't just summarize that. Eventually, I just skipped the chapters that happened after 1994 when Bufalino died.

I am giving this book 5 stars for its history on corruption and mafiosi influence on politics in Pennsylvania, and not for its story on Russel Buffalino. The Buffalino information in the book felt secondary to the rest of the story. As a side note, I grew up in Northeast Pa. less than two miles from Buffalino’s Kingston, Pa. house. Whenever my mother would drive by his very unremarkable plain residence, she would say to me in a hushed tone that “a mafia gang member lives there”. Pittston, Pa. is mentioned quite a bit in the book as a center of mafia activity. Anyone who lives in the Wilkes Barre/Scranton area will tell you the same. I was disappointed to read about Governor Ed Rendell’s alleged corrupt background as described in the book.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Good read, picked up some useful tips.

The book tells the story but it hops back and forth past to future for no reason, its tell the story like a mafioso, out of the corner of its mouth, but not in a good way. I usually finish a book if I start it but this is a bit of a chore.

Good book, told me a lot about the man that Joe Pesci played in The Irishman. I found that part really interesting. My main gripe was the author seemed to stray and added another "story" that only confused the main topic, in this case Bufalino.

hoffa riddles answered