18 books like Brutal

What to read after Brutal — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

Paddy Whacked T. J. English · 2005 · ★ 4.3 · 480p · ≈ 16h · Moderate Here is the shocking true saga of the Irish American mob. In Paddy Whacked, bestselling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike "King Mike" McDonald, Chicago's subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York's most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey… Shares Irish American criminals, Irish Americans, Gangsters, Organized crime

Black mass Dick Lehr · 2001 · 417p · ≈ 13h · Moderate John Connolly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the tough streets of South Boston. Decades later in the mid-1970s, they met again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. Connolly had an idea, a scheme that might bring Bugler into the FBI fold and John Connolly into the Bureau's big leagues. But Bulger had… Shares Américains d'origine irlandaise, Crime organisé, Irish Americans, Boston

Smaldone Dick Kreck · 2009 · ★ 2.0 I never thought it would end.—Clyde SmaldoneStarted by Italian brothers from North Denver, the high-profile Smaldone crime syndicate began in the bootlegging days of the 1920s and flourished well into the late twentieth century. Connected to such notorious crime figures as Al Capone and Carlos Marcello, as well as to presidents and other politicians, charismatic Clyde Smaldone was the crime… Shares Gangsters, Organized crime, Criminals, True Crime

The Authentic Life of Billy, The Kid Pat Garrett · 2008 · 128p · ≈ 4h · Light Hankering for a mostly true tale about the hard-living desperadoes who inhabited America's desert Southwest in the mid-1800s? This biography of the ill-fated gunslinger Billy, the Kid was written by Pat Garrett, the sheriff who shot Billy down. Although some historians now question the veracity of some of the self-aggrandizing bluster Garrett and his ghostwriter included in the book, The… Shares True Crime, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir

Mafia son Sandra Harmon · 2009 · ★ 4.0 · 301p · ≈ 10h · Moderate In this dark, jagged true crime thriller, wily mob head Gregory Scarpa Sr. (alias the "Grim Reaper") secretly steals and kills under FBI protection for decades. When faced with arrest for his own crimes, he betrays his adoring son, Gregory Jr., whom he'd groomed to take his place. Taking the fall for his father out of familial respect and love, the young Scarpa endures decades of maximum security… Shares Gangsters, Organized crime, Criminals, True Crime

The Westies T. J. English · 1990 · 400p · ≈ 13h · Moderate Published in the UK for the first time in 2008. Shares Irish American criminals, Irish Americans, Criminals, True Crime

Mob star Gene Mustain · 1988 · ★ 4.3 · 269p · ≈ 8h · Moderate John Gotti is terminally ill; when he passes on to that great Mafia in the sky, co-author Capeci will be in great demand for interviews and will the plug the book.As he battles terminal cancer in a federal prison in Illinois, John Gotti, still the acting head of the Gambino Mafia family, is constantly in the news. Once Mr. Gotti ascends to Mafia heaven, he will be worldwide news-and Alpha will… Shares Organized crime, Criminals, True Crime, Nonfiction

The profession of violence John Pearson · 1972 · ★ 4.0 · 336p · ≈ 11h · Moderate John Pearson details the lives of Reggie and Ronnie Kray, the infamous brothers who, for decades, ruled the criminal underground in London's East End. This biography of the identical twins is, at times, humorous and revealing, but always maintains a clear-eyed view of the seriousness of the brothers' crimes. An absorbing read. Shares Gangsters, Organized crime, Criminals, True Crime

A Talent to Deceive William Norris · 2006 · 327p · ≈ 10h · Moderate The kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's infant son, and the subsequent trial and execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, have been a source of fascination for more than 70 years. Now, for the first time, William Norris delves into sources of information ignored by previous investigators and comes up with the identity of the true culprit. Lindbergh is exposed as having obstructed the… Shares True Crime, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir

Live by Night

Live by Night Dennis Lehane · 2012 · ★ 3.5 · 416p · ≈ 13h · Moderate Joe Coughlin is nineteen when he meets Emma Gould. A smalltime thief in 1920s Boston, his task is to tie her up while his accomplices loot the bank she works in. But Joe falls in love with Emma - and his life changes forever. That meeting is the beginning of Joe's journey to becoming one of the most feared and respected gangsters. It is a journey beset by violence, double-crossing, drama and… Shares Gangsters, Boston, Organized crime, Criminals

Invisible Darkness Stephen Williams · 1996 · ★ 4.0 Invisible Darkness is the story of one of the more bizarre cases in recent memory--killings so sensational that they prompted the Canadian government, in the interests of justice, to silence its national press and to lock foreign journalists out of the courts.To all appearances, Paul and Karla Bernardo had a fairytale marriage--beautiful working-class girl weds bright upper-middle-class guy and… Shares True Crime, Nonfiction

Last Yakuza Jake Adelstein · 2017 · ★ 4.4 · 408p · ≈ 13h · Moderate Shares True Crime, Biography & Memoir with this book.

Wild Swans Jung Chang · 1989 · ★ 4.3 · 729p · ≈ 24h · Challenging "Jung Chang vividly evokes China's sights, sounds, and smells to create what must be one of the grimmest, yet most perceptive accounts of growing up middle-class in the maelstrom that has swept China since the 1920s." - Back cover. Shares Américains d'origine irlandaise, Irish Americans, Social conditions, Biography & Memoir

Dead man running Ross Coulthart · 2008 · 405p · ≈ 13h · Moderate Steve Utah provides an account of his experiences as a member of the Bandidos, one of the world's most feared outlaw motorcycle gangs, and discusses why he came to the decision to become a police informant, revealing details of the gang's operations in Australia and North America. Shares Organized crime, True Crime, Biography & Memoir

The Camorra Tom Behan · 1995 · 234p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Shares Crime organisé, Organized crime, True Crime with this book.

The private diary of Lyle Menendez Lyle Menendez · 1993 · ★ 4.6 · 263p · ≈ 8h · Moderate The personal story of Lyle Menendez is based on a four-and-a-half-year intimate correspondence with the author and covers the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez by Lyle and his brother Erik and the court trials that ended in hung juries. Shares Criminals, True Crime, Biography & Memoir

Big Shots Adam Shand · 2007 · ★ 4.0 · 423p · ≈ 14h · Moderate Shares Organized crime, True Crime with this book.

The origin of organized crime in America David Critchley · 2008 · 348p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Shares Crime organisé, Organized crime, True Crime with this book.

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