The Mafia Philosopher: Two Tonys

De: Shaun Attwood

Narrado por: Tom Campbell

“A fast-paced true-crime memoir with all of the action of Goodfellas.” (UNILAD )

“Sopranos v Sons of Anarchy with an Alaskan-snow backdrop.” (WWC)

Breaking bones, burying bodies, and planting bombs became second nature to Two Tonys while working for the Bonanno Crime Family, whose exploits inspired The Godfather.

After a dispute with an outlaw motorcycle club, Two Tonys left a trail of corpses from Arizona to Alaska. On the run, he was pursued by bikers and a neo-Nazi gang bloodthirsty for revenge, while a homicide detective launched a nationwide manhunt.

As the mist from his smoking gun fades, listeners are left with an unexpected portrait of a stoic philosopher with a wealth of charm, a glorious turn of phrase, and a fanatical devotion to his daughter.

©2018 Shaun Attwood (P)2018 Shaun Attwood

Un-put-down-able Due To Two Tonys Voice

Unlike any other book in the Mafia genre, this is unique because it's written in a way that makes you feel like you are having a fireside chat with Two Tonys himself. Once you get past the intro that is written by the author, the rest of the book is in Two Tonys voice. I love Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, but its written from the journalist's perspective. Even Puzo's narration of the Godfather can't top Two Tonys voice. Here's an example from the prologue:

"Sometimes at night, I lay on my bunk, staring at the flies and mosquitoes splattered on the grimy ceiling, reminiscing about the pieces of shit I whacked, which gives me weird thoughts. Probably not weird in the way you’re imagining. If you’re thinking that any of my victims might have been the next Bill Gates or might have discovered a cure for cancer or might have been the first person to walk on Mars, no, let’s be real. They were the kind who might have blown your face off during an armed robbery or sold heroin to your kids. For almost two decades, I got away with putting schmucks to sleep. It all ended after my arrest in the early nineties, so before I set the table for my story, let’s take a peek there."

Plus the story is full of Two Tonys quips and gallows humour. For example, "These days, people’s brains aren’t rolling right. They’re too plugged into shit like Entertainment Tonight to see whether Britney Spears or Paris Hilton are wearing panties."

Two Tonys shares his thoughts on everything from corrupt politicians to child-molesting priests. It's the icing on a cake of a brilliant story about Mafia guys. A major theme full of blood, guts and action is the Mafia war with a biker gang.

All in all a gripping read that is impossible to put down.

Ron Clark

loved the story in two Tony's own words and loved the narrator great book

I enjoyed it

I do think there is a lot to be said about this title, the stoicism and approach that the actual character takes in his life. He makes mistakes, he owns them, he doesn't back down from them or let them decide. He is more of an idealogic than what the criminal system dictates. He is about respect and standing up for yourself.

I do believe the story was a little lackluster, but again as the author is a blogger it is easier to seperate the type of style. I loved the book and the outlaw justice he employs.

I honestly am bothered by some of the criticisms here, because I feel like everyone doesn't listen or read the first part of the book that the stories need to be changed in order to protect the actual underlying characters or parties involved. However people are nitpicking facts like they physically can. Either way thats normal for this type of work but I did enjoy the book.

Two Tonys Walks The Walk

Two Tonys is no lollipop gangster. He makes no excuses for his behavior. Two Tonys commands respect and passes on many lessons in life. This is one of those books that one just does not want to end. I can only guess that Tony has many other stories, possibly edited out for whatever reason.
This listen is smooth and captivating. There are no stretches of boredom. Each chapter hooks the listener with Two Tony's uncanny ability to escape many dangerous situations with a variety of tactics. Hence, there are lessons to be learned.
Shaun Attwood has written another beauty. His style is simple but very effective. He always gets to the point and embellishes very little. Leaving nothing but the facts, Shaun keeps the reader interested at all times. I found this read, listen, extremely entertaining and highly recommend it. I wish it never ended. God Speed Two Tony's. You walked the walk.

average at best

overall the book was a little average-at-best. it did not use real names made it a little hard to follow. The performance had a fake my voice that got annoying and raspy after a while overall on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give this book of five

Good book

This book kept my interest all the way through I like the personality of the narrator can you crack me up at times rolling all the camera try to find some more books like this

good FICTION read

Loved the first half of the book before it became obvious that large parts of the story are simply untrue. While I don't necessarily believe the author made up the story, a little investigation on his part would have showed that his mystery informant was a liar. While obviously based in reality, the story becomes so grandiose that i began to do more own research. Even though is was clearly hyperbole, I still continued to listen and finish the book. Just from a different perspective.