Sonny

The Last of the Old Time Mafia Bosses, John "Sonny" Franzese

By: S.J. Peddie

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

John "Sonny" Franzese reportedly committed his first murder at the age of fourteen. As a "made man" for the Colombo crime family, he operated out of his Long Island home specializing in racketeering, fraud, loansharking, and other illicit deeds he would deny to his dying day. His career in organized crime spanned over eight decades - and he was sentenced to fifty years in prison for robbery charges. But even behind bars, Sonny Franzese never stopped doing business . . .

This is the true story of an old-school Mafioso as it's never been told before. Newsday reporter S. J. Peddie interviewed Franzese in prison - and uncovered a lifetime of shocking secrets from the legend himself: why FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had a very personal interest in Sonny; how Sonny managed to juggle numerous affairs with women, including a famous model; how Sonny spent a third of his life in prison - and still managed to earn untold millions for the mob; how Sonny accidentally revealed some of his worst crimes - to a "friend" wearing a wire; and how Sonny hobnobbed with celebrities such as Ava Gardner, Jayne Mansfield, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dionne Warwick, among others.

This is a must-listen for anyone fascinated with Mafia history - and a rare look inside a criminal mind that has become the stuff of legend.

©2022 Sandra Peddie (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

voices

needs a man's voice when sonny is talking. otherwise it's a great book. if you want to know more about the franseze family here it is. I didn't know it was so dysfunctional.

Man amongst men

Truth be told. He grew up in the life of crime and was respected as a stand up guy. Never betrayed his family or peers but was betrayed by his own son. Life lessons from a man who lived through a time of turmoil.

Not bad

Good story, not to detailed and left important things out. Still good enough, okay. Thx

Interesting read

Humanizes a “made man”. Still shows him as the criminal he was but gives a more 360 degree picture of him and his life.

Very good

The person reading this made several mistakes with pronunciation! I understand the names but penatenary!

Sonny was the last of a dying breed

Well put together. The great Sonny. Remained loyalty to the Cosa Nostra till the end. Very odd to have a female voice record for a story about a man like Sonny. Almost seems like an inside joke.

loved it

Great insight into the Franzese family including Michael. Gives you another side of him that he obviously doesn't show on his channel or numerous interviews

Sonny, one of a kind

Made me laugh and sometimes cry too. What a character and lived to 103 years old. Must have had no conscious at all. Highly recommended.

Sonny was old school mafia

Great story about a man who lived and breathed the mafia above everything else in his life. Seriously, his last prison stint he didn’t get released until he was 100 years old.

great story, great narrator!

Great book! I listened to it twice in a row! The story grabs you right from the beginning and carries on throughout the whole book.