Mafiosa: The bloody and compelling history of the Mafia by Colin McLaren

Colin McLaren presented an interesting case for an alternate explanation for the ‘assassination’ of John F Kennedy in his book JFK: the Smoking Gun, published in 2013. He is considered a fine Australian detective, and respected for his investigative journalism. He has written about many puzzling cases the world over. With this book, Mafioso, he went undercover and became an actual Mafia member for 3 years. His book is considered a definitive history of the criminal organisation, and reads as a well-researched and scholarly summary, supported by an index, photos and comprehensive endnotes (source material). This is a most accessible summary of the Mafia’s beginnings in Sicily, the movements to America and the remnants of the criminal groups across the world. A map in the opening pages details the location of the Mafioso families including those many of us have heard of from movies and television series. The author’s powers of observation are evident; he is honest and realistic. He acknowledges how much he likes the Sicilian people, having been treated with great kindness and warmth, but, he says that ‘they also carry a tribal burden, and it is written all over their faces’. This is a fascinating coverage of how the Mafia have, and continue to have, a hold over world crime. Obviously the subject matter is for a mature reader but the book would be a good addition to any history section of an upper school library, particularly when considering the Australian crime scene and the continued influence of the Mafia here.

Julie Wells