Mafia Secrets - Untold Tales from the Hollywood Godfather

The Kennedys, Marilyn, the Vatican, Vegas, During a cursed childhood in a Manhattan neighborhood teeming with Italian immigrants, Gianni Russo fended for himself at an early age. It was a quality that didn’t go unnoticed by Frank Costello--father figure, mentor, and legendary crime boss. Thanks to Costello, Gianni was only twelve when his luck would change for a lifetime. All of it charmed--and thrilling. With it came Hollywood glamor, Vegas risk-takers, political conspiracies, sex, murder, shadow governments, and secrets. The stories Gianni Russo could tell . . .; Now he does in this bombshell confessional. This is the inside account of the Sicilian Mafia, Cosa Nostra, what really transpired in those Mulberry Street clubs, and who whacked whom. This is Gianni, buddy of Frank Sinatra, and intimately more with Marilyn Monroe. What’s the cover-up behind her death, JFK’s, and Jimmy Hoffa’s? It’s all here. So is the clandestine role of the pope as the sacred boss of bosses, the glory days and downfall of Las Vegas, and the colorful behind-the-scenes tales of Gianni’s role in the greatest movie ever made, The go-getter Frank Costello once called the “Kid” shares his shocking, exhilarating, sometimes violent, and always riveting life with the dealmakers of Hollywood and the Mob. Gianni Russo lives to tell, and spills it all.

About the author

Gianni Russo knows the Mafia inside and out. He grew up on Mulberry Street in Manhattan’s Little Italy where Mafia boss Frank Costello took him under his wing. In 1962, he was privy to inside information regarding the murder of his friend Marilyn Monroe. A year later, he was acting as a messenger for New Orleans boss Carlos Marcello during the months and weeks leading up the JFK assassination. With Frank Sinatra as his singing teacher and Marlon Brando as his acting teacher, Russo landed the role of Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather. He is the author of Hollywood Godfather, an autobiography written with Patrick Picciarelli.

Michael Benson is the acclaimed author of nonfiction history and crime books, including Gangsters vs Nazis, Hollywood vs Nazis, Evil Season, and Betrayal in Blood, as well as Moguls, coauthored with Craig Singer. He is also one of America’s most accomplished and popular Mafia experts, having coauthored numerous books on the subject, including Carmine the Snake, Mafia Hit Man, Lord High Executioner, Red Hook, and Carlo Gambino with Frank DiMatteo and Mafia Secrets with Gianni Russo. He is a regular commentator, appearing on numerous radio and television shows such as On the Case with Paula Zahn and Deadly Sins on the ID: Investigation Discovery channel. A recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award, he can be found on Facebook @authorMichaelBenson.

Summary

A Mafia insider and authentic Hollywood tough guy reveals the explosive secrets he’s learned (and kept) for decades in this shocking tell all that unveils the hidden worlds of film and organized crime—from who shot JFK and murdered Jimmy Hoffa to the truth about Marilyn Monroe’s death.

Foreword by Steve Schirripa, star of The Sopranos, Blue Bloods, and Under the Boardwalk

The Kennedys, Marilyn, the Vatican, Vegas, The Godfather, the Mob, and more . . .

During a cursed childhood in a Manhattan neighborhood teeming with Italian immigrants, Gianni Russo fended for himself at an early age. It was a quality that didn’t go unnoticed by Frank Costello—father figure, mentor, and legendary crime boss. Thanks to Costello, Gianni was only twelve when his luck would change for a lifetime. All of it charmed—and thrilling. With it came Hollywood glamor, Vegas risk-takers, political conspiracies, sex, murder, shadow governments, and secrets. The stories Gianni Russo could tell . . . 
Now he does in this bombshell confessional. This is the inside account of the Sicilian Mafia, Cosa Nostra, what really transpired in those Mulberry Street clubs, and who whacked whom—including how mobster Tony Spilotro and his brother really died, finally revealed for the first time. This is Gianni, buddy of Frank Sinatra, and intimately more with Marilyn Monroe. What’s the cover-up behind her death, JFK’s, and Jimmy Hoffa’s? It’s all here. So is the clandestine role of the pope as the sacred boss of bosses, the glory days and downfall of Las Vegas, and the colorful behind-the-scenes tales of Gianni’s role in the greatest movie ever made, The Godfather.

The go-getter Frank Costello once called “The Kid” shares his shocking, exhilarating, sometimes violent, and always riveting life with the dealmakers of Hollywood and the Mob. Gianni Russo lives to tell, and spills it all.

Product details

• Authors: Michael Benson, Benson Michael, Gianni Russo
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 25.11.2025
• EAN: 9780806544755
• ISBN: 978-0-8065-4475-5
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; True Crime, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Criminals & Outlaws, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, TRUE CRIME / Organized Crime