Mafia Spies

The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro

By: Thomas Maier

Narrated by: Fred Stella

From the bestselling author and television producer of Masters of Sex, a true story of espionage and mobsters, based on the never-before-released JFK Files, and optioned by Warner Bros.

Mafia Spies is the definitive account of America’s most remarkable espionage plots ever - with CIA agents, mob hitmen, “kompromat” sex, presidential indiscretion, and James Bond-like killing devices together in a top-secret mystery full of surprise twists and deadly intrigue. In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves amidst Congressional hearings and a national debate about the JFK assassination.

Mafia Spies revolves around the outlaw friendship of these two mob buddies and their fascinating world of CIA spies, fellow Mafioso in Chicago, Cuban exile commandos in Miami, beautiful Hollywood women, famous entertainers like Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack in Las Vegas, Castro’s own spies in Havana and his double agents hidden in Florida, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI snooping, and the Kennedy administration’s “Get Castro” obsession in Washington. Thomas Maier is among the first to take full advantage of the National Archives’ 2017-18 release of the long-suppressed JFK files, many of which deal with the CIA’s top secret anti-Castro operation in Florida and Cuba.

With several new investigative findings, Mafia Spies is a spy exposé, murder mystery, and shocking true story that recounts America’s first foray into the assassination business, a tale with profound impact for today’s Trump era. Who killed Johnny and Sam - and why wasn’t Castro assassinated despite the CIA’s many clandestine efforts?

©2019 by Thomas Maier. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Great book and true tory.

Corrupt CIA, mobsters, entertainers, murder and government secrecy. And it's all true. If you are a boomer you will ft right into this time period and not believe what was going on concerning Cuba and the USA.

incredible...mind blowing

Loved it
Our goverment
The Mafia
Hollywood
Conspiracy .. FACTS
In bed together ...no surprise there..

Refreshingly Good

I was expecting some recycled, old-school urban legends about how the government of the United States, Cuba or Russia conspired to kill Kennedy
If only 10 % of this well researched and sourced story is true it’s remarkable -

Engaging story, a bit disorganized

Overall a pleasant listening experience. As other reviewers have pointed out, there are more than a few mistakes or oversights. Mostly these are fairly innocuous, but at times, as with tangential mentions of MK Ultra and other CIA operations essentially co-signing the "official" accounts , it makes one wonder how deeply it was truly researched. If everything in it is true, it's a fascinating account, if it isn't, it's still an entertaining listen.

Multiple characters, perspectives, & interesting bullet points

Worth the read but LOTS of players. I was able to pick up many new tidbits for future research but not get bogged down with one storyline. JFK aas not necessarily the focus but just one player. Frank Sinatra on the other hand was likely mentioned more than anyone!