Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I wasnt sure what to expect with this book. who knew Canada had a mafia? But wow this was pretty good! Everything you want in a book!

3.75 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

Non fiction can be a challenge for me due to the content being written in a sometimes clinical/ matter of fact. So I tend to consume non-fiction by listening to the audiobook version, but this book was very easy to read. I did read the first nine or ten percent very quickly then just got busy with life and waited quite a while to continue but then constantly read for about a month to finish. Learning about all the drama with the mafia and the motorcycle clubs, it humanize’s Andrew Scoppa who definitely thinks of himself of more of a hero than I think he actually was. Which seems to be the writer’s opinion in a way as well but we get to see how close he gets with Scoppa and how deep of a scoop he is able to get from their sessions.

Inside the Montreal Mafia: The Confessions of Andrew Scoppa by Félix Séguin & Éric Thibault - Book #72



Andrew Scoppa was a high-ranking mafioso who broke the omertà by speaking to journalists. Off and on for 5 years, secret meetings were held to get a look at the North American mafia and the Rizzuto family. It was fascinating to me, I’ve read several Mafia books but they only touched on the Montreal mafia. I loved how the authors mixed his stories, his insight, newspaper articles, photos, etc into the story, it was very well researched. My only complaint would be that it was a bit dry, it took me a few days of reading to finish because of it. I enjoyed the formatting of the story and how some sections were broken down by days/times which was easy to follow along.



Thank you netgalley and ECWpress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley, Félix Séguin, Eric Thibault & @ecwpress for this free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TITLE: Inside The Montreal Mafia: The confessions of Andrew Scoppa
AUTHOR: Félix Séguin & Eric Thibault
GENRE: True Crime
PUB DATE: 6/07/22
RATING: 💣💣💣💣💣

TRIGGERS:
- Murder
- Cursing
- Bombings
- Death

READ IF YOU LIKE:
- True Crime
- Mafia Stories
-Murder

MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK:

We have all grown up knowing something about the Mafia. If you knew nothing else you knew about John Gotti. He was the head of the Gambino family and one of the most famous Gangsta’s of all time. Being American you may only hear about that Mafia. The Italian Mafia that ruled the streets of New York .

Then you heard about Sammy “The Bull” Gravano. He was John Gotti’s right hand man. However he went down in history as the biggest rat ever in mob history as an Underboss second in command has never cooperated with the government. But was he the biggest one?

He was until Andrew Scoppa! See there is another side of the Mob we may have never known. A mob that lives in Canada. Italians, Columbians even The Hells Angels was involved!

Inside the Montreal Mafia exposes some of the deepest darkest secrets of the Montreal Mob. Is it true? You bet your life, because the Boss says so. You see Andrew Scoppa was the head, and for the first time EVER the head man tells all.

This book is a masterpiece and chilling! Félix Séguin and Éric Thibault although risking their own lives, have secret meetings over a course of a few years with Andrew Scoppa. There he lays out murders, extortion, who was hit and why as well as all of the secrets the Montreal Mafia wishes you did not know.

This book changed the way that organization was ran and is ran today. And yes we also find out that the Mafia is connected no matter where in the world they are! These confessions of a Mob Boss will make you feel like he wanted to get his story out before time ran out. Because even Andrew Scoppa knew that the life he lived would one day catch up with him!!

This was my first book about the Montreal Mafia and I found it to be a fascinating one. It’s mostly covering the unprecedented agreement of mobster Andrew Scoppa to break omerta and go on the record with a pair of journalists. There is a good overall coverage of the various players and history of the mafia in Montreal. It also goes into the connections with the Hell’s Angels as well. Very good research on this and an excellent true crime read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you netgalley and ECW press for Early reader's copy of the book.
"As burns this saint, so will burn my soul. I enter alive and will have to get out dead.
An absolutely thrilling ride. I enjoyed this book so so much. I surprised myself. I have read mafia fiction in the past and who doesn't love gangster movies right? now imagine all that happening but in real world. I am not a big non fiction reader (like at all na da) but the book kept me hooked from the beginning.
That's a feat in itself, kudos to Eric and Felix.
The writing style is simple and laced with humor to keep the balance while its writing about dark stuff happening in the mafia world. I loved reading about the writer' relationship with Andrew scopa and diving into the mafia families.
Don't come at me but I guess I was a little bit too much interested in the inner workings. (lots of real insight on dealing with crime).
It was a bit overwhelming in the begging to keep tabs at the mafia families, their heirs and crimes but like every fantasy book, it slowly grew on me. And I loved comparing it to other mafia books (fictional) I had previously read and drawing similarities between them (and differences).
I would recommend this book to all the crime lovers, If you have ever read a book with mafia in it and loved it. This is the book for you. I am so glad I looked passed the non fiction tag and went into the book open minded. Because it blew me away.

An enjoyable read that looks into one of the biggest mafia families in Canada. The story is intriguing and will really hold your interest. If you are into true crimes books, do not miss this one!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Inside the Montreal Mafia by Félix Séguin and Eric Thibault
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

If you go by the number of books and movies on the subject, organized crime, especially that involving the Mafia, are of absorbing interest to many people. This is quite understandable. In addition to describing the usual crimes that interest true crime readers, stories about organized crime inevitably involve conspiracies, conflicts and methods of dispute resolution that make those of early medieval warlords seem reasonable. Of all the organized criminals, the Mafia, with its roots in Italy, seems to be the most fascinating for the general public. In Canada, even though the city does not have a monopoly on organized crime, Montreal has long been associated with the Mafia.

For those who are not already interested in the Montreal Mafia, the details of their recent history, which necessarily includes the their connections with other organized crime groups like the bikers, can be confusing, but is important. The authors describe the story as it developed, identifying key figures and, as far as possible, their suspected or known positions in the crime hierarchy, how that changed in response to developments, their allies and enemies, and what they planned and ordered or carried out themselves. All of this information is naturally difficult to obtain and harder to confirm. Most people will not read this book merely for the story of the Montreal Mafia. They will read it because the authors’ most infamous source of information was Andrew (Andrea) Scoppa, murdered on October 21, 2019. Scoppa was an unlikely source; he had been in important positions in the Mafia for years. The idea that someone like him might be an informant seemed highly unlikely. And yet, he did talk to the authors, repeatedly. Of course, his information had to be analysed very carefully by the authors. Their explanation of how they walked a narrow line, listening to Scoppa, and yet neither reporting what they heard to the police nor acting as a conduit from the police to Scoppa makes the story even more interesting than a straightforward recounting of what Scoppa said would have been.

Obviously, anyone with an interest in the Mafia, and especially in the Montreal Mafia, will enjoy this account with the information from a man who was there, right in the middle of all those rivalries, drug deals and murders. But the book will also be of interest to those who are curious about the Montreal Mafia in general, or about the kind of man who spent his life as part of the Mafia, knowing that his enemies would probably, as in fact they did, kill him.

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC via Netgalley.
This book is part history of the Montreal Mafia and part confession of Andrew Scoppa. It is not necessary to have a working knowledge of the history of Mafia in Montreal because the authors do give background information and include a timeline in one chapter.
The bulk of the book is focused on Andrew Scoppa who conducted a series of interviews with the authors. Overall the book is workmanlike. IT’s not bad but the prose is not particularly gripping or engrossing. At times, the authors quote too much from published reports and inject themselves too much into the narrative. While this is understandable considering that Quebec reporters had been targeted for reporting on the Mafia, it does at time feel a bit too much, as if they are becoming the story for a few pages. Additionally, especially in the beginning of the book, the authors switch between Scoppa’s given first name and his more common name of Andrew. It is a little confusing in the beginning. Also there are some strange digression -like a reference to Trump.
That said, the book does an excellent job of conveying the information. Furthermore, it does an very good job of looking at the cost of a life of crime on the families of those who chose it. While the focus into on Scoppa’s family per se, the authors do detail how his father’s lifestyle does effect the son. It does present a good overview of the interactions/disagreements/wars of the Mafia and various other gangs.
It does make me want to read the authors’ other books to find out more.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, EVW Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Interesting historical look into something I had little knowledge about.