Top Hoodlum

Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the Mafia

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

£0.00 for first 30 days

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Get 3 months for £0.99/mo

Get this deal

Try Premium Plus free

Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.

Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.

1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.

Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.

Access exclusive sales and deals.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Top Hoodlum

By: Anthony M. DeStefano

Narrated by: L.J. Ganser

Get this deal

Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

The press nicknamed him "The Prime Minister of the Underworld". The US Treasury's Bureau of Narcotics described him as "one of the most powerful and influential Mafia leaders in the U.S." But to friends and associates, he was simply "Uncle Frank". Who was Frank Costello really? That's the question Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony M. DeStefano sets out to answer in this definitive portrait of one of the most fascinating figures in the annals of American crime....

Using newly released FBI files, eyewitness accounts, and family mementos, Top Hoodlum takes you inside the Mafia that Frank Costello helped build from the ground up, from small-time bootlegging and gambling to a nationwide racketeering empire. Sometimes shocking, sometimes amusing, and always riveting, these are the stories that have inspired American crime classics like The Godfather, Casino, Goodfellas, and The Sopranos. This is the man who made the Mafia such a powerful force in our nation's history. This is Top Hoodlum.

Murder

Organized Crime

True Crime

Exciting

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Rise and Fall of a "Casino" Mobster cover art

Most relevant

I recognized the voice of the narrator early from another book, and knew I was gonna enjoy it. A very natural, but organically sympathetic voice, with a good flow.
This is a massively fascinating look into the secretive yet open book of some of americas’ biggest mobsters. A key figure in some of the more significant moments of his time, both in good and bad ways. I very much enjoyed this dive into this fascinating figure. I also love a good way of summarizing and putting a bow on a story, and I really enjoyed the final words.

What could have been.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

a great book very well written & narrated. loved it..
If like me you enjoy reading about the history of organised crime then this is for you.

Uncle Frank

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

loved this book. Great detail about a fascinating man who rose to the top of the underworld

fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.