Mafioso

The Mafia continues to fascinate audiences around the world, depicted in books, films, and TV series. In an astonishing twist, Colin McLaren, the bestselling author of JFK: The Smoking Gun, actually became a mafioso during his tenure as an undercover drug squad cop.

Over three extraordinary years, McLaren gathered crucial evidence to dismantle a cell of 20 criminals. Following death threats, he embarked on a remarkable journey to Italy, delving into the lion's den to uncover the very roots of the Mafia. His mission was to comprehend its treacherous grip on both criminal activity and the popular imagination.

This narrative unveils how the earliest Mafia alliances supported politicians in invading Sicily and how the mints and banks of Italy were plundered, with billions stolen. It explores the smuggling of Mafiosi into New York City via ocean liners, setting the stage for the infamous Five Families. Enabled by corruption, the earliest Godfathers conquered territories on both sides of the Atlantic, extending their reach like a slimy octopus.

In the shadow of global terrorism, they have woven a complex web of commercial real estate, drug trafficking, and investments to forge their modern-day empire, valued at an estimated 400 billion Euros annually.

Mafioso also examines the scourge of the Mafia in Australia, placing McLaren at the heart of it all. Undercover, he strives to solve a crime spree from the 1990s that threatened to spiral out of control.