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The Big Heist
- The Real Story of the Lufthansa Heist, the Mafia, and Murder
- Narrated by: Keith Sellon-Wright
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
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The Big Heist
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Publisher's Summary
One of the biggest scores in Mafia history, the Lufthansa Airlines heist of 1978 has become the stuff of Mafia legend - and a decades-long investigation that continues to this day. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony DeStefano sheds new light on this legendary unsolved case using recent evidence from the 2015 trial of 80-year-old Mafia don Vincent Asaro, who for the first time speaks out on his role in the fateful Lufthansa heist. This blistering you-are-there account takes you behind the headlines and inside the ranks of America's infamous crime families - with never-before-told stories, late-breaking news, and bombshell revelations.
An invaluable addition to any crime library, this is the most complete, thorough, and up-to-date account of the Lufthansa heist currently available. Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony DeStefano draws from his years of experience reporting on the mob for New York Newsday - as well as his firsthand coverage of the Asaro indictment and attendance at the trial - to expose the all-too-human heart of organized crime in America. The Big Heist is thrilling, shocking, and impossible to pause.
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What listeners say about The Big Heist
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2022-01-19
Lufthansa Robbery, Yes.. but mostly a Matrix
..around which to describe the New York Mafia in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. This well-written and extensively-researched documentary basically picks up where C. Alexander Hortis's 'The Mob And The City' leaves off (The Appalachia Conference). Reporter Anthony M. DeStefano presents a nicely-paced logical exposé of the Mob in NYC. This book uses the 1978 $5 Million Heist (as presented in Scorsese's 'Goodfellas') and the 2015 trial of Vincent Asaro as an excuse to generate a fascinating discussion that would make for a great college course on Organized Crime history. It nicely describes how 'Omerta' collapsed and the Mafia essentially imploded. The vocabulary/prose is creditable, the information is punctiliously accurate & captivating, and the organization is syllabus-quality.
Blackstone Audio did a great job selecting Keith Sellon-Wright to read the book. His performance is unspectacular but more than serviceable. To be certain, I found running playback at 1.15X was needed to yield the optimum enjoyment - but the reading is otherwise commendable.
I am grateful to Audible for offering this quality in-depth exploration for free (as a 'Plus' selection).. because it's actually worth a Credit.
If you can get it, downloading 'The Mob And The City' (also a 'Plus' option) is highly recommended - and listening to it first would improve your understanding/enjoyment of this book considerably.
Regardless, 'The Big Heist' is well-worth a listen for those - like me - that are fascinated by Cosa Nostra lore.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John S
- 2018-10-28
The story of the unnamed guys
I went to grammer school with the guys who pulled off the Heist and often wondered what happened to some guys who were never named in goodfellas this book answers these questions Excellant read from a guy who knows the real goodfellas and the "hole" in Brooklyn
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Neil Wilkinson
- 2021-05-10
Great story.
Well done. Great reader. Interesting and very detailed. Very well written. I enthusiastically recommend it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- victoria nichols
- 2021-02-13
Amazing Detail!
Very well written and narrative was excellent. Awesome detail of facts. thank you for an awesome book
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Ed Ric
- 2021-01-25
Deceiving
This book is 20% the Heist and 80% other mafia stuff. Not a bad book though.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan
- 2021-01-10
Good listen
Less about the heist and more about the history of the mob in NY during the 70'-90's. I haven't listened to any other books about the robbery but it covers the basics without much fanfare. Good listen and enjoyable. Gets bogs downed in the trial for the last few chapters.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Virginia
- 2020-06-01
Worth the time to listen.
The narration was great. The story is as fascinating as it was back in the '70's. I appreciated the new details. I say purchase this book. I didn't give this book five stars because I reserve five star status for the books that I leave tons of bookmarks on.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- James Ciotti
- 2017-10-08
An update to Good Fellas
This looked at the legendary Lufthansa heist from a modern perspective from a recent trial...there are some new facts worth the listen
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brian
- 2023-11-30
Goodfellows
if you enjoyed the movie then you will enjoy this book about the heist crew and the legal cases afterwards
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mountain Guide
- 2023-11-16
A great journey into the world of the underworld, Trudy.
Amazing research went into writing this book if you’re a fan of reading books about the mafia you’re gonna love this one. Well at times it’s overage from the main topic, it’s still entertaining all the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-05-27
Very convoluted and confusing
I listened from beginning to end. Found it very dry. The reader had very little expression and the presentation was monotonous. Having said that, to make it more than an account of detail after detail would be a real challenge. Did I enjoy it. Not really.
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