Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

In June 1962, inmate Joseph Michael Valachi kills a fellow inmate in the US penitentiary in Atlanta, GA. Valachi, a seemingly small time drug trafficker, is destined to become one of the best known criminals in America. He will ultimately confirm the existence of the Cosa Nostra, an organized crime syndicate whose elusive existence has been a debate among law enforcement for years. The Cosa Nostra [at time when the book is written in 1968] is the most profitable "corporation" in the United States, hauling in upwards of $40 billion dollars annually. It pays no taxes but spreads monetary influence around to public officials of all levels.

Valachi is a marked man during his time in the pen and he knows it. Another low-level Cosa Nostra thug and fellow inmate accuses Valachi of ratting to the Feds about his knowledge of the organization's drug...