Berl Falbaum

Prince of Omerta Berl Falbaum

The son of Francesco Gambino says there is a "great side" to the mafia. He writes about it in his novel, Prince of Omerta. "Omerta" translates to code of silence.  The protagonist in Gambino's novel, Johnny Valenti,  is a hit man dedicated to omerta. After refusing to finger a killer, he takes the fall himself, and seeks revenge when he's released from prison. The book, while it focuses on the story of Valenti, also includes many stories inspired by true events and real characters, including Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone ("Hawke" in the book), who tried to derail the Sicilian Mafia. Falcone ultimately met a grisly fate 20 years ago when it's said Salvatore "Toto" Riina ("Monteleone") had his men plant a half-ton bomb in a sewer under a highway, resulting in an explosion that killed Falcone, his wife and three bodyguards. With Mafia history and stories so extensive, at 280 pages, the book obviously doesn't cover everything, but readers hungering for more can buy "Undercover Secrets," a book he's written with Rita Gambino.