The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath

Philip Carlo

Sep 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

“Mix The Godfather with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre . . . [a] true-crime study of one of the most coldblooded murderers in history” —Kirkus Reviews

The New York Times–bestselling author of Gaspipe and The Ice Man, Philip Carlo returns with a hair-raising portrait of arguably the most depraved psychopath in the history of the Mafia, mob enforcer Tommy “Karate” Pitera. The Butcher tells the riveting true story of a hit man who loved his work too much—a maniac believed responsible for more than sixty remarkably brutal murders—whom even organized crime’s most cold-blooded assassins feared. Another riveting journey into the darkest corners of the underworld, Carlo’s The Butcher is destined to be a true crime classic alongside Wiseguys by Nicholas Pileggi and Underboss by Peter Maas.

“A veteran chronicler of the mafiosi, Carlo turns his attention to Tommy Karate Pitera, a brutal capo in the Bonanno crime family who allegedly killed 60 people . . . [A] scalding depiction of this mob mad man.” —Publishers Weekly

Ratings and reviews

Tommy was very normal although somewhat reserved, played high school football was liked and respected by all teamates. What he lacked in natural ability, he made up in tenacity and determination. He was always working out, and trying to improve. Never missed a practice and was very disciplined. Always respectful of coaches, girls and adults. Very sad to read of the choices he made, but growing up in Bensonhurst it was very easy to go down the wrong road. Many victims in Tommy's life, but he too was a victim- of Gravesend Brooklyn.

Pitera was never a "Captain" in the Bonanno organization and Roy Demeo was not a captain in the Gambino organization. They were both made men that had crews made up of associates. Only a Captain can have other made men reporting to him. I have lost count of how many websites and books have these two listed as Captains. Captains by a rule keep their hands clean and do not get involved in the day to day operations of murder and drug dealing. It’s too risky for the Boss of the crime family. He can’t have a direct report engage in murder because it will lead a trail right to the boss. Pitera lived by the Samurai ethos. Discipline, control, and also a total lack of mercy when confronting and killing your enemy, the only time he lost control was when his beloved common law wife died of a drug overdose from drugs supplied by her friend, whom Pitera had asked, pleaded with and warn to stay away from. Unlike Roy Demeo Pitera had a clean record up until the day he was arrested in June of 1990, He completed high school, spent all of his free time studying martial arts and won a martial arts competition which paid for him to study Karate in Japan under Japanese masters for 2 years. He is an enigma of a man; he was a law abiding, respectful student and son who upon his return from Japan made the decision to become a Mobster. The Phillip Carlo book pulp fiction biography of Pitera does not do his story justice and is filled with inconsistencies. Carlo uses the previously unheard of term “War Captain” throughout the book. What exactly is a “War Captain”? Your guess is a good as mine as I have never read or heard the expression before. He repeats the fallacy that Pitera was a “Captain” in the Bonanno crime family throughout the book. The actual captain of the Pitera crew was a man named Frank Lino how a “Captain can report to another Captain is never explained because it would never happen. Yes the book holds your attention the same way a good comic book would with lots of flash but no substance. Carlo also loves to use the expression “The Mean Streets of Brooklyn” he uses it so many times it becomes humorous and then very annoying

The story was interesting however with its constant repetition of telling situations over and over, I felt the book could have been extremely condensed. The amount of side character detail was also incredibly redundant and boring. 50+ chapters was completely unecessary

About the author

Philip Carlo was born and raised on the mean streets of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn—the same streets Tommy Pitera hailed from. There, Carlo earned a Ph.D. in street smarts, and he escaped a life of crime by writing about it with unusual insight. He is the author of the bestsellers The Night Stalker, about notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez, and The Ice Man, about infamous Mafia contract killer Richard Kuklinski. Carlo lives with his wife, Laura, in New York City.