I must make a declaration before we beg – I love mafia history. Good, now that we have that settled I can tell you all of the reasons why I was not let down by this show. Mafia is masterfully crafted as a fifty minute audio documentary. I was hesitant when starting my first listen of Mafia. Admittedly, because I did not want to dislike the show.

Given my passion for mafia history I was anxious that it may not live up to the expectations I had for a podcast covering a topic i love so much. Crisis averted. Mafia is an informative look at all of the mafia bosses you could ever want to know. It’s flush with crafty production and insights from historians and contextual audio clips when available.

Host Fleet Cooper is a wonderful narrator who provides great information in crisp fluid narration. It’s no doubt that every episode is well researched and produced to perfection. Each episode is a 45-50 minute historical biography on a specific mob boss. There has also been some great variety with bonus episodes that cover broader topics like the relationship with the mob and the government throughout American history.

Recommended Episodes: Start with the King: Albert Anastasia