For skinny on the Outfit, get an expert

John Kass reports on Chicago Mob expert Jim Wagner's reading list for the coming Chicago Mob trial:

Defense lawyer Thomas Breen, representing defendant James Marcello, asked Wagner if there was a decent Outfit reading list to be found. Wagner rattled off the titles to some books, which loyal readers have seen mentioned here previously.

" 'Captive City' by Ovid DeMaris," said Wagner, of the classic linking the Outfit to Chicago politics. He also mentioned non-fiction books by the late FBI supervisor William Roemer, but he disagreed with Roemer's contention that the late Outfit boss Anthony Accardo kept his soldiers away from narcotics trafficking.

Wagner also recommended the Gus Russo books, "The Outfit" and "Supermob." If you really want to enjoy this trial, you'll read the Russo books and "Captive City" for context.

Here's the best book on the Chicago Mob.A book that's so hot to handle that even the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times will not review it.