The New England mob is a pale imitation of its former self, as we know from recent reports by the ProJo's Bill Malinowski and WPRI's Tim White. Public interest in organized crime seems to remain high, though, so curious observers might want to check out Bringing Down The Mob, which received a positive review in yesterday's New York Times Book Review.
This interesting bit, elaborating on how the feds became successful by going from investigating a known crime to taking on known criminals, has obvious resonance in Providence:
The most potent weapon was developed in 1970 -- the RICO statute, to which [author Thomas A.] Reppetto devotes a full chapter, pointing out that it took its creator, G. Robert Blakey, a decade of proselytizing before prosecutors would employ it.