" Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia " by John Dickie is an authoritative account of the criminal organization's evolution from its 19th-century origins to its modern-day state. Dickie dismantles the romanticized myth of the Mafia as a "chivalrous" brotherhood, revealing it instead as a sophisticated, murderous, and political enterprise. Origins and Early Evolution Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia - Amazon.com