Stark House Press continues its republication of crime fiction by the late Peter Rabe with this collection of two mob-oriented novels from the 1970s, WAR OF THE DONS and BLACK MAFIA.

In WAR OF THE DONS, the three Guarda brothers fight for control of the Southern California mafia after disposing of the current boss. But the Guardas soon find themselves up against the traditional family structure of the mob, which does not look kindly upon their actions.

Curran, a former black activist in BLACK MAFIA, returns to his old neighborhood after serving time for robbery. A lot has changed, but the fighting among the local mafia bosses is what concerns him most. And when the mafia moves in on his local action Curran decides it is time for him to make his move.

Rabe is fascinated by the family-oriented foundation and traditions of the mob, and how they hold up against contemporary threats. In both novels this long-held structure struggles against young upstarts who feel the most effective way to prove their worthiness is by taking over control of the mob action. But the strength of the older ways suddenly exerts itself when challenged.

This struggle is most effectively portrayed in the first of the two novels. But BLACK MAFIA is distinguished by the combination of older organized crime with the more contemporary criminals of the black ghetto.

Both novels generally hold up very well after so many years. Unfortunately the ghetto patois running through the second novel is horribly dated and makes for difficult reading. But the fate of Curran as he makes his move against the mafia proves the effort worthwhile.

In his introduction, the ever-insightful and informative Rick Ollerman notes how these two novels were originally published in the shadow of the huge popularity of Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER. But Rabe’s characters and the challenges of the traditional mafia structure are what separate these two from the many other mob novels of the time.

Rabe’s bibliography, including his various pen names, is listed prior to the start of the novels. While not the best introduction to Rabe’s crime fiction (the earlier collections from Stark House Press do a much better job), these two mob novels are important additions for those finally discovering or reacquainting themselves with Peter Rabe. —Alan Cranis

Get it at Amazon.