True Crime Books

Mickey Cohen certainly was a product of his time. Edward G. Robinson only played LITTLE CAESAR on screen, Cohen was the real thing. He was made to measure for dominating the crime in and around Hollywood. From fixing prize fights and horse races to shaking down movie stars and politicians.
Then there are the six murders that he freely admits to, not counting all those he doesn't own up to. Still, ask any waiter, car hop or bell boy and they're all tell you what a great guy he was -or rather a great tipper.

Mickey Cohen fitted right in with LA. His exploits commanded the front pages and gossip columns of the day. Brad Lewis' book is well researched, but for me not all the loose ends were tied together. Cohen's relationships with his bosses -the mob, are detailed better in Gus Russo's book SUPERMOB.

When most people hear the word "gangster", Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel or Meyer Lansky spring to mind. These were brilliant, charismatic, ruthless men who built financial empires on the backs of illegal activities, and often, other peoples misery.

I had never thought of Mickey Cohen as a first rate gangster of the magnitude of the aforementioned, but in reading this book, it is clear that he cut a wide swath through twentieth century American history.

The book is well written, although details of Cohen's life remain surprisingly sketchy. The author never does get a handle on where Cohen's opulent wealth comes from, although he does hint that prostitution and gambling are it's main source.

Cohen and Benny Siegel moved from East Coast to West to capture the vice at the request of Meyer Lansky, and each had a storied career. Siegel's has been told many times. Cohen's, normally as an adjunct to Siegel's.

This book makes clear that Cohen's life and influence far surpassed "Bugsy's". Cohen not only controlled much of the traditional vice along the West Coast, he had in's with Senators, Presidents, Hollywood icons, and even The Reverend Billy Graham.

Through it all he comes off as an upstanding, decent, and charismatic person.

He survived up to twelve attempted "hits", two extended prison stays, and not least, two marriages.

He is a piece of American folklore I would like to know more about, and for anyone who feels the same, this book is an excellent chronicle of a twentieth century enigma.

I liked this fascinating story of a criminal who didn't believe he was one. Before this very little was known about Mickey Cohen. I found the design descriptions of the night clubs and Cohen's houses and apartments very interesting. This underwold figure was made real, human, and surprisingly likeable. Each chapter revealed another intriguing facet of his life. Highly recommended. It is unusual for a history/biography to be such a fun read.

This is a firts bio of Mickey Cohen but it's much more and in fact covers a whole period in Mafia history centered on the West Coast. Made lively by hundreds of anecdotes, this book is very satisfying and fills a huge gap in the known history of the Jewish Mob, its political and business ramifications and the incredible reach of some of its memebers. From Bugsy Siegel to the rat Pack: all the Hollywood "gangs" are shown here and Mickey was almost like a puppet master pulling strings! A must read.

A comprehensive, thorough expose of the early Mafia days of New York, Hollywood, and Las Vegas. A fascinating read!

I'll Do My Own Damn Killin'GREAT BOOK! MOST FUN I HAVE EVER HAD READING A BOOK.

THIS STORY IS SO WELL WRITTEN AND SO INTERESTING THAT NICK CASSAVETES, MOVIE PRODUCER AND POKER PLAYER, HAS PURCHASED THE RIGHTS TO MAKE IT INTO A MOVIE. WHILE KICKING THIS AROUND A POKER GAME THE OTHER DAY THE PLAYERS AND I AGREED JOSH BROLIN SHOULD PLAY THE YOUNG BENNY BINION.

I expected to be somewhat entertained and learn a small bit about the history of Dallas gambling. I didn't expect to be so thoroughly consumed with the stories, the history and the characters. Excellent!

This is a great book. I knew Benny Binion. My new novel, Texas Poker Wisdom, has several stories about Benny, including the day I met him in 1960. When Binion moved to Vegas, he took a giant step down being a casino owner considering the many things he controlled in Dallas and Ft. Worth and elsewhere. The gambling wars in Dallas and Ft. Worth are hard to believe. Mr. Sleeper has written a book any Texan, gambler, or curious reader will love. I loved this book.
Johnny HughesTexas Poker Wisdom

If you have found yourself in Soprano-withdrawal, this book is for you. "I'll Do My Own Damn Killin'" is a raucous gangland tale of a long and bitter feud between two former partners for control of the Dallas gambling scene of the 1930s and 40s.

Most people know Lester Ben Binion as the Las Vegas icon who
owned some of the early casinos there, with the downtown Horseshoe Club being the most famous and longest-lived. But before his Las Vegas days he was known as the Dallas "boss gambler." He had most of Dallas law enforcement "fixed" so he could run his numbers, his policy wheels, and his poker games at the Southland Hotel without fear of arrest. He was temperamental, braggadocios, but also jovial in a sinister sort of way. The title of the book comes from a reply he gave when asked if he had ever hired a hit man.

Herbert Noble ran crap games in downtown Dallas and soon came to resent the 25-percent protection money he had to pay to Binion. He had dreams of being the Dallas gambling kingpin himself, and formed a partnership with a like-minded underworld financier. Soon the gambling wars had begun, with one Noble partner after another turning up dead, and back and forth contracts put out on various hardcases from both sides. Noble himself had no less than thirteen assassination attempts made on him. As the author says, "By the early Fall of 1950, planning to kill Herbert Noble had practically become a cottage industry in Dallas and Fort Worth."

Tragedy finally struck when Noble's 36-year-old wife made the fatal mistake of borrowing her husband's booby-trapped car. The explosion was heard eight miles away and the blast shattered windows for blocks. Her mangled body was laid to rest in a solid copper casket said to be the most expensive one ever sold in Dallas.

After this incident, the hatred that consumed Noble escalated the war and led to a hellish confusion of such grisly murders and maiming that it's hard to believe that this actually happened in Texas and not in some 12-hour Francis Ford Coppola trilogy. Notorious people move in and out of the pages, people like Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, Bugsy Siegal, Meyer Lansky, Estes Kefauver, and even one Jacob Rubenstein, aka Jack Ruby.

Finally by the end of the book, the good guys have arrived on the scene, the Texas Rangers, who put a stop to the violence. Thus ended the bloodiest two decades in Dallas history. The appendix contains testimonies, transcripts of recorded conversations, and progress reports on some of the still-unsolved murders from this shocking, full-scale gangland war that happened in Texas.

The law enforcement community should not let politics block a new invetigation of the case.The evidence is there and the families of the victims should have some closure.More importantly, the other killers involved must be brought to justice!

This book was so compelling I have thought about it for many years. I read it when it first came out in first printing. Have been looking for it for years,and have been unsuccessful. Now I will order it and read it again. This is the ultimate truth is stranger than fiction read. The powerful distracting the populace with horror we can not escape for the purpose of leading astray from a the truth send shivers down your spine.

Having lived in California during the decade of the sixties I recall that the Haight Ashbury scene turned very vicious around 1969. Where people would share their homes, beds, food, wine (and dope if you were so inclined) freely in '67 and '68; by '69 a real evil, rip off, vicious, criminal type element drove people away from that scene, or into isolated seclusion, in droves. It culminated graphically in the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont in 1969. The street thieves, cults, criminals basically took over as if the flower people were lambs for the slaughter. This book, while often having a "nailing jelly to a wall" feeling, puts the whole change into perspective with the elements of Manson, the entertainment industry, mafia, cults, devil worshippers, pedophiles and upper class perverts as a driving force. The author mentions the London scene, Marianne Faithful, Kenneth Anger and the Stones in passing. For many years I've wondered about the reports that Brian Jones had been intentionally drowned in his pool by a rough element in July of 1969. (The kind of rough element the author cites as surrounding Mama Cass.) Marianne Faithful attempted suicide soon after Brian's death. Anita, (Brian's lover and later Keith's wife) was involved with the occult and some years later a teenage lover killed himself in her bed. Many music celebrities were into the occult (from Satanic to S&M to Nazi symbols and themes) from the late 60's through the 70's. It reminded me that Brian Jones was invited to the Monterey festival in '67 by John Phillips and may have known or met many of the same people in California and London that were into the occult fringe the author describes. It also occurred to me that the perfect theme song for this book and the scenes it describes is "Sympathy for the Devil" written by the Rolling Stones in 1968 (".... Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste....") In addition to all of the intermeshed tentacles of this Godless underground of killers and perverts, it is really scary that the author's words and photos reminds us that Berkowitz and alot of the other criminals involved looked like regular people, had 9 to 5 day jobs as trades people, doctors, lawyers, policemen, etc. I guess you never know who is sitting next to you on the subway or who is knocking at your door. If Maury Terry writes another one, I'll buy it. I hope he puts an index on the next one.

I read this book several years ago and it chilled me to the bone, I can remember the things taking place in my hometown of Minot ND. Reading this book was frightening to me as I read and knew many of the people involved in this case. Maury Terry is right -- Berkowitz did not act alone. A must read for anyone interested in FACT not fiction.

Everybody knows that David Berkowitz is the Son of Sam and he is held responsible for the senseless murders and shootings in the summer of 1977. The author does an excellent job in bringing about the era as well as explaining the circumstances regarding all the victims. Apart from this book, I barely read the Son of Sam case since it didn't interest me as much as others. The author also tries to tie Son of Sam murders with a bizarre murder case at Stanford chapel in Palo Alto, California in 1974 involving a young wife from North Dakota whose husband was a student at the famed university. The book is a heavy read and there is a lot of information to sort out but the author does write clearly and well regarding the possible connections between satanic cults and the murders and deaths of so many others as well. I am one for conspiracies anyway so I am beginning to believe Maury Terry's argument that there is more than meets the eye.

I have to say this is the best book written in a while. I admire Jerry Speziale. The author in this book details the sacrifice officers make when going undercover. People seem to forget what the officers give up to make a difference and the risks they take. The sacrifice the families go through when there loved ones are taking a risk with their lives. I admire Jerry and the officers who took the time to make a difference. I definitely recommend this book. It is realistic and it isn't exaggerated.

This is a very compelling book. It is the true story of NYPD undercover officer on "loan" to the DEA. This cop turned author, literally wrote the book on wiretaps. He risked his life to make major drug busts. However, by pursuing the Columbia drug cartels so aggressively, he also risked the lives of many innocent (and some not so innocent)others. He does not hide this fact in his book and he should be applauded for his honesty.

If you, read a "true crime" book only now and again -- buy this book. If you read "true crime" regularly this will be one of your all-time favorites.

Watching THE WIRE changed me and made me more sympathetic in general. I read this book as a result of THE WIRE even though I am not that interested in true crime or drugs. I am still not that interested but I feel that I should know. It's very straightforward and nondepressing despite the overwhelming odds. It's one man's story simply told although the details are sensational. Sheriff Speziale of Passaic, New Jersey was groomed by a real drug dealer from Brazil who also groomed a Brazilian entertainer known as Xuxa - this detail is not mentioned in Without a Badge but this book is written in a very pedestrian manner despite the extraordinary events and people involved. He spent many hours, days, months away from his family life. He was at the forefront of modern surveillance tactics. He is a friend to Bernard Kerik. And he is still making a contribution to fighting crime. Sometimes the antidote to the hopelessness of the fight is as simple as doing your own part and cleaning up your work environment and infecting others with a work ethic.

i dont like reading that much and it usually takes me a couple weeks to read this size book but i read it 3 days because once i started reading it i couldnt put it down. It is simply the best book ever written. You constantly wish you could read faster so you could see what the next page held. It describes in depth the cali drug organization and how they brought it down. I recommend this book to anyone, i guarantee you will absolutely love it.

This by far is one of the best books I have read in a while. I read it cover to cover in one day and I am a fairly slow and detailed reader. I could not put it down. Without A Badge takes you deep into the life of a narcotics investigator with such a zeal for cleaning up the streets that it is personally motivating. I am now reading for the second time. I can't wait until I see this one in the movie theater.

This book does provide the reader with a basic insight of Lucianos life.It has been well written but the facts seem to be a bit out of place.A few incidents seem to be exagerated by the author and the reader gets the feeling that its not a book but more like a story from the news paper. A good book for a reader who wants to have basic knowledge of Lucianos life but the book i would recommend for the true followers of Organized crime is the Luciano Testament.

This book does provide the reader with a basic insight of Lucianos life.It has been well written but the facts seem to be a bit out of place.A few incidents seem to be exagerated by the author and the reader gets the feeling that its not a book but more like a story from the news paper. A good book for a reader who wants to have basic knowledge of Lucianos life but the book i would recommend for the true followers of Organized crime is the Luciano Testament.

This book is a great introduction, but nothing more. The book has no continuous flow to it. It is not well written, but does contain some useful information into the power that Luciano held

This is an important title if one can believe organized crime figures. Did the Mafia plan Casto's murder? Or, did it BS the federal government? There's some pretty good arguments for Castro wanting to get even with Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs fiasco. And, with Kennedy's initial statements that he would free Cuba. Highly recommended for Mafia fans as well as JFK assassination students.

A outstanding naration of Frank Ragano's life and career, and of the nature of one Santo Trafficante Jr..A perfect example of getting too comfy with the wrong crowd. A tale about how connections can give you incredible power or crush and reduce you to nothing. I couldn't put this book down. This book will have you rooting for an underdog lawyer at first. By the middle of the book you'll seriously question his morals and judgement. But by the end of the book you'll began to understand how vulnerable we all are to power . Hell, being honest I probably would've fallen into Santo's trap as well. He seemed honorable. But Frank Ragano, being Sicilian, should have known better. Cuba, Bay of Pigs, JFK, and Hoffa........need I say more?

I was overwhelmed by the reviews, both positive and negative. The book only reveals some of the highlights of my
father's career. It captures the essence of what really transpired between Hoffa, Trafficante, and Marcello. He was in an unusual position to be able to represent all three of these men at once. According to my father, it was "tantamount to being counsel for General Motors." The book explores the uneasiness of trying to represent your clients zealously, yet ethically. In the end, though, he crossed the line of objectivity: Your never socialize with your clients, he would warn. When he was fighting Bobby Kennedy ("The General") in court, all too often he would refer to it as: "Their enemies became my enemies." The book reveals the inter-workings of a truly brilliant criminal defense attorney. It also shows how insightful these mafia chieftains were to the american public being exposed to drugs, particularly cocaine. This is later demostrated in John Gotti's interactions with the mob. I am very proud of him and I think he would be very proud of me, although I concentrate my practice in family law, where the clients are less difficult.

I read the book years ago and in my opinion the most compelling "insider" account of mafia mores...It is true that most true crime mafia tales are written by or with the help of mob members, hence the dubious veracity of some facts.(I was reminded of this book, as I just finished For the sins of my Father, written poignantly by Al Demeo, the son of a murderous mobster. We get to see another avenue in this certain world of horror.)
Mob Lawyer provides this same kind of insight, as Ragano was invited in to the mob world for a function, but he was not involved in the criminal activities.Extremely insightful.

A Straight-Forward and seemingly reliable Mob-insider's account by one of the LCN's top lawyers. Ragano is no name dropper, nor is he full of it. He was a top Lawyer for both Hoffa and Santo Trafficante from the late 50s through the 80s.

The books explores the life of Tampa lawyer Ragano and his close relationship to Santo Trafficante. This is one of the few, if not only books, that examines the life of this shadowy, but important mobster who by his own and others' admission, was involved in planned or real assassinations of Castro and JFK.

Ragano's account of his dealings with Hoffa and Trafficante and his association with a who's-who of Organized Crime personalities- Carlos Marcello, Luchesse, Gooodfellow's mobsters Henry Hill and Jimmy Burke, Sinatra, Alan Dorfman (who milked the Central States Pesnion fund for all it was worth) and others -- is told without nonsenes and in a fully credible way.

Ragano is not a conspiracy nut, nor does he come across as one who makes up stories. Neither was Trafficante. So that is why when Ragano reveals what was told him by Trafficante about Hoffa's and JFK's murders, accounts which jive with other and most prevelant thoughts about those killings, I think he can be taken at his word. Clearly, it should come as no suprise that the Mafia was involved in those murders. And while not much is added to details of JFK's assassination, the death of Hoffa is clearly related, including the names of the triggermen and who ordered the hit.

Unlike some mob-insider accounts I have read, where the subject's integrity is of little worth and the story sometimes hard to swallow, 'Mob Lawyer' is both profound, soul searching and entertaining.

This book is an absolutely indispensable introduction to all of the controversy, studies, and questions about the insanity defense. Edited by Ellsworth Fersch, who received from Harvard both his law degree and his Ph.D. in psychology, the book provides clear answers to just about every question the average person might have about the insanity defense.

For those whose knowledge might be a bit more advanced, the extensive collection of case studies provides an excellent and thorough comparison of the different ways the insanity defense has been employed, and how it has changed over time.

This topic is a very controversial one, but "Thinking About the Insanity Defense" takes an evenhanded approach. Fersch and the book's other contributors go to great lengths to provide arguments for and against each of the recent major developments in this facet of the law. The book exhaustively confronts both the scientific bases of mental illness and the philosophical underpinnings of this subject.

The bibliography is lengthy and useful, to boot.

If you're considering researching the insanity defense, or if you simply want to learn more about it, this work is worth every penny.

Chances are if you're reading the reviews for this book then you've read at least one Capone biography and walked away, like me, thinking, "Great story, wish I knew more about the Northsiders." Well Rose Keefe has heard our collective wail and has provided us with one of the best books on both Chicago gangland and one of its most interesting characters. There is much more to the O'Banion/Northside story than just being fodder for Capone's gunmen. If you're into Chicago's gangland past then this volume is a must.

A great bio on the Chicago gangster gunned down in his flower shop during the "Roaring Twenties". The book focuses on the rivalry between the Northside Chicago mob and the Southside Torrio-Capone mob.Obanion and his cohorts are literally devoured by the inter-city "big time" mobs with connections to New York city.From reading this book I don't believe Obanion knew what he was up against,he was a small town boy who moved to the city of Chicago, yet he tried to run his crime empire like a small business. Cavorting around a flower shop by day,shaking hands,(without an enemy in the world?),with little to no protection,meanwhile engaging in criminal activity that would include murder.That's just asking for it,and Torrio's mob,later inherited by Capone,was only too happy to oblige. It seems Torrio's mob when they arrived in Chicago was already an experienced hard core criminal transplant from NYC and cites thereof.How could Obanion honestly think that when the control of rackets,gambling,bottlegging,and the millions of dollars at stake, there was a "moral" line that shouldn't be crossed?Especially when dealing with the mob and seeing as the mob eliminated its own so what could a rival gang expect.Capone listed his profession as furniture dealer but I doubt you would see him lifting furniture into trucks.His furniture business was a fort.The short baby faced Obanion never had a chance in dealing with the NYC mob. this book really brought this out as I read it.An excellent work on crime history but it sort of makes Obanion look like a "farmer".

This is a must have book for anyone interested in Chicago's beer wars. Mrs. Keefe has written a brilliantly told acurate story that helps us understand how Capone became the legend that he is, for without Dean O'Banion on the north Capone may not have been as big on the south.

This is about the people who nearly beat the Capone Mob for control of the Chicago boot-legging business. They were led by a florist and included a war hero, a cowboy, a bigamist and a practical joker who starred in an early stag film in the middle of a gang war. The wild Northside Gang is today best remembered for being the victims in the St Valentine's Massacre but in the twenties they were household names. This and Rose Keefe's book about Bugs Moran are both fascinating. A must read!

This is the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched biography of Dean O'Banion and it has been justly recognized as definitive. Rose Keefe's greatest accomplishment is that her meticulous research has refuted dozens of journalistic half truths, embellishments and canards that have become commonly accepted as the truth simply because of constant repetition over eight decades. The actual Dean O'Banion is a far more complex and interesting character than his newspaper stereotype.

Many sources have characterized the Prohibition battles between the Northside Gang and the Capone/Torrio mob as simply a territorial battle between the Irish and those damned Dagoes. Keefe correctly points out that the Northsiders were, in fact, an exceedingly diverse group comprised of Irish, Italian, German, Jewish and Polish hoodlums. The reality was more complicated than the widely accepted conventional wisdom.

Although O'Banion could act in an utterly ruthless manner if circumstances warranted, more often than not he relied upon his quick wits. He possessed superior intelligence and had an engaging personality that inspired great loyalty from his comrades even long after his death.

Despite his humble origins, O'Banion had the ability to put people from various walks of life at perfect ease and to form lasting friendships that allowed him to move easily in political and social circles despite his criminal background. O'Banion was a contradiction: he was a devoted son and husband. One could envision the industrious O'Banion succeeding in almost any field of endeavor that he tried. The loss of his beloved mother to tuberculosis and a childhood accident that left O'Banion partially crippled with a permanent limp were traumatic episodes, but rather than contenting himself to be sidelined by his handicap or to endure a life of economic hardship and privation, O'Banion chose not to be pushed around as he hit back hard with both fists in order to survive in the rough and tumble, dog eat dog environment that was Chicago in the early years of the past century.

If you are living from hand to mouth, it always pays to be ambidextrous and O'Banion was, figuratively and literally: his custom tailored suits contained multiple pistol pockets which allowed O'Banion to draw concealed revolvers using either his right or left hand or both hands simultaneously. The same hands that O'Banion could and did use to fire pistols, crack safes, stuff ballot boxes or slug out rival newspaper hawkers would also cut flowers into lovely arrangements for weddings and funerals. As a bootlegger, O'Banion prided himself on selling quality products as opposed to the rot gut handled by his rivals.

Keefe relates the many occasions on which O'Banion performed acts of charity. Some of these kindly acts were calculated, however, since O'Banion was also interested in reaping votes come election time. By performing good deeds, he could call in favors when ballots were being cast by his neighbors. Unlike Al Capone who coupled brutality and with openly lewd and lecherous behavior (Scarface allegedly gained his trademark after making crude remarks about a woman's shapely posterior in the presence of her protective and knife wielding older brother), O'Banion was noted for behaving in a courteous and oftentimes chivalrous manner.

Keefe's writing is factual and entertaining. The O'Banion who she describes in such great depth proves to be such a charming and larger than life personality that it is entirely possible to imagine his immortal soul awaiting forgiveness and redemption in Purgatory. I was reminded of the Warner Brothers crime melodrama "Angels with Dirty Faces" in which a priest played by Pat O'Brien called upon a group of juvenile delinquents to "pray for a boy that who couldn't run as fast as I could" after his childhood friend who failed to escape the corrupting influence of the mean streets died at an early age as a result of embarking upon a criminal career. If this sounds like a mere Hollywood screenwriting cliche, consider the fact that a Roman Catholic priest was disciplined and transferred for leading graveside prayers for Dean O'Banion despite orders from the Cardinal to deny Christian burial rites to known gangsters.

The only serious fault that I found with "Guns and Roses" is that the book lacks proper footnotes. There is a bibliography, but Keefe ought to have provided footnote attributions to the excerpted materials that were previously published elsewhere. There are also some minor geographical, historical and typographical errors that Chicagoans may catch in the text, usually on minor details, but the book is otherwise solid. Despite these shortcomings, this book is nevertheless a significant addition to the true crime history of Chicago during the Prohibition Era.

In the chapter named "Death" there are two quotes credited to Benjamin Siegel that probably should have been credited to Louis "Little Lepke" Buchhalter. He was the only prohibition era gangster that was sentanced to the Electric Chair. Benny Siegel was killed in Virgina Hill's livingroom, as was noted in the Cast of characters at the end of the book. Somewhere the author or the proofreader slipped up on the job.

Very Funny book. Listen to many not so bright people come up with some not so bright things to say.

I thought this book would be more interesting. I personally think that if there were more background given to some of the quotes it would be better. Instead it's just one quote after another. I would have like to know in what context they were spoken. I've read alot worse ,but i've also read alot better from this author.

This book is great fun, and is loaded with many humorous and/or insightful quotes. I just want to point out one error: on Page 47, three quotes about the electric chair are incorrectly attributed to Bugsy Siegel. Bugsy Siegel was never sentenced to death (at least not by any court of law). He was shot to death by the mob in 1947 in Hollywood. The "Bugsy" who actually said the things quoted in the book was Martin "Buggsy" (spelled with two G's) Goldtsein, who went to the chair at Sing Sing in 1941. He was one of the Murder, Inc. hit men sold out by Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, who is mentioned in one of the quotes.

capeci must have combed through thousands of pages to gather this assortment of mafia quotes. it's hard to believe that they are all real! i never realized that mobsters could be so philosophical--or funny. some quotes even made me laugh out loud. this also makes a great gift for friends and family.