The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano

As a mafia interest its a 5 star book of probably the biggest boss ever. The depth of corruption and the long arm they had in every facet of New York’s nightlife and distribution of alcohol in America is unbelievable. The fact the books is written on testimonies of the man himself makes it even better.

A real eye opener of how things were in the Great Depression, prohibition & how many public figures were on Luckys payroll; all the way up to Presidentional candidate Dewey. This is no doubt the best mob book I ever read. Hollywood should make a "Goodfellas" movie about Charley Lucky.

If you want to know about Salvatore Lucania, a/k/a Charlie Lucania, a/k/a Charlie Luciano, a/k/a Charlie Lucky, a/k/a Lucky Luciano, this is the book for you! The author relates Lucky's story from the cradle to the grave and, while some of it sounds self-serving (wouldn't we expect that?), Luciano tells all. It's an amazing story, from taking pennies from schoolkids to being the Boss of Bosses. It has always been known that Luciano refused to traffic in drugs and prostitution, and his only prison terms were for those very things. I wondered why, and now I know. I also wondered about the time he was "taken for a ride" and the story related by Luciano had the ring of truth. Luciano was candid about authorizing hits and the nature and extent of his criminal enterprises. The author was non-judgmental in telling the story. After all the half-truths and guesses about this man, I'm glad I read this book. If Charlie Lucky had chosen an honest life, he could have been the most successful businessman in history.

Straight from the horse's mouth. Lucky's testament jives with other reliable accounts of the inner workings of organized crime while filling in a lot of gaps on the development and early history of the five NY families.For the most part the information appears reliable, although in some cases, such as Lucky's professed denial of his significant involvement in the international drug trade, it seems clear that he 'dost protest too much.'Lucky's claims about his involvement --or lack thereof-- in Operation Underworld, the WWII Naval Intellegence op to keep the NY docks safe, as well as the invasion of Sicily, also seem to ring true. Like Giancanna, Trafficante and Rosselli in a later clandestine relationship with CIA to kill Castro, it was all a scam. I can even believe Lucky's claim that he actually engineered the sabotage of the Normandie to kick the whole scheme off.But what the 'Testament' provides best of all is a close look from Lucky's perspective at the personalities and relationships of the most infamous members of Cosa Nostra and their associates: Lucky knew them all.Lucky was indeed, The Godfathe

This is a great book because it is written under the direction of the man who organized crime in America. In this book Lucky Luciano gives a step by step overview on how the mafia reached it's dominance in America. Starting from his youthful days in New York, to his life long partnerships with men whom would helped change America, Luciano gives an up close and personal account on how the mafia was reorganized, the businesses that were established, and how money and greed can seperate life long friends.

This has been the best book on organized crime that I have read so far because it is told mainly by Lucky Luciano himself and its a great insider's look into the mafia. What separates this book from others is that a lot of other books on the mafia do not go into great detail of the organization. They focus mainly on the historical aspect of the mafia. This is a definite 5 star and for anyone who is interested in reading about organized crime/mafia.