Usually not into these kind of things

I'm usually not a big fan of thrillers and murder mysteries but this was an interesting read. Combining worlds which clash together as hard as the mafia and Orthodox Judaism is promising and I feel Goldberg delivered. After listening to the book the whole morning I almost ordered a salad with the threatening coldness of Sal. I simply forgot that I don't live in a world of gangsters.

6 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Goombah Goes to Vegas and Becomes Tony with Torah

I really liked this easy-to-listen crime novel with its dryly witty, yet dark, plot I'd sum up as:

Great Lakes Goombah Guns Down 4 G-men, Goes to Vegas, and Turns into a Tony with a Torah.

Rabbi David Cohen (aka Sal Cupertino, a 35-year-old shadowy hitman with a bad plastic surgery job) appears to go through a existential crisis-lite as he misses his wife and young son and considers the Torah that he's basically committed to memory (his mob nickname was "Rain Man"), but maintains his killer karma. While Mr. Goldberg has fun playing with the interplay among Italian mobsters, a hitman's rabbinical conversion and perhaps a reptilian shedding of the Jewish skin, he doesn't glamorize gangsters, the mob lifestyle, Jews or G-men. The novel maintains a diabolical darkness in 1990's Las Vegas despite the comedic diversions.

I'd not heard of Tod Goldberg before seeing the good reviews for this book, but he really seems to have hit his mark. I'll be looking forward to his next book.

If you loved "The Sopranos" and "Bugsy," you should revel in "Gangsterland."

My only complaint is the narration. I hate it when a narrator botches an easily recognizable, nearly household name, like Brett Favre (as Fave-ruh), a Hall of Fame QB, in an important part of the story, and then repeatedly mispronounces it. Of course, the Producer is just as much at fault for not correcting this.

6 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Great Story, Great Listen

I'll be honest and say I bought this thinking it was a non-fiction mafia story, but quickly realized it was a novel. I'm not usually up for fiction, but this is so well written and the narration so spot on that I could not shut it off. I married into a Jewish family and as that angle came into play in the story it was really inventive and comical at times. Ended up burning through this one and the sequel as well. Totally worth it.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Coen brothers movie?

This book would make a great Coen Brothers movie. Dark and very entertaining. The narrator was great too.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Remarkable writing & phenomenal performance

Very enjoyable listen. The plot is unique and well developed. Characters are engaging, scene descriptions and dialog riveting. The performance is spectacular. Highly recommend this book

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Good Story, fascinating premise

I was pleasantly surprised how the story unfolded. Unlike some crime novels, this story came from a complete different angle.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Great Read/Listen

Well crafted story with attention to detail yet still suspenseful and entertaining. The performance was easy to listen to and the dialects sound authentic

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

g-land

a great story line the ending was a surprise. The story was well developed

Wanted: Editor

The storyline is excellent. Some minor errors on minor things. "he said, she said", works every 4th time. Find an editor. Don't be a schmuck.

Really enjoyed this.

I liked the original approach. Fun read, nice flow. Made my fence painting go by quickly!