He was a legend - but also a fake master criminal without real power, his reputation manipulated and maintained by the government agents who had put him behind bars. English’s Havana Nocturne as an essential work of contemporary crime history-a must-read for fans of The Sopranos and The Godfather.ĭescription: Charles 'Lucky' Luciano was a vicious mobster who rose to become the multimillionaire king of the New York underworld. Bonanno’s Last Testament stands alongside Talese’s Honor Thy Father, Pileggi’s Wiseguys, Maas’s The Valachi Papers and Underboss, The Good Rat by Jimmy Breslin, and T.J. Published at the author’s request after his death, The Last Testament of Bill Bonanno provides highly confidential secrets about the inner workings of La Cosa Nostra-offering a behind-closed-doors look at the secret Commission meetings of the ’30s through ’60s and clandestine details of the Mafia’s most venerable rituals, techniques, and indoctrination ceremonies…plus pages of never-before-seen photos. Gosch is deceased, and Richard Hammer lives in New York City.ĭescription: An eye-opening look at life-and death-inside the Mafia, The Last Testament of Bill Bonanno is a stunning document written by the son of notorious crime boss Joe Bonanno. Or was it something else' The film was never made, so this book remains the only account of the life of the man known as the 'Boss of Bosses.' Martin A. After taking a sip of espresso coffee at Naples airport as he waited for Gosch to land, Luciano died of a massive heart attack. But Luciano went ahead anyway, compelled by the need to tell all and in some way offer an explanation about a life of crime. It is almost certain that their displeasure was communicated to 'Charlie Lucky' with a hint to forget about the idea altogether. Back in the United States, the new leaders of the Mafia were not pleased about the project that had almost reached completion and was ready to be turned into a screenplay.

In preparation for a film of his life story, the famous New York gangster living in a golden exile in Naples recounted the main incidents of his life to producer Martin A. It turns out that most of Luciano's criminal activity coincides with the history of the Mafia in America in the first half of the twentieth century and beyond. The partner of Meyer Lanksy and Bugsy Siegel, the man who created and controlled the 'Commission' and the set down the rules, wanted to have his side of the story on record.

Description: Lucky Luciano's posthumous memoirs may well have cost him his life.

The luciano testament