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The Luciano Story
No gangster has ever been more powerful than Charles ”Lucky” Luciano (1897–1962). By the mid-1920s, he had taken over the New York bordellos and was making more than a million dollars a year. In 1931 he engineered the murders of the two reigning New York crime bosses, Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, and quickly took over the entire New York crime racket. Now Luciano was the Boss of Bosses, the undisputed leader of the National Crime Syndicate which he had established, along with Meyer Lansky, Louis ”Lepke” Buchalter, Joe Adonis, and Frank Costello, in the early 1930s. His fall came in 1936, when he was indicted on ninety counts of extortion and direction of harlotry. But in 1945 he was released in return for his cooperation with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He spent the rest of his life in Italy, where he ran the International Crime Syndicate, shipping millions of dollars worth of heroin into the U.S.The Luciano Story is the definitive biography of this legendary gangster, based on years of research and dozens of interviews with Luciano himself and among other firsthand accounts. First published in 1954 but long out of print, this book authenticated, for the first time, the far-reaching and sinister operations of the international crime syndicate, International, and its direction by the keenest criminal mastermind in American history.
327 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 24, 2017
Lucky Luciano is one of the most famous figures of American gangster history. There are quite a few biographies of the man, but this one is the first ever written - while he still lived. The research and details in some cases were outdated, but that is to be expected since Luciano was still believed to be operating at the time of publication. The authors also probably did not have access to government reports.
The book gives an account of Lucky's various activities, and also discusses his entry into crime, his early days, and his time of exile in Italy. Lucky's friends and associates are also discussed. One thing that irked me was the constant reference to a previous book written by the authors. This is a stand alone biography and the authors should not have assumed that everyone has read their other books.
What really struck me is that time and again the author is forced to concede that there is no evidence that Lucky committed some crime, but everyone seems to have known that it was him. The amount of corruption that must have existed to allow this to happen must be humongous. My favourite part of the book is at the very end where the author actually gets to meet the man himself!
This is certainly not the definitive biography of Luciano, but it is definitely worth a read to get a feel of the times how he was regarded in his own time.
The book gives an account of Lucky's various activities, and also discusses his entry into crime, his early days, and his time of exile in Italy. Lucky's friends and associates are also discussed. One thing that irked me was the constant reference to a previous book written by the authors. This is a stand alone biography and the authors should not have assumed that everyone has read their other books.
What really struck me is that time and again the author is forced to concede that there is no evidence that Lucky committed some crime, but everyone seems to have known that it was him. The amount of corruption that must have existed to allow this to happen must be humongous. My favourite part of the book is at the very end where the author actually gets to meet the man himself!
This is certainly not the definitive biography of Luciano, but it is definitely worth a read to get a feel of the times how he was regarded in his own time.
April 5, 2014
I am not a big fan of mafia families and their stories from the United States but interested in reading more about Lucky Luciano after seeing him as a charachter in the hit HBO show "Boardwalk Empire".
To be honest, I was more interested in this book to get to know more about Luciano's mentor Rothstein - so I was probably not as disappointed as some people looking to know more about Luciano might be.
The book is written when Luciano was alive, so it does steer clear of actually calling out his criminal activities in bold. At times even balancing it against other deeds or how things just were in those days. I sympathise with the writers because they have not glorified Luciano either but walked a thin line probably in not offending the gangster too much in his lifetime.
The book is a quick read for people interested in the genre. Though I am sure better books on Luciano would have been written after his death.
To be honest, I was more interested in this book to get to know more about Luciano's mentor Rothstein - so I was probably not as disappointed as some people looking to know more about Luciano might be.
The book is written when Luciano was alive, so it does steer clear of actually calling out his criminal activities in bold. At times even balancing it against other deeds or how things just were in those days. I sympathise with the writers because they have not glorified Luciano either but walked a thin line probably in not offending the gangster too much in his lifetime.
The book is a quick read for people interested in the genre. Though I am sure better books on Luciano would have been written after his death.
May 23, 2024
This is an out of print book from 1954, when Luciano was still alive. One of the authors even manages to track Luciano down at the end, while he was living in exile in Italy. Unsurprisingly, Luciano doesn't admit to much wrongdoing when asked about what he's involved in.
Luciano is definitely an interesting character, but he must be a nightmare subject for any serious biographer to write about, because almost everything he was involved in is shrouded in mystery. It's very hard to get definitive answers and Luciano's associates are definitely not any help. If you ask 10 of them a question, you'll probably get 10 different answers. This leads to some pretty wild speculation from many writers. These writers didn't get too carried away, but they were definitely fairly short on concrete answers.
Still, there are some events we have a somewhat clear picture on, like "Operation Underworld." Luciano was sentenced to 30-50 years in prison in 1936, but was let out early in 1946, because he provided assistance to the U.S. military during WW2. This much is known for certain. Exactly what assistance Luciano provided is debated, however. There are rumors he prevented sabotage at U.S. waterfronts and even helped grease the wheels for the allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.
Luciano is definitely an interesting character, but he must be a nightmare subject for any serious biographer to write about, because almost everything he was involved in is shrouded in mystery. It's very hard to get definitive answers and Luciano's associates are definitely not any help. If you ask 10 of them a question, you'll probably get 10 different answers. This leads to some pretty wild speculation from many writers. These writers didn't get too carried away, but they were definitely fairly short on concrete answers.
Still, there are some events we have a somewhat clear picture on, like "Operation Underworld." Luciano was sentenced to 30-50 years in prison in 1936, but was let out early in 1946, because he provided assistance to the U.S. military during WW2. This much is known for certain. Exactly what assistance Luciano provided is debated, however. There are rumors he prevented sabotage at U.S. waterfronts and even helped grease the wheels for the allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.
June 8, 2025
Lucky Luciano was the face of organized crime and a man of mystery. We know he was the founder of the National Crime Syndicate, and was arrested many times, but what kind of person was he? Was he ruthless and bloodthirsty, or businessman and a pragmatist?
This is what the book explores, the actions Lucky did and the consequences. Are all of the stories true? Like with anything from the mafia, who knows. Do all the details matter? Probably not. You don't need to know all the mooks involved in Lucky's operations to understand he kept things down low but efficient. It's the middling around these small details that hold back this biography from being excellent.
Don't be confused, though. This is a great look at Lucky's rise to power and what lead him back to Italy. So learn to love all the exclamation points in the book (!) and learning about the power The Boss has.
This is what the book explores, the actions Lucky did and the consequences. Are all of the stories true? Like with anything from the mafia, who knows. Do all the details matter? Probably not. You don't need to know all the mooks involved in Lucky's operations to understand he kept things down low but efficient. It's the middling around these small details that hold back this biography from being excellent.
Don't be confused, though. This is a great look at Lucky's rise to power and what lead him back to Italy. So learn to love all the exclamation points in the book (!) and learning about the power The Boss has.
October 20, 2007
another story about another one of my alltime favorie gangsters
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews