Lucky Luciano: The Rise and Fall of a Mob Boss

by William Donati

Charley "Lucky" Luciano was instrumental to the development of the American Mafia and supervised the attempt to dominate prostitution in New York City. Not surprisingly, he has been the subject of numerous biographies, exposes, and various works of urban folklore since his death in 1962. This book takes scholarship on Luciano to a new level, using fresh research on the investigation, arrest, and conviction of Lucky Luciano to delve deep into the sexual and criminal underworld of New York City. Topics include the complex structure of the New York City bordellos and the takeover that resulted in Luciano's 1936 arrest; his considerable role in the expansion of the international heroin trade; and the shocking attempt to sexually frame a member of prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey's staff in a desperate bid to overturn Luciano's conviction.

303 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2010

About the author

William Donati is an American academic and biographer.

Reviews

[Cortney Holbrook]

Words cannot describe how bad this is

There are several facts that are off for starters. Then there's the fact that the author spends the meat of the book discussing other ppl in the vice world for the majority of the book. The title is misleading. It should've been "The Vice World in the 30s" or something like that. Lucky's name is primarily used to sell the book. What's not dedicated to the others in the vice world is basically a love letter to Thomas Dewey. While the 2 are connected this book still should've focused more on, possibly, the greatest mafia figure ever.