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Shop nowGangsterland
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Learn moreSal Cupertine is a legendary hit man for the Chicago Mafia, known for his ability to get in and out of a crime without a trace. Until now, that is. His first-ever mistake forces Sal to botch an assassination, killing three undercover FBI agents in the process. This puts too much heat on Sal, and he knows this botched job will be his death sentence to the Mafia. So he agrees to their radical idea to save his own skin.
A few surgeries and some intensive training later, and Sal Cupertine is gone, having disappeared into the identity of Rabbi David Cohen. Leading his growing congregation in Las Vegas, overseeing the population and the temple and the new cemetery, Rabbi Cohen feels his wicked past slipping away from him, surprising even himself as he spouts quotes from the Torah. But the Mafia isn't quite done with him. Soon the new cemetery is being used as both a money- and body-laundering scheme for the Chicago family. And that rogue FBI agent on his trail, seeking vengeance for the murder of his three fellow agents, isn't going to let Sal fade so easily into the desert.
Gangsterland is the wickedly dark and funny new novel by a writer at the height of his powerāa morality tale set in a desert landscape as ruthless and barren as those who inhabit it.
Tod Goldberg is the author of the crime-tinged novels Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Fake Liar Cheat, and the popular Burn Notice series. His essay āWhen They Let Them Bleedā was selected by Cheryl Strayed for inclusion in Best American Essays 2013. He is also the author of the story collections Simplify a 2006 finalist for the SCIBA Award for Fiction and winner of the Other Voices Short Story Collection Prize, and Other Resort Cities. His short fiction has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, twice receiving special mention for the Pushcart Prize as well as being named a distinguished story of the year in The Best American Mystery Stories 2009. His essays, journalism, and criticism appear regularly in many publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Las Vegas CityLife, and have been featured inĀ E!, Salon, Jewcy, and the Wall Street Journal, among many others.
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a āGolden Voiceā by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.
Reviews
āThis darkly funny crime novel showcases Hellerās comedic and narrative skills, with hit men, mobsters, and FBI agents loose in Las Vegas.ā
āAs sharp as a straight razor. But a lot more fun. Count me a huge fan.ā
āHarrowing, funny, wise, and heretical, Gangsterland is everything a thriller should be.ā
āGangsterland is rich with complex and meaty characters, but its greatest strength is that it never pulls a punch, never holds back, and never apologizes for lifeās absurdities. If this novel were a person, you could ask it for a bookie.ā
āInfinitely readable, infinitely funny, and infinitely better than anything else youāll read this year!ā
āIn his plotting, dialogue, and empathy for the bad guys, Goldberg aspires to the heights of Elmore Leonard. For those who miss the master, Gangsterland is a high-grade substitute.ā
āThe story is at its best when itās mocking our unquestioning acceptance of whatever morsels of wisdom our leaders decide to feed usā¦Gangsterlandā¦is a modern story, written for readers who like their imaginary characters to live in the real world.ā
āA cleverly spun novel that forced me to abandon my wiseguy moratorium. Goldberg has an amusing flair for contemporary hard-boil, and he knows his crime and crime-fighting procedures.ā
āGoldbergās new book is clever bordering on wise, like Get Shorty on antacid.ā
āThe Mafia plus the Torah makes for a darkly funny and suspenseful morality taleā¦[Goldberg] can spin a good yarn.ā
āGoldberg injects Talmudic wisdom and a hint of Springsteen into the workings of organized crime and FBI investigative techniques and makes it all work splendidly.ā
āSalās transformationāand intermittent edificationāinto Rabbi Cohen is brilliantly rendered, and Goldbergās careening plot, cast of memorably dubious characters, and mordant portrait of Las Vegas make this one of the yearās best hard-boiled crime novels.ā
āClever plotting, a colorful cast of characters, and priceless situations make this comedic crime novel an instant classic.ā
āA wholly unique tale from a wholly unique voice.ā
āTod Goldberg has long been one of the most interesting writers around, and Gangsterland is his biggest and best book so far.ā
āJust when you thought the mafia novel was dead, Tod Goldberg breathes new life into it. Gangsterland, the best mafia novel in years, is a dark, funny, and smart page-turning crime story. Itās also a moving, thoughtful meditation on ethics, religion, family, and a culture that eats itself. I loved this book.ā
āGangsterland is Tod Goldberg at the height of his hilarious and incisive and hell-bent powers as a writer of who we are and what we thought we wanted and how we tried to stay alive in Americaāif we were insanely funny and contemplative hit men. No one does Vegas, the desert, money, and mayhem like Goldberg. I stayed up six nights in a row reading, unable to put this book down because I couldnāt wait to see how heād play each card.ā
āLetās get this part out of the way: Gangsterland is a thriller, and provides a crackling good read for any fan of the genre. But the truth is, to call this book merely a thriller is inaccurate. Itās also a whip-smart comedy, a sublime morality play, and a gleefully blasphemous investigation of what and why we worship. Thereās something for everyone here. Just make sure you set aside a good chunk of time, because once you start reading you wonāt want to stop.ā
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