Customer Reviews

Gangsters, Swindlers, Killers, and Thieves: The Lives and Crimes of Fifty American Villains

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I like the overview this book gave you about the 50 odd gangsters, swindlers, killers and thieves. It was quick reading and each story was only a few pages long so I felt easy about putting the book down at any time. However it doesn't delve into the rich fertile ground of why each of these people turned out the way that they did or why the crimes they committed were so horrific. There were numerous quick stories within the stories that gave each person a personality or a suggestion of their characters but it doesn't give you any strong meat to chew on. Pablum for most readers of this genre. A place to begin but not end your research.
Redain this was like skimming across a pond that you know has some shady depths that have gone un-discovered. But then Lawrence Block has written so many thrillers and detective books that perhaps this is a world weary way of introducing you to his other books or even to get you interested in producing one of your own. Use it as a jumping off place to find your villian and then build on it.

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