The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano [Hardcover]

Martin A Gosch (Author), Richard Hammer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1975

Dictated by Charles "Lucky" Luciano himself during his final months of his life to film producer Martin A. Gosch, this powerful inside chronicle is literally the "last testament" of America's most notorious gangster.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 461 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.; 1st edition (1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316321400
• ISBN-13: 978-0316321402
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5++ stars, great read, January 31, 2004

By 

James Rothschadl (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (Hardcover)

without a doubt the best book on LCN (La Cosa Nostra) I have ever read. wow. underboss was my favourite mob book until i read this excellent book. no reason to buy any other book about Charlie Lucky than this one; this is all in his own words. Charlie tells all, it's quoted word for word, with a strong tone of 1920s+ New York vernacular. it's a great book not only for the historical references and revalations, and first-hand accounts, but Luciano was very likeable and truely a good person (unlike Sammy Gravano in underboss) with a sense of humor (unlike Valachi in the Valachi papers who comes off as a pretty dry, dumb, criminal with no loyalty). if you want the true history of the beginning of the organized Italian American Mob in NYC, READ THIS BOOK. many interesting historic mob characters (sly Vito Genovese, Albert Anastasia, Meyer lansky ofcourse, Carlo Gambino, and even briefly Vincent 'The Chin' Gigante who was a virtual nobody until he shot Costello and went on to be the boss of the Genovese family in the 80s-90s) and Luciano's impressions of them. The author spent hours upon hours interviewing Luciano, and originally the story was supposed to be a movie with Dean Martin playing Lucky but the commission rejected that idea so Charlie just told the author that he could do what he pleased with the story but just not to do anything until after he died... ironically, Charlie died in front of the author. Luciano doesn't hold back on any details, it's a very honest account of his life starting from when he was a boy and just immigrated to the US, all the way up to his death. The book left me with a feeling of great respect for the man, and also feeling that the politicians can often be just as sly and spiteful as any gangster (even FDR was on the take, and he double-crossed Luciano and crew when he got into office!). after reading this book, you also get to thinking what things would have been like if there were no Luciano and in reality it would have been quite bad if the old timers like Maranzanno and Joe the Boss stayed in power; many more people would have died. It's a 450+ or so page book, but I read it in two days, and then read it again.. I wish it was longer!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Straight-Forward and Believable, January 7, 2002

By 

David M. Elder (Pacifica, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (Hardcover)

Straight from the horse's mouth. Lucky's testament jives with other reliable accounts of the inner workings of organized crime while filling in a lot of gaps on the development and early history of the five NY families.

For the most part the information appears reliable, although in some cases, such as Lucky's professed denial of his significant involvement in the international drug trade, it seems clear that he 'dost protest too much.'

Lucky's claims about his involvement --or lack thereof-- in Operation Underworld, the WWII Naval Intellegence op to keep the NY docks safe, as well as the invasion of Sicily, also seem to ring true. Like Giancanna, Trafficante and Rosselli in a later clandestine relationship with CIA to kill Castro, it was all a scam. I can even believe Lucky's claim that he actually engineered the sabotage of the Normandie to kick the whole scheme off.

But what the 'Testament' provides best of all is a close look from Lucky's perspective at the personalities and relationships of the most infamous members of Cosa Nostra and their associates:
Lucky knew them all.

Lucky was indeed, The Godfathe

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Voice of the Godfather, August 17, 2009

By 

T. Karr "mild-mannered accountant" (MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Testament of Lucky Luciano (Paperback)

There have been enough of these mafia "tell-all" books through the years that they all begin to sound the same. They tend to be self-serving with the subject making himself out to be the mastermind while members of other families are bumblers. The governmental authorities are all on the take and more criminal than the mob. And the general public is so naïve that they are begging to be fleeced.

This book carries a lot of the same tendencies, and yet, "Last Testament" seems authentic. First off, there is not much argument that Luciano was a top guy. He has a lot of information and happens to be a good storyteller.

Secondly, the authors let Luciano tell the story. They quote Luciano using his phrases and then fill in the gaps and supply further information from other sources in the narrative.

I am surprised that this book has not seen numerous reprints and been more widely read. Luciano may have been taking the authors for a ride when he gave the numerous interviews that became this book...putting himself at the center of the action and making some of his cohorts look bad. Even that notion gives "The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano" the voice of the real Godfather.

A great read for people who like off-beat biographies or true crime novels.