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The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer Mass Market Paperback – April 28, 2009

by Philip Carlo (Author)

558 customer reviews

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Philip Carlo's The Ice Man spent over six weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. Top Mob Hitman. Devoted Family Man. Doting Father. For thirty years, Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski led a shocking double life, becoming the most notorious professional assassin in American history while happily hosting neighborhood barbecues in suburban New Jersey.

Richard Kuklinski was Sammy the Bull Gravano's partner in the killing of Paul Castellano, then head of the Gambino crime family, at Sparks Steakhouse. Mob boss John Gotti hired him to torture and kill the neighbor who accidentally ran over his child. For an additional price, Kuklinski would make his victims suffer; he conducted this sadistic business with coldhearted intensity and shocking efficiency, never disappointing his customers. By his own estimate, he killed over two hundred men, taking enormous pride in his variety and ferocity of technique.

This trail of murder lasted over thirty years and took Kuklinski all over America and to the far corners of the earth, Brazil, Africa, and Europe. Along the way, he married, had three children, and put them through Catholic school. His daughter's medical condition meant regular stays in children's hospitals, where Kuklinski was remembered, not as a gangster, but as an affectionate father, extremely kind to children. Each Christmas found the Kuklinski home festooned in colorful lights; each summer was a succession of block parties.

His family never suspected a thing.

Richard Kuklinski is now the subject of the major motion picture titled "The Iceman"(2013), starring James Franco, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, and Chris Evans.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Carlo effectively tells the life story of the family man who spent thirty years as a professional killer, while hosting barbecues in suburban New Jersey.” ―New York Post

“A hell of a book, a brutal page-turner.” ―Larry King

“Philip Carlo captured the essence of who my husband was.” ―Barbara Kuklinski

“Spine-chilling…readers will become so engrossed in the details that they'll forget that this is a true story.” ―Library Journal

“Reading The Ice Man left me cold, perplexed, horrified. No one today writing about the criminals, the streets, has the insight and innate knowledge of the criminal mind. I highly recommend this book.” ―Joey Reynolds, host of WOR Radio

“Carlo writes with the sharpness of a stiletto. His words are cutting and brutal and meaningful. I could not put The Ice Man down. It is the most compelling book I have ever read.” ―Louis Free, the Heartland Radio Show

“What Philip Carlo did was capture the heart and soul of Richard Kuklinski. I could not put his book down.” ―HBO Producer Gaby Monet

“Both my wife and I read this book. While we were reading the book, neither one of us spoke to the other for days.” ―George Nooray, Coast to Coast Radio

From the Back Cover

Top Mob Hitman. Devoted Husband and father. For thirty years, he led a double life―becoming the most notorious professional assassin in American history. This is the true story of THE ICE MAN

He was Sammy the Bull Gravano's partner in the killing of Paul Castellano. John Gotti hired him to torture and kill his neighbor. A favorite among all the seven East Coast crime families, Richard "Ice Man" Kuklinski conducted his business with coldhearted intensity. By his own estimate, he murdered over two hundred men, taking enormous pride in his variety and ferocity of technique.

"Carlo effectively tells the life story of the family man who spent thirty years as a professional killer, while hosting barbecues in suburban New Jersey."―New York Post

But behind Kuklinski's trail of murder was a traditional, loving, Catholic family. A married father of three, Kuklinski was always regarded as being especially kind to children; he threw summer block parties in his New Jersey neighborhood, and he was always generous around Christmastime. And before his crimes finally caught up with him, his family never suspected a thing…

"A hell of a book, a brutal page-turner."―Larry King

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Product details

Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 28, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312938845
ISBN-13: 978-0312938840
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 558 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #53 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > True Crime > Organized Crime
- #119 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Crime & Criminals
- #191 in Books > Deals in Books

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Charlie G

Right as you think it's getting slow and repetitive, it gets even better.

July 4, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I watched all three documentaries before reading this book. So my review might be from that perspective. If the book seems slow, give it a while because it gets faster towards the end. Regardless of how much the book is fact vs. fiction, it gives deep insight into Richard and his life. There are a couple of people in the book that he runs into that make you root for Richard briefly. It's a nice change of pace from his constant evil. The stories about his family also show somewhat of a different side, but even there there's some evil.

Just as you notice the book seems to be repeating himself (only because Richard kept repeating patterns), the book takes a turn and moves faster and better. I read the last 1/3 in a day, faster than the first part.

I don't which is better to read/watch first, this book or documentaries, but I do recommend doing both. The videos will give more insight into his childhood, the book more into his adult "career".

7 people found this helpful8 people found this helpful

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Disturbing

March 18, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Hard to recommend because the subject matter is so evil...don't want to give someone nightmares or expose them to such horrors. Its riveting though if you can stomach it. I will say I have read a ton of books about the mob, and though the same stories and characters are mentioned in most of these other books, just told from different points of view depending on the wise guy telling the story, I have yet to come across any of these mob books written by made guys that mention Kuklinski (or The Pollack) or corroborate any of his tales as the premiere mob hitman he purports he was. Maybe the mafioso are too proud to admit they used a non Italian so often...or maybe he was just a sick serial killer and his mob hits were all in his twisted imagination or at least were greatly exaggerated as far the number of hits he performed on the mobs behalf. Am I really to believe he was on the hit team for 3 of the most infamous mob hits ever (Castellano, Hoffa and Gigante), though no other book written by real mobsters who took part in or planned these hits ever mentions The Iceman? I'm surprised he didn't say he killed JFK too! I don't doubt he was a legit killer and that he did work for the mob on occasion, but I don't believe he was their #1 go to guy or did near the number of mob hits that he claims here.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

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Average Joseph

Philip Carlo’s The Ice Man will leave you cold from goosebumps!

March 20, 2018

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very solid, paperback comes with rare pictures from Richard’s wife in the middle. Some parts can be very graphic, but the way Philip Carlo writes, it makes even the worst parts bearable enough to want to read through. Very informative on Richard Kuklinski’s beginnings from a family in poverty in Jersey City, New Jersey to his growing criminal tendencies up to the point of him becoming a full blown psychopath. This book is by NO MEANS light reading, but if you are interested in true crime, the inner workings of a criminal organization, psychology and the inner workings of a true psychopath, or just want some interesting bathroom reading, Philip Carlo, as always, delivers with “The Ice Man”.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

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B Parker

Always fun to see when mob stories start to overlap and ...

February 21, 2018

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

It's an interesting read because of the subject matter. Always fun to see when mob stories start to overlap and you garner a complete picture of organized crime's dynamic. And this particular guy is a character you've never even thought could exist.

The missing star in my review is a result of repetitive text. There are several themes and recollections that resurface over and over and over... these entries make reading tedious and unnecessary. It's either an odd way to remind the audience that Kuklinski's personality was always at odds, or it was just an editing oversight. This really began to get under my skin about halfway through.

Still worth a read - just not worth going through a second time.

When you finish, check out the interviews on YouTube that eventually led to this book. This guy is fascinating.

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Richard Albanese

Good book, but Kakinski is making a lot of this up

December 23, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Good Mafia story, but don't believe everything Kakinski says. I think he made a lot of this up. I mean, really? He killed Hoffa? He used rats? I doubt it. I think he was a two bit hood with a great imagination who maybe did some contract killing for the mob.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

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Bob Hoskins

Details of the life and the case, no insight into the mind.

August 5, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

3.5 stars.

The Ice Man, is the nickname given to Richard Kuklinski, a mafia hit man who, over a 43 year period, murdered countless people (100+ ?) for money. Richard was involved in some of the major mob hits in and around New York of the 70's and 80's and, there is a chapter in the book that hints at what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.

The paper back has some 400 pages detailing the early years, middle years and later years of a truly tragic young man. Born to a violent father, Kuklinski soon learned that violence gains respect quicker than kindness. Kuklinski's father, Stanley, would beat his children mercilessly and actually killed his oldest son by going too far during one beating. Richard hated his father and had so much rage built up inside him, that this has been cited as causation for Richard's lifestyle of murder and crime in general. Richard went to his grave regretful that he didn't kill his father.

The author, Philip Carlo, did a very good job of maintaining interest in the book by interspersing Richard's personal life with the murders he was committing. It would be too easy to just list one murder after the other and, that wouldn't hold you for too long. Also, as Richard's luck started to run out and detective Pat Kane started to come into view, the book does a nice job of outlining the sting operation to catch Kuklinski. Kane was obsessed with catching Kuklinski and, in the early months of his 6 year investigation, had little support from his colleagues and superiors who felt he was crazy.

I would have liked more insight into the mind of Kuklinski. Admittedly this would be no easy task given his tight lipped persona. Psychologists did get access to Kuklinski once he was incarcerated and I felt that an addendum detailing some of those exchanges would have added so much to an already powerful book.

The book has 61 chapters, an introduction and an epilogue so there are a lot of break points which I tend to prefer. It's very gripping and moves the reader along at a fair clip.

HBO did 3 documentaries on Kuklinski which are all on You tube should you be interested in meeting Kuklinski for real.

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