Author Talk: "Sin City Gangsters" by Jeffrey Sussman

159 Main Street,East Hampton NY 11937

18 February, 2023

Description

Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas is a fast-paced account of how the mob created and controlled Las Vegas. It contains accounts of how the most powerful mobsters in the country built, bought, and controlled not only gambling casinos in Vegas, but also many important politicians, who did the mob’s bidding. Some of the more notorious mobsters were Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Dalitz, Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo, and Nick Civella, as well as the men they chose to carry out their plans, such as Tony Spilotro, Lefty Rosenthal, and Donald Angelini. Sin City Gangsters devotes a chapter to Jimmy Hoffa, and how the Teamsters Pension Fund financed the mob’s casinos. The book also offers fascinating accounts of the roles of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in Vegas. Sin City Gangsters is the only book that charts Vegas from the first modest mob-owned casinos to the present billion-dollar-resorts; its cast of characters is an assembly of exceedingly ambitious risk takers who let nothing stand in their way of turning their dreams into stunning realities. Jeffrey Sussman is the author of 16 books, six of which have been published by Rowman and Littlefield. His most recent titles include Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York (2022), Holocaust Fighters: Boxers, Resisters, and Avengers (2021) and Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science (2019). Jeffrey lives in New York City. Praise for Sin City Gangsters Fascinating! It’s all here! I learned a lot. — Nicholas Pileggi, author of Casino and Wiseguy. (co-author of the movies, Goodfellas and Casino) Extensively researched, including Sussman’s own interviews and experiences with mobsters and insiders, Sin City Gangsters not only presents all the grimy details of how the mob took hold of the Vegas infrastructure but also how that grip gave way to the mega casinos and their high-flying moguls that run the town today. Chapters on bold-faced names like Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Hoffa are especially compelling, but the salacious stories of lesser-known figures like Moe Sedway are just as provocative. Fans of Sussman’s previous city-focused histories will welcome this outing, but even those without mob connections will be implicated in enjoying this book. — Booklist With the publication of Sin City Gangsters, Jeffrey Sussman has proven himself to be one of the top mob historians in the country. The book is fascinating, his research is impeccable, and he presents the historical information in an entertaining way, somewhat like a novelist. I look forward to more mob books from Jeffrey Sussman. — Ron Chepesiuk, author, two-time Fulbright scholar, and host of the podcast, Crimebeat Jeffrey Sussman’s research and attention to detail make this book the go-to source on the infamous relationship between the Mob and Las Vegas. The chapter on Sinatra alone makes it worth the cost of admission into the seamy yet enticing underbelly of Las Vegas. — Gary Jenkins, producer of the podcast “Gangland Wire”, and author of Leaving Las Vegas This will take place in person in our Baldwin Room as well as over Zoom. All participants will receive the Zoom link 15 minutes before the start of the event.