CarlAlves

This was an interesting novel in that the author, Michael Gambino, presented himself as a real life mobster and portrayed the novel as if he were fictionalizing his real life experiences, only to find out later that he was a complete fraud and wasn’t connected at all. Fraudulent or not fraudulent, the simple fact is that the guy can’t write. As a fellow writer, it pains me to see such dreadful prose being published by a major publishing house. The other thing is that book reads like a memoir, and doesn’t work at all as a fictionalized novel. Also, the novel just doesn’t ring true. You don’t have to be part of the Mafia to write a good mobster novel, but this guy just didn’t portray mob life well. Although entertaining in parts and somewhat memorable, this was not a good novel. I would advise skipping it.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street