Unlike most books on "the City of Lost Wages," Jeffrey Sussman's Sin City Gangsters really does take us on an impressive journey from the tawdry beginnings of Vegas through to its current almost Disney World iteration. Mr. Sussman's narration is energetic, captivating.

East Hampton Star

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

Sin City Gangsters profiles the various men who aided in molding Las Vegas into what it is today. Jeffrey Sussman (who also wrote Big Apple Gangsters) relates some colorful anecdotes in describing how his interest in writing about Las Vegas was piqued. The city where fortunes are made or squandered looms large on the paths of the men highlighted in this book, whether they be Benjamin Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Howard Hughes, or Steve Wynn. Sussman's exemplary chronology of Las Vegas brings the rise and fall of organized crime full circle. The evolution of Las Vegas from its mob-dominated past to a junk bond-backed glittery spectacle marketed as a “family town” proves readable in every sense. Sussman doesn't lionize his subjects, but never discounts their impact on the desert paradise.

Readers' Favorite

For those who know about the Mob in the desert, Sussman provides a readable, reference-packed summary and update, some of it based on interviews with a few mobster relatives. He delivers some ugly facts about Sinatra as well as some apparently redeeming philanthropy by him and others. For all of us, however, the contemporary chapters would seem especially important as these present names in the news-billionaire political fundraisers and well-connected lobbyists. There's also the matter of the nation's increasing violence and poverty which should give pause to those lobbying for more casinos. They come with baggage and with suppressed memory that, in the end, the house always wins. And collects.

The Southampton Press

An absolute 'must read' for readers with an interest in Organized Crime in general, and the 20th Century history of Las Vegas in particular, Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas is an inherently fascinating read that is further enriched by the inclusion of a four page Bibliography and a eight page Index. Exceptionally impressive and well written history, Sin City Gangsters is unreservedly and especially recommended for community and academic library American Criminology & Organized Crime collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Midwest Book Review

Fascinating! It's all here! I learned a lot.

Nicholas Pileggi, author of Casino and Wiseguy. (co-author of the movies, Goodfellas and Casino)