May 2023 MBR The Criminology Shelf

The Criminology Shelf

Sin City Gangsters
Jeffrey Sussman
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781538161234, $37.00, HC, 230pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sin-City-Gangsters-Decline-Vegas/dp/1538161230

Synopsis: With the publication of "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas", author Jeffrey Sussman presents 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 an entire chapter to Jimmy Hoffa, and how the Teamsters Pension Fund financed the mob's casinos. It also offers fascinating accounts of the roles of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in Vegas. Another chapter is devoted to Howard Hughes, who arrived in the dead of night in a sealed, germ-free railroad car and did not leave his suite at the Desert Inn for years. During that time he bought one casino after another as if playing Monopoly. Following his exit and that of the mob, Vegas became the domain of Jay Sarno, Kirk Kerkorian, Steve Wynn, and Sheldon Adelson.

These were visionaries who transformed Vegas into the entertainment capital of the world by building billion-dollars-plus resorts and hiring the most popular contemporary entertainers.

"Sin City Gangsters: is the only account 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.

Critique: 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: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is unreservedly and especially recommended for community and academic library American Criminology & Organized Crime collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.00).

Editorial Note: 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).

Long Time Dead
Susan McIver
Friesen Press
https://www.friesenpress.com
9781039151123, $28.99 Hardcover/$17.99 Paper/$5.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Time-Dead-Investigation-Unsolved/dp/1039151124

Long Time Dead: My Investigation Into the Unsolved Murder of Ralph Wilson Snair examines a murder that ordinarily would not seem important for close inspection: that of a retired church custodian who was shot. Was his death in 1957 a murder, or suicide?

The interest came from blood ties. Susan McIver is Ralph Snair's great niece, a scientist and a former coroner well equipped to investigate this unsolved cold case some sixty years later. Her research involved old notes, news and police reports, and autopsy results, and uncovered the few clues remaining as to what really happened. As she made progress in a case that turns out to hold all kinds of social ties and political insights and influences, readers will find this true crime investigation comes to life with its probe of not only events, but the underlying motives of those involved in Ralph's death.

The fine art of piecing together police procedures and social and medical influences on murder investigations makes Long Time Dead especially invaluable, and a standout in true crime literature. McIver's ability to transmit a mystery, the process of solving it decades later, and the changing procedures of investigators supplements a "you are here" feel with the consideration of historical and social changes that affected outcomes, influences, and investigative technology alike.

All these facets are why Long Time Dead is recommended, above and beyond the usual true crime story, for libraries strong in criminal justice history and investigative methodology. They will find in the story much to recommend to book discussion groups considering crime, problem solving techniques, and the sometimes-deadly results of the changing social milieus of American communities in the 1950s.

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