Young Capone—the untold story of Scarface—in New York 1899–1925

Al Capone practiced looking crazy in a mirror— but did he really need to?

This book should slam harder than Babe Ruth, on a home run romp with cigar fixed firmly between the teeth. The authors, Bill and John Balsamo, are former “Longshoremen” and their great uncle, Batista Balsamo, was regarded by many as the first godfather of Booklyn, so it is safe to assume these two savvy seniors are more mobbed up than a Mulberry Street Trattoria.

Impressively, Bill Balsamo was a consultant on Brian De Palma’s 1987 mafia classic, The Untouchables—and just about every cable TV show involving the Mafia you would care to mention. So you would think that a two hundred fifty-page book on the early Capone years would be a snap right? Twenty-five years of research involved—trumpets the cover flap, rather grandly.

Trouble is, this little volume promises much and delivers little. Firstly, the Balsamo’s chose, rather unwisely, to pursue the dramatized route whilst constructing this novel, the result is a turgid and messy Polenta Pasticciata of almost inedible proportions, in which the free flowing rookie errors and clichés fly thicker and faster than bullets from a Thompson Annihilator, with a C drum magazine.

Yes, we get a number of interesting word of mouth anecdotes, including the full skinny on the legendary tale of how paralytic mobster Frank Galluccio opened up Capone’s face after the portly youngster cheeked Gallucio’s sister; we also get an authoritative account of how and why Capone was forced to leave New York, his childhood home, so that he could become mob boss of Chicago.

Trouble is, we also get a bazillion laundry lists of every New York mobster who ever drew breath—along with the inevitable, and often ludicrous, nick names. Worse, despite this being a dramatized account of Capone’s early life, there is little true drama and almost zero characterization; which is frustrating.

The Balsamo’s tell us that Capone’s early life was shrouded in mystery—they also promise “frank and shocking interviews with Capone’s last living relatives,” unfortunately these interviews never materialize and this book leaves the early life of Al Capone as shrouded in mystery as ever it was. Young Capone should be avoided by all but mob minded completists.

Southland Cancelled—Crimezine conducts post-mortem

Southland—187 ’d

After five crimetastic seasons, Southland, “One of the best police dramas ever made”, according to TNT channel, has been cancelled. You got to give ’em credit at TNT—despite this faint praise—they did after all rescue the show from network nincompoops NBC. But, despite the injection of star turn appeal in the shape of Lucy Liu, and some of the best script writing ever seen on television period—Southland will not return.

Cynics might argue that a show as hard hitting as Southland was doomed from the start—the shows sense of darkness was always too tangible for the televisual mainstream. But it was that sense of darkness, along with the shows willingness to deal with issues of race, sexuality, transgression and redemption, that made Southland so very special in the first place.

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to sell bovine snack foods against such a real and iconoclastic show, and that in the end is what killed it dead.

Sure, Southland had its fair share of heartthrobs and hotties, but it was never going to be as curvaceous and square-jawed as the NCIS primetime pack. Crimezine predicts however that the very many talented folk involved with Southland will go on to bigger and better things—watch this space.

So what now? Crimeziners who are jonesing for a Southland fix would be well advised to investigate the work of former LAPD detective sergeant Joseph Wambaugh. For the square eyed amongst you, the aforementioned NBC are touting Chicago PD their new cop show for the 2013-2014 season —from the same team behind Chicago Fire. Just goes to prove Crimezines long-held belief that cop shows are like the Chinese Communist army—you think you have seen the last of them off—then a whole new battalion comes marching over the hill.

TNT contacted Crimezine with this message

TNT has made the difficult decision not to renew Southland for another season. We are enormously proud of Southland, which stands as one of the best police dramas ever made. Executive producers John Wells, Chris Chulack and Jonathan Lisco, along with creator Ann Biderman and our partners at Warner Bros. Television, have given us five seasons of powerful, unforgettable storytelling, for which we are deeply grateful. We also want to thank the amazing cast for their impassioned, no-holds-barred performances, and the production team for their tenacity shooting on the streets of real-world Los Angeles. We wish everyone associated with Southland the very best.

How to write a mystery by P.D. James

P.D. James

What’s the difference between writing a straight novel and writing mystery? According to P.D. James, not much. ” A first class mystery should also be a first class novel,” she says. However, if you aspire to write great mysteries, there are important conventions, and who better to learn them from than a master? Keep reading to find out what P.D. James’ best advice is.

1. Center your mystery. ”No matter what, there should indeed be a mystery at the heart of the novel,” says James. “Usually, there is a murder, a closed circle of suspects with means, motive and opportunity for the crime and a detective, either amateur or professional, who comes in like an avenging deity to solve it.”

She also emphasizes the importance of structure. “I always know the end of the mystery before I begin to write. Tension should be held within the novel and there should be no longuers of boring interrogation.

2. Study reality.
 Once you’ve plotted you’re novel, the next step is to make it come to life, and James admits it is “more difficult (comparatively) to combine a credible puzzle with a setting which comes alive, an underlying theme and distinguished writing,” says James.

What’s the solution? “You must go through life with all your senses open to experiences, good and bad,” she says. “Empathize with other people, and believe that nothing which happens to a true writer is ever wasted.

3. Create compelling characters
. Most of all the characters are important. You want them to be “rather more than stereotypes. The characters should be real human beings, each of whom comes alive for the reader, not pasteboard people to be knocked down in the final chapter.”

4. Research, research, research
. In addition to paying attention to real-life, a huge part of the writer’s job is to research. Often times, this is the best way to make your characters real–by finding out the facts they would usually know. James does her research personally, and it usually takes months. “I revisit the scene, get advice from experts, and usually consult both the police and the forensic science laboratory.”

5. Follow the “fair-play rule” 
James always makes sure that information available to the detective is available to the reader. “By the end of the book, the reader should have been able to arrive at the real solution from clues inserted into the novel.” Of course, she also admits that you can provide these clues with “deceptive cunning but essential fairness.”

6. Read!
 It may seem a cliche, but you have to read in order to write. First, find your favorite authors. James particularly admires and says she has learnt from a diverse collection including Jane Austen, Wilkie Collins, Dorothy L Sayers, Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh.

“Read the good prose, and learn from it,” she says. “And the tools of your craft are words.” she says. ” Try always to enlarge your vocabulary through reading. This is not in order to use complex or pretentious phrases, but to have available precisely the right word for every sentence.”

7. …And write
. When asked if she gets writer’s block, James said “No, I have never experienced writer’s block, although I sometimes have to wait a long time before I receive inspiration for the next book.” So don’t think of yourself as blocked. Use your time between inspirations wisely, and practice the craft by short pieces. Create exercises to complete or take a class. “By writing prose and learn from the experience, you will develop your own style.”

8. Follow a schedule
. Here’s how James says she works:

“I get up early, make tea and settle down to about two hours writing. I have no special room, require only a comfortable chair, table or desk at the right height, and sufficient space for my dictionary and research material. I do, however, need to be completely alone. When my secretary arrives I dictate to her what I have written. She puts it on the computer and prints it out for editing and correcting.”

Even though you might prefer getting a late start and typing for hours on a computer in a coffee shop, James proves that success relies on treating writing as a structured job. Just make sure you have a method you can stick to.

© PD James & Random House.

 

Bugsy’s Baby—The Secret Life of Mob Queen Virginia Hill.

Virginia Hill—fast-talking, foul-mouthed goddess of glamour

On the night of June 20, 1947 notorious gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel died in a hail of bullets at 810 North Linden Drive in Beverly Hills—the house was being rented, by mob moll Virginia Hill, a fast-talking, foul-mouthed goddess of glamour, with a penchant for dangerous liaisons. But who was this gangster groupie, and how did a poor girl from rural Alabama get to hang with the mafia in the ritziest neighborhood in America?

Bugsy’s Baby—The Secret Life of Mob Queen Virginia Hill, is an in-depth work by investigative journalist Andy Edmonds. It traces the origins of Hill, focusing on her associations with the Capone era Chicago mob and the New York Syndicate of Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Bugsy’s Baby provides a fascinating insight to the structure of the American Mafia and it’s major players, and relates how a bad girl from deepest Alabama ran rings around all of them.

Young Hill, carried cash for the mob, placing racetrack bets and acting as bagman for their myriad dealings—who would suspect a cute little redhead fresh out of her teens—of such nefarious dealings?

The trouble with fast company is it burns through convention, until morality is fused into a permanent state of overload. The claxon voiced Hill, coming from a life of poverty and abuse, in the depression era south, quickly became addicted to a life of fast cash, diamonds and dangerous sex—a lifestyle that most Americans could only stare at on a movie screen.

Bugsy’s Baby follows Virginia Hill as she heads west to Los Angeles—where the psychopathic Siegel is tasked with monopolizing the west-coast wire [bookmaking] service, and extorting money from movie studios. It is here that we find out just how weak and despicable Bugsy Siegel was—a hair-trigger killer, rapist, and inveterate gambler, who beat and swindled everyone he met.

Then of course there was Las Vegas—a town Siegel was credited with kick starting.

Andy Edmonds is to be commended, as Bugsy’s Baby gives the fullest account yet, of Bugsy Siegel’s misadventures in Las Vegas, including the building of the famous Flamingo Hotel and Casino—named after Hill and her long-legs. We also get a blow-by-blow account of the famous Siegel murder that explains just who killed the mobster and why.

Virginia Hill courted notoriety, she dressed like a film star, had relationships with Errol Flynn and George Raft and many, others, drawing ever more attention, until eventually, she was called before Estes Kefauver’s committee on organized crime, a Mafia show trial that was televised across America.

When asked by the committee how she got “all that money” Hill responded live on television “Because I am the best cocksucker in town!” needless to say Senator Kefauver nearly popped a gasket, as did irate viewers across America. Infamy is no friend of the criminal, as Hill and many others found to their cost.

Hill’s decline and fall is described in detail. This book is a historical testament, cautionary tale, and fast punching crime thriller all rolled into one. For Crimeziners who love stories about the mafia, Bugsy’s Baby is a must.

For committed crime fans with deep pockets, 810 North Linden Drive is currently on the market for $4.3 million. Tell ’em Crimezine sent you.

When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem and Murder, By Steve Fischer

Sam Giancana, would you buy a weekend break from this man? Arm or leg?

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right, Crimeziners? Except we all know that is not strictly true. Surely the entire planet knows that the mob—primarily the Chicago “Outfit”, in association with Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters pension fund, turned Las Vegas from a quiet desert town into a pulsing neon Mecca of avarice and debauchery?

Steve Fischer is no career-minded writer—he is however, a life long enthusiast of the Vegas experience and the history that engendered that experience. There are a lot of structural problems with this book—The kind of mistakes that would never cut muster back in the hallowed days of old school Vegas.

But never fear, the tales of money, mayhem, and murder, more than compensate. What this book does have and in sumptuous abundance are a hundred and one anecdotes from the classic era of Vegas. You heard the one about Frank Sinatra getting his teeth knocked out? Or the one about Howard Hughes spending $5.4 million dollars on the Silver Slipper Casino, so he wouldn’t have to watch their sign revolve outside his penthouse window?

Some of the stories will be familiar—the Frank Sinatra Cal-Neva debacle, or the Lefty Rosenthal era at the Stardust—a story that was immortalized in the De Niro/Pesci film Casino. Others, such as the way Mafia outside man Johnny Roselli became the Chicago Outfits man on the west coast, and subsequently strong-armed Colombia Pictures into getting Frank Sinatra his Oscar winning role in From Here to Eternity [& signing unknown actress Marylin Monroe] well, those tales might be rather less familiar, until you suddenly realize much of The Godfather was way closer to the truth than many would still like to admit.

Fischer also name-checks just about every mafia player who ever spent a weekend in Vegas—every one of them more ruthless than the last—it all becomes a head-smashing finger-crushing blur after a while, but we are left in no doubt just how deeply the mafia influence in Vegas permeated. Although, the demise of the Mafia’s Vegas interests could have perhaps been given rather more attention.

For prospective historians of the Vegas scene, When the Mob Ran Vegas is a useful primer, you get a run down of the players; an idea of the genesis of the big name casinos, and a frothy, Vegas-buffet-style portion of misty eyed reminiscences about the old days. You cannot help but wonder, in these days of corporate mega-casinos and entertainment-by-numbers tourist shows—do they still bury bad guys in the desert? Don’t you wish they would? Nostalgia, don’t cha love it Crimeziners?

Cornell Woolrich—Blues of a Lifetime—An Autobiography

Portrait of the writer as a young man—The youngCornell Woolrich

Let’s get this straight right from the get go Crimeziners, Blues of a Life Time, The autobiography of Cornell Woolrich is many things, what it most emphatically is not is an autobiography of the godfather of Noir Fiction.

What we do get is five posthumously published short stories, that throw a deeply sanitized glimpse into the bizarre and dysfunctional world of one of crime fiction’s most influential writers.

Remington Portable NC69411 is an episodic account of how Woolrich became a writer whilst still at Colombia University in the 1920’s. We hear about the writer’s nerdish innocence, his writing habits and his hollow craving for companionship. For a 21 year old man living in New York City, at the height of the roaring twenties, poor Corny’s life seems unbearably dull.

Next up, we get The Poor Girl, a story of Woolrich’s “first love” with a young woman, a story made all the more poignant, as Woolrich was a life long homosexual, who’s three month marriage to Violet Blackton—daughter of silent film producer J. Stuart Blackton—ended in disaster. Woolrich is reputed to have used their honeymoon cruise as an opportunity to pick up sailors. Of course none of this is mentioned in this coy autobiography, which is something of a missed opportunity, given its posthumous release.

Just as one thinks things cannot get any worse for poor old Corny, they inevitably do. In the story Even God Felt the Great Depression, we hear a shocking first hand account of how bad things could get in the early thirties.

It is here we realize for the first time how close Corny was to his mom—they were close—very close. He lived with her in a succession of seedy hotels, most notably the Hotel Marseilles on Broadway and West 102^nd street. In President Eisenhower’s Speech, we find mom listening to the radio, whilst Corny paces the corridor as the Hotel is on fire—should he disturb his mom’s favorite show and evacuate the building—or present a face of stoicism despite the advancing danger? The results are farcical and anticlimactic and we never get to know the inside angle on his true relationship with mom, but by this time, the dedicated reader is peering closely between every single line. The relationship with his mom proved all consuming, Woolrich lived with her for 25 years after his failed marriage and specified that he share a double crypt with his her when he died in 1968.

In the last story in the book The Maid Who Played the Races, the entire premise for the story is a misunderstanding. While staying in a Seattle hotel, a maid asks  Woolrich about his profession. Corny replies he is a writer, which in his broad east coast accent is mistaken for Rider, and the maid assumes he is a Jockey. Oh, the hilarity.

The frustrating thing about this book, is it tells almost nothing about Woolrich the man. There is no talk of the Hitchcock movie Rear Window, which was based on the Woolrich story, “It had to be Murder” Although Corny whines at length about Hollywood—and the raw deal it gave him.

Nor is there any mention made of Film Noir, a term that was coined by the French after Woolrich’s “black” titled stories, such as The Bride Wore Black and Black Angel, and Black Alibi.

No mention either of Woolrich’s yellow alter ego the commie hating, dope bashing, William Irish. That’s right Crimeziners closet case Corny was bashing stoners, homo’s and reds wayyyyyy before the fashionable fifties. And yet he claims no credit here, nor does he make any mention at all of the very many excellent and genre defining stories he wrote under his own name, which for a writer who is often mentioned in the same breath as Chandler, Hammett, and Cain—is more than an oversight, it is unforgivable.

It is often mentioned that Woolrich died due to sepsis caused by wearing ill-fitting shoes. This is only partially true. Woolrich was a life long Alcoholic, an attribute that exacerbated his diabetes-which in turn led to the sepsis. He died alone in a New York City hotel room, weighing in at only 89 pounds, Woolrich was so ill at this point, that he failed to attend the 1968 premiere of Truffaut’s classic film, The Bride wore Black. He bequeathed his estate of almost a million dollars to Colombia University.

The new novel by Tony Bulmer coming soon

The new book by Tony Bulmer