About the book

About Gangsterland: A Novel

Product Description [Read by Johnny Heller] Gangsterland is the wickedly dark and funny new novel by a writer at the height of his power - a morality tale set in a desert landscape as ruthless and barren as those who inhabit it. Sal Cupertine is a legendary hit man for the Chicago Mafia, known for his ability to get in and out of a crime without a trace. Until now, that is. His first-ever mistake forces Sal to botch an assassination, killing three undercover FBI agents in the process. This puts too much heat on Sal, and he knows this botched job will be his death sentence to the Mafia. So he agrees to their radical idea to save his own skin. A few surgeries and some intensive training later, and Sal Cupertine is gone, having disappeared into the identity of Rabbi David Cohen. Leading his growing congregation in Las Vegas, overseeing the population and the temple and the new cemetery, Rabbi Cohen feels his wicked past slipping away from him, surprising even himself as he spouts quotes from the Torah. But the Mafia isn't quite done with him. Soon the new cemetery is being used as both a money- and body-laundering scheme for the Chicago family. And that rogue FBI agent on his trail, seeking vengeance for the murder of his three fellow agents, isn't going to let Sal fade so easily into the desert.   Review Praise for Gangsterland: ''In his plotting, dialogue and empathy for the bad guys, Goldberg aspires to the heights of Elmore Leonard. For those who miss the master, Gangsterland is a high-grade substitute.'' -- New York Times Daily Review ''…[a] cleverly spun novel that forced me to abandon my wiseguy moratorium. Goldberg has an amusing flair for contemporary hard-boil, and he knows his crime and crime-fighting procedures.'' — Las Vegas Weekly ''As sharp as a straight razor. But a lot more fun. Count me a huge fan.'' --—Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of Personal: A Jack Reacher Novel '' Gangsterland is rich with complex and meaty characters, but its greatest strength is that it never pulls a punch, never holds back, and never apologizes for life's absurdities. If this novel were a person, you could ask it for a bookie.'' --Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of The Fifth Assassin ''Tod Goldberg is a one-of-a-kind writer, and this is his best novel to date. Harrowing, funny, wise, and heretical, Gangsterland is everything a thriller should be.'' --—T. Jefferson Parker, author of Full Measure ''Let's get this part out of the way: Gangsterland is a thriller, and provides a crackling good read for any fan of the genre. But the truth is, to call this book merely a thriller is inaccurate. It's also a whip-smart comedy, a sublime morality play, and a gleefully blasphemous investigation of what and why we worship. There's something for everyone here. Just make sure you set aside a good chunk of time, because once you start reading you won't want to stop.'' --—Ron Currie, Jr., author of God is Dead ''“Clearly influenced by the great Elmore Leonard, Goldberg puts his own dry comic spin on the material. …Clever plotting, a colorful cast of characters, and priceless situations make this comedic crime novel an instant classic.'' -- — Kirkus, Starred Review ''Goldberg injects Talmudic wisdom and a hint of Springsteen into the workings of organized crime and FBI investigative techniques and makes it all work splendidly.'' --— Publishers Weekly Starred Review ''The Mafia plus the Torah makes for a darkly funny and suspenseful morality tale...[Goldberg] can spin a good yarn.'' -- The Millions ''Sal's transformation—and intermittent edification—into Rabbi Cohen is brilliantly rendered, and Goldberg's careening plot, cast of memorably dubious characters, and mordant portrait of Las Vegas make this one of the year's best hard-boiled crime novels.'' --— Booklist, Starred Review ''Goldberg's new book is clever bordering on wise, like Get Shorty on antacid.'' --David Kipen, Los Angeles Magazine '' Gangst

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