Nicholas Pileggi Books

Nicholas Pileggi’s vivid, unvarnished, journalistic chronicle of the life of Henry Hill—the working-class Brooklyn kid who knew from age twelve that “to be a wiseguy was to own the world,” who grew up to live the highs and lows of the mafia gangster’s life—has been hailed as “the best book ever written on organized crime” (Cosmopolitan). This is the true-crime bestseller that was the basis for Martin Scorsese’s film masterpiece GoodFellas, which brought to life the violence, the excess, the families, the wives and girlfriends, the drugs, the payoffs, the paybacks, the jail time, and the Feds…with Henry Hill’s crackling narration drawn straight out of Wiseguy and overseeing all the unforgettable action. Read it and experience the secret life inside the mob—from one who’s lived it.

Traces the alliance of Lefty Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro, who ran the Mafia in Las Vegas and whose partnership ended in adultery, murder, and revenge.

"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." Henry Hill grew up in the midst of New York City's criminal underworld, finally achieving the coveted status of "wiseguy." But in 1980, he made the decision to exchange his knowledge for a new identity. "GoodFellas," Hill's own account of crude hierarchies, casual murders, and collaboration with the Feds (as a member of the Witness Protection Program) was adapted for the screen by Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi--and is now seen as a contemporary classic. The film drew rave reviews everywhere upon its theatrical release in 1990, and was nominated for Oscars in both the Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. This book also offers an introduction by David Thompson, the noted film critic and co-editor of "Scorsese on Scorsese."

From the author of the best-selling Mafia exposé, Wiseguy , comes this inside story of the billion-dollar gambling industry and the secretive, dangerous men who run it. At the heart of this true tale of love, revenge, and murder Mafia-style are some of the most memorable characters in mob lore: Lefty, the brains of the mob's Vegas casinos; Tony Spilotro, the mob's muscle; and Geri, Lefty's adulterous show-girl wife.

Je to mistrně vylíčený příběh o lásce, manželství, podvodech, vraždě a pomstě uprostřed mafie. Je to příběh z prostredí heren a kasín, kde se otáčejí miliardy dolarů, a vypráví o tom, jak mafie ztratila moc nad hráčským průmyslem.