Originally Posted By: Alfa_Romeo
I have to mention this one...

"The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano".

A lot has been discussed and debated about this book, it's factual errors and inconsistencies with proven chronology. Understandably, it has many detractors.

The authors are Martin A Gosch and Richard Hammer.

Martin Gosch was a film producer from Hollywood.

Richard Hammer was a book author whose books once became a film.

The story goes that Charlie Luciano wanted to make a film about himself that for various reasons, never got made. One story says that Meyer Lansky vetoed it from the States. To me this is unlikely since as a Jew Lansky had no veto powers in the Mafia.

In Salvadore Vizzini's book, "Vizzini, the Story of America's N0. 1 Narcotics Agent", he quotes Luciano directly...

Salvadore Vizzini: "But what about the movie? You said there was a hundred thousand or more in it for you. That's a lot of money, Charlie."

Charlie Luciano:"Yeah, I know. But when I read the script I told them no. They wanted to phony it up, just like they did with Capone. The real story's better, but they probably wouldn't believe it if they heard it. Not that they're going to. Anyway, I don't need the money that bad."

Therefore Charlie Luciano is telling us right there that the Last Testament is fiction.

What I think happened is that Luciano had a change of mind possibly and met Gosch again to discuss the movie, and then died before it could be completed. Gosch then turned around and used the movie script he and Charlie were working on to make up a phony biographical novel.

It is part truth and part Hollywood fantasy.

To get caught up in a debate about why the book is not "trustworthy" completely misses the point. The book originally was not that. It originally was just a movie script.


thanks for the Info. Did someone read "Mafia Kingfish: Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of John F. Kennedy" from John H. Davis?


Sorry for bad english, I am not a native american, I hope you forgive me wink