Murder of a Mafia Daughter: The Life and Tragic Death of Susan Berman

by Cathy Scott

Susan Berman was reared in the lap of Las Vegas luxury as the daughter of Davie Berman, a notorious casino mogul and mafia leader. It wasn't until college-well after her father's death-that she learned what he really did. She ultimately dedicated her life to learning about Vegas and its underworld chiefs, publishing two acclaimed books on the Easy Street and Lady Las Vegas. Her story takes a turn for the bizarre in 1982 when Kathie Durst-the wife of college friend and heir to a New York real estate fortune, Robert Durst-mysteriously disappeared. Robert Durst was considered a prime suspect but a case was never mounted against him. Shortly after the Kathie Durst case was reopened Susan Berman was found shot in the back of the head, mob execution style. No forced entry, no robbery, nothing missing from her home. Like Kathie Durst's disappearance, Susan's murder is unsolved, but again Robert is a suspect. Did she know her killer? Did she have information about the fate of Kathie Durst? Many questions-but few answers. At present Durst is awaiting trial in Galveston, Texas, for the murder of an elderly acquaintance who some suspect may have had information regarding Kathie Durst's disappearance. This book includes exclusive information on the "Durst Connection" from LAPD investigators working on the Berman case. It will surely draw the attention of the nation as the Durst trial hits the nation's tabloids this September.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Cathy Scott, a Los Angeles Times bestselling author, investigative veteran journalist and blogger for Psychology Today, has written twelve books. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Reuters and Las Vegas Sun. Best known for penning The Killing of Tupac Shakur and Murder of a Mafia Daughter, she taught journalism for five years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her latest books are The Millionaire’s Wife and Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography, which won a best non-fiction award in 2014. Recent TV appearances include The Dr. Oz Show, Dateline NBC, the Today Show, Vanity Fair’s crime series. She lives in a renovated miner's cabin in the mountains of San Diego County with her three rescued dogs.

Reviews

[Sara Tripp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because I'm fascinated with the whole Bobby Durst case... Unfortunately it was SO poorly written -- lots of repetition and looks like it was never edited (or even proof-read.)
I'm still giving it 3 stars because it does have a lot of information, so if you're interested in the subject matter you'll certainly learn a lot -- If only someone had put more time into making it a smoother read, it could have been much more enjoyable.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story, and it is a true story, is interesting but this book is surprisingly repetitive, it repeats itself, it says the same thing over and over.

That was supposed to be funny.

This seems well researched but it could have used some editing or reorganization or something that would have made it flow better. The author covered the same ground in several different chapters. My guess is that it was put together hastily.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read because of my fascination with The Jinx and all things Robert Durst at the moment. The book has some good information and quotes from a lot of Berman's associates, but it seems a little bit disorganized - certain things get repeated several times - and there were a ton of typos and misspellings (even the main players' names change spellings within the same page), perhaps due to the ebook conversion?

[Teressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Story of Susan Burman"

Wow. MURDER OF A MAFIA DAUGHTER was a real eye-opener. I don’t recall ever hearing about Susan Berman unless I possibly caught a glimpse of her story on Unsolved Mysteries or Dateline. Her story is an interesting one. She was a journalist, a writer, and the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster. Growing up, she was privileged but also protected from knowing her dad’s true business. She seems to have been a very complex person but when all the people she loved in her life died, she was lost. After becoming involved with Robert Durst, everything changed. Whether or not he killed her, I wouldn’t begin to know. This book sheds light on her story in an unbiased way.

The book starts out with her death and the crime scene. I was shocked to hear how tainted the evidence was and don’t know how or why anyone would enter a potential crime scene and move things around or touch anything. It then goes on to tell her story from childhood to adulthood right up to the week of her death. She was eccentric, quirky, and seemed to be a very smart woman. She also appeared to be enjoying her life. She was busy writing and working on television shows and like most people, had a few ups and downs. Then one day she was found shot in the back of the head in her home where nothing had been out-of-place.

Another interesting part of this book was the story of her father Dave Berman. It talks about how he grew up and moved to Nevada as well as a few of the people he was associated with. He was from Odessa in the Ukraine and migrated to the U.S. Hearing about his life in the mob was intriguing to say the least. The whole thing was fascinating to listen to. I don’t know how I feel about peering into another person’s extraordinary life after they’ve passed. And many of the people in this book are still alive.

To sum it up, this was still a good listen. If you like true crime then this is definitely it. I don’t feel anyone is passing judgement, they’re just telling a story. And I don’t want to pass judgement either.

Kevin Pierce did a superb job narrating this book. He was straightforward and humble. He told the story the way it should be told. I feel that him reading a story like this shows him as more than a narrator but also as an empathetic person. He did the story justice and was the perfect person for this work.


Audiobook gifted in exchange for review.

[JULIE L STOUT · Rating 2 out of 5]

very poorly written, intriguing story if you can regurgitate the same information multiple times...ugh

[Donna Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly written. No flow and grammatical errors throughout.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd read and enjoyed Susan Berman's memoir "Easy Street" years ago after I happened to catch a radio interview with her when she was promoting "Lady Las Vegas." I was shocked when I heard about her murder and have sort of followed the case ever since.

Therefore, my rating of 2 stars isn't for this book's subject matter but for its writing. As some other reviewers have pointed out, it doesn't seem to have been edited at all; it reads like a first draft, is poorly organized and repetitive in many places, and contains basic errors in grammar and punctuation. So instead of this book, I recommend just searching for one of the longer newspaper or magazine feature articles written about Susan Berman in recent years.

[Sean Wicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly a written plea that the murderer of Susan Berman be brought to justice (and they were, but years after this book was written) is presented in such an uninspired, amateurish fashion that it is hardly engaging at all - not ideal for a true crime exposé. Some things are repeated multiple times (particularly the way the neighbors figured out that something had happened to Susan) and the real exploration into the possible (and ultimately guilty - just not when this book was written) suspect feels rushed and under-investigated. It is a quick read, but the weakly composed narrative leaves you wanting something with a little more meat to it.

[Cheryl Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Bergman

Doesn’t do her life justice. I expected a more in-depth coverage. The narrative bounced around and didn’t tell me anything of substance about Susan or Robert Durst.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better true crime books I have listened to, a solid 4.5

I knew very little of this case so the story kept me enthralled. I feel like I learned a lot about Susan as a real person and her sad family history. The author did a very good job of giving you many details but in a good way. It did not get dry or drag on endlessly with boring particulars.
The narrator was fabulous. His voice is very well suited to true crime. He is telling you a story and not just reading.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because this book covers so much time and so many people and places, there are a few instances where I found it a bit confusing and got a little lost for
a while, but for the most part, I figured it all out and found this information very interesting. I learned a lot about Las Vegas that I hadn't known before.
My confusion might have been reduced somewhat if Kevin Pierce had made more distinction when he was reading quoted text, but overall, his narration is
good.

NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.

[bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story on her life and death

Riveting in places, repetitive in others. For anyone interested in the mystery surrounding her death, it is entertaining. For Las Vegas history lovers, there's something in here for all of you.

[Amy Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love true crime but this doesn't really go anywhere as far as crime solving. Fun reading about Las Vegas in those early years. An odd and sad life for Susan

[Wendy Lukert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few editing errors but very informative and written so it stays interesting.

[Sandie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Love anything like this. True story too.