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Gangland
From the acclaimed author of The Town, an epic thriller about the secret right‑hand man of one of the most infamous unprosecuted mob bosses in American history, and the hidden crime that will bring down an empire.
In the late 1970s, The Outfit has the entire city of Chicago in its hands. Tony Accardo is its fearless leader. Nicky Passero is his loyal soldier, though no one knows he has a direct line in to the boss of bosses. When the Christmas gift Accardo got for his wife, an inscribed bracelet with gold and diamond inlay, is stolen along with other items in a jewelry heist, Nicky is charged with tracking down and returning all of the items—by whatever means necessary.
Forced into an impossible situation, Nicky must find a way to carry out Accardo's increasingly unhinged instructions and survive the battle for control of Chicago. What Accardo doesn't know: Nicky has a secret which has made his life impossible and has put him in the pocket of the FBI.
Based on the true story of Tony Accardo, the longest‑reigning mob capo in history, Gangland is a Shakespearean-esque drama of integrity, lost honor, and revenge. Gritty and action‑packed, it is the ultimate gangster tale and Chuck Hogan's most thrilling novel yet.
In the late 1970s, The Outfit has the entire city of Chicago in its hands. Tony Accardo is its fearless leader. Nicky Passero is his loyal soldier, though no one knows he has a direct line in to the boss of bosses. When the Christmas gift Accardo got for his wife, an inscribed bracelet with gold and diamond inlay, is stolen along with other items in a jewelry heist, Nicky is charged with tracking down and returning all of the items—by whatever means necessary.
Forced into an impossible situation, Nicky must find a way to carry out Accardo's increasingly unhinged instructions and survive the battle for control of Chicago. What Accardo doesn't know: Nicky has a secret which has made his life impossible and has put him in the pocket of the FBI.
Based on the true story of Tony Accardo, the longest‑reigning mob capo in history, Gangland is a Shakespearean-esque drama of integrity, lost honor, and revenge. Gritty and action‑packed, it is the ultimate gangster tale and Chuck Hogan's most thrilling novel yet.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2022
439 people are currently reading
6283 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Hogan
57 books595 followersChuck Hogan is an American author. His story "Two Thousand Volts" appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories 2009. He is the co-author of The Strain Trilogy with Guillermo del Toro. His 2004 novel Prince of Thieves was adapted to film as the Ben Affleck directed The Town in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
August 7, 2022
Having just blasted through Chuck Hogan’s GANGLAND in less than two days of voracious reading, I am happy to report that it is one of my favorite books of 2022. Granted, it will not be for some readers as it is a highly specialized fictional account of the mob operating in Chicago in the late 1970s. Among the cast of characters are real-life Mafia bosses Tony Accardo, Sam Giancana and Joey Aiuppa. The imaginary underlings with colorful nicknames, including Sally Brags, Crease Man and Cue Stick, engage in traditional Mafia behavior. And the dialogue is reminiscent of The Godfather or Goodfellas.
The underpinnings of GANGLAND come from an actual event in the life of the Chicago mob. In January 1978, while Accardo and his wife were vacationing in Palm Springs, his Chicago-area home was burglarized. The crime was believed to be in response to Accardo imposing punishment on those participating in the Christmas Day burglary of a lucrative jewelry store that was protected by the Organization. Accardo retaliated for what he considered to be a personal insult, and dead bodies were soon discovered across the Windy City. Law enforcement compared Accardo’s revenge to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, only in slow motion.
Accardo turned to Anthony Spilotro, a member of the Las Vegas mob, to exact his revenge. But in GANGLAND, the assignment goes to Nicky Passero, a fictional loyal member of Accardo’s organization. He is known as Nicky Pins because he owns a bowling alley in addition to his work as a loyal soldier and bookmaker. Readers will learn early on that his loyalty to the Organization is compromised by two factors. Principally, the FBI has some information on Passero that they often threaten to reveal when they need his assistance. Additionally, he has a rare trait for a mob enforcer: a conscience. On occasion, that conscience causes him to question some of his assignments, which ultimately will be his downfall.
Chuck Hogan is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter whose style includes true-to-life dialogue and immersion into the settings of his books. As Passero and his cohorts travel the streets and highways of Chicago and its suburbs, readers can almost see the houses, businesses, restaurants and other locales. The story moves quickly, and danger lurks throughout. Passero is an entertaining character, a murderer who also is a tragic figure. Even the mob bosses themselves show some human frailties. They have wives and children, and worry if their families will have an enjoyable Christmas, which they sometimes think about as they plot vengeance on an unsuspecting victim. It all makes for a fast-paced novel.
Hogan’s PRINCE OF THIEVES became the Ben Affleck film The Town, and I can imagine a similar fate for GANGLAND. As I read it, I could picture the cast in my head, which included stalwarts like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Nicky Passero will need to be much younger, but let the casting begin. Another ultimate gangster tale might soon be coming to theaters or streaming on your favorite device.
Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
The underpinnings of GANGLAND come from an actual event in the life of the Chicago mob. In January 1978, while Accardo and his wife were vacationing in Palm Springs, his Chicago-area home was burglarized. The crime was believed to be in response to Accardo imposing punishment on those participating in the Christmas Day burglary of a lucrative jewelry store that was protected by the Organization. Accardo retaliated for what he considered to be a personal insult, and dead bodies were soon discovered across the Windy City. Law enforcement compared Accardo’s revenge to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, only in slow motion.
Accardo turned to Anthony Spilotro, a member of the Las Vegas mob, to exact his revenge. But in GANGLAND, the assignment goes to Nicky Passero, a fictional loyal member of Accardo’s organization. He is known as Nicky Pins because he owns a bowling alley in addition to his work as a loyal soldier and bookmaker. Readers will learn early on that his loyalty to the Organization is compromised by two factors. Principally, the FBI has some information on Passero that they often threaten to reveal when they need his assistance. Additionally, he has a rare trait for a mob enforcer: a conscience. On occasion, that conscience causes him to question some of his assignments, which ultimately will be his downfall.
Chuck Hogan is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter whose style includes true-to-life dialogue and immersion into the settings of his books. As Passero and his cohorts travel the streets and highways of Chicago and its suburbs, readers can almost see the houses, businesses, restaurants and other locales. The story moves quickly, and danger lurks throughout. Passero is an entertaining character, a murderer who also is a tragic figure. Even the mob bosses themselves show some human frailties. They have wives and children, and worry if their families will have an enjoyable Christmas, which they sometimes think about as they plot vengeance on an unsuspecting victim. It all makes for a fast-paced novel.
Hogan’s PRINCE OF THIEVES became the Ben Affleck film The Town, and I can imagine a similar fate for GANGLAND. As I read it, I could picture the cast in my head, which included stalwarts like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Nicky Passero will need to be much younger, but let the casting begin. Another ultimate gangster tale might soon be coming to theaters or streaming on your favorite device.
Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
April 27, 2024
Gangland is a hardboiled gangster crime story set in Chicago in the late 1970s. This is clearly a book that won’t be for everybody, but for those readers who enjoy the uncompromising violence of the underworld where a ruthless justice is carried out without fear or favour, then Gangland is going to really appeal.
Based on a true story, Chuck Hogan mixes real crime figures, such as crime boss Tony Accardo, with his fictional characters to create a compelling “what if” type of scenario. It all starts with an unauthorised robbery of a jewellery store and the men who did the job are ordered to return the loot, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. They’re not happy, but what can you do? The unadvisable, obviously.
When crime boss Tony Accardo has his own house broken into he wants revenge. And if he can’t get revenge on the thieves who hit his place, he’s prepared to take out as many thieves as he can to send a message.
Nicky Passero, who goes by the name Nicky Pins, runs a bowling alley. But the alley’s a mob front and through these ties he gets valuable word from the street that he’s able to pass on to the mob. In particular, he’s become the go to man for crime boss Tony Accardo. It’s up to Nicky to run down the man responsible and Accardo makes it perfectly clear that failure is not an option.
The FBI comes calling on Nicky. They’ve got him over a barrel and want him to deliver Accardo to them. With fellow mobsters being rubbed out around him, Nicky is in the worst possible situation and has to work out who is the lesser of two evils, keeping in mind it’s not only his life that’s at stake but also his wife and son’s too.
Harsh mob rules means wanton violence, danger down every quiet street and opportunities for double crosses that mean certain sudden death. You can draw the inevitable comparisons to The Godfather and Goodfellas and the scope and brutality is similar, as is the sharply clipped dialogue all of which ensures there’s an overwhelming feeling of authenticity to the story.
This is a fast paced read that escalates quickly until it threatens to spiral out of control. Nicky is a character who earns your sympathy, despite the fact that he demonstrates the same ruthless brutality as the crime boss he works for. It’s violent and uncompromising, the type of thing you should expect when reading a gangster novel and, along with the dialogue, has an authenticity to it that ensures it oozes credibility.
Based on a true story, Chuck Hogan mixes real crime figures, such as crime boss Tony Accardo, with his fictional characters to create a compelling “what if” type of scenario. It all starts with an unauthorised robbery of a jewellery store and the men who did the job are ordered to return the loot, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. They’re not happy, but what can you do? The unadvisable, obviously.
When crime boss Tony Accardo has his own house broken into he wants revenge. And if he can’t get revenge on the thieves who hit his place, he’s prepared to take out as many thieves as he can to send a message.
Nicky Passero, who goes by the name Nicky Pins, runs a bowling alley. But the alley’s a mob front and through these ties he gets valuable word from the street that he’s able to pass on to the mob. In particular, he’s become the go to man for crime boss Tony Accardo. It’s up to Nicky to run down the man responsible and Accardo makes it perfectly clear that failure is not an option.
The FBI comes calling on Nicky. They’ve got him over a barrel and want him to deliver Accardo to them. With fellow mobsters being rubbed out around him, Nicky is in the worst possible situation and has to work out who is the lesser of two evils, keeping in mind it’s not only his life that’s at stake but also his wife and son’s too.
Harsh mob rules means wanton violence, danger down every quiet street and opportunities for double crosses that mean certain sudden death. You can draw the inevitable comparisons to The Godfather and Goodfellas and the scope and brutality is similar, as is the sharply clipped dialogue all of which ensures there’s an overwhelming feeling of authenticity to the story.
This is a fast paced read that escalates quickly until it threatens to spiral out of control. Nicky is a character who earns your sympathy, despite the fact that he demonstrates the same ruthless brutality as the crime boss he works for. It’s violent and uncompromising, the type of thing you should expect when reading a gangster novel and, along with the dialogue, has an authenticity to it that ensures it oozes credibility.
October 9, 2024
I picked this up at the Mysterious Bookshop the week I was up in NY for the Edgars, when my own “Devil House” was also nominated. Just got to it this week, and wow. If you’re going to do a mob crime book: this is how. Page-turner in the extreme with rich character development and an ending that’s not afraid to be hard. If you read crime fiction at all, this is highly recommended.
August 21, 2023
While this is not my typical kind of suspense novel, I thought it was really well done! If you are in the mood for a Godfather type mob story where our main character is trying to stay alive as he's torn between the blackmail from the FBI & the mob boss he's supposed to roll on, this will deliver. A nice change of pace for me from what I usually pick up
September 1, 2022
A good old fashion mafia book. Hogan creates a historical fiction of the mob in Chicago in the late 1970s. Nick Passero, a fictional mobster, does favors for the head of the Chicago family, Tony Accardo, a real mob boss. Great characters and lots of action this book reminds me of the Mario Puzo novels.
September 1, 2022
Gangland by Chuck Hogan is a 1970's gangster novel that is inspired by true events. The plot of this story feels really small but then you open up the paranoia of both the gangsters and the thieves, then heads will roll. There's scenes in both Goodfellas and Casino where a lot of people die because of what they are involved in the scene last 5-10 minutes. This novel is one of those scenes expanded into the tracking, the execution, and the planning. The novel follows Nicky "Two Pins" a man with secrets who runs a legitimate business the bowling alley, but what most other people don't know until it's too late is he is the guy that handles the executions, he's also an FBI informant, and closetly gay. The secrets are what he does and there's no one better. The climax was very worth while and exciting. The epilogue is long and many years after the climax it answers some of the questions but not all. The opening scene is a little rough and felt cliche, but the ending to that scene starts this easily readable novel going. The pace of Gangland is very fast. This is my forth Chuck Hogan book (I read Strain trilogy that he co-wrote with Guillermo del Toro about a vampire war) and Gangland my first Gangster novel since that is what he's known for with Prince of Thieves also known as The Town (to match the film title). Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for letting me read the ARC. Gangland is published on August 2 2022.
Plot Summary: Nicky "Two Pins" has just done the biggest double cross killing his mentor for a way to move up and works under Tony Accardo who is the boss of Chicago and a protégé under Al Capone. Nicky has kept it all underwraps from FBI since he is an unwilling informant that blackmails him for being gay during the 1970's. Everything is going smoothly until thieves steal form a jeweler without permissions and steal an anniversary present from Tony to his wife. The thieves get confronted and are told to return everything and maybe they can work together in the future. The guy that set this up had to return his kid and wife's Christmas present as Tony vacations in Palm Springs. He decides to break into Tony's house while he's on vacation and steal the jewels back, but they were not there, but something of value was the books of payoffs, that same thing that took Al Capone down. Tony wants the people responsible and to send a message to thieves no one steals from Tony! It's a cat and mouse game to find who is responsible before the thief realizes what he has and figures out the code of the books.
What I Liked: I love a good gangster story and this one starts off okay but gets really great as paranoia hits everyone involved, then double and triple crosses start to happen. I loved all the pop culture references, and just how hard it was to get a star wars toy at Christmas. I really liked the character of Nicky "Two Pins" and felt for his secret gay life and the way he treated others fairly in his business. I like how easily Tony could lie even when backed in the corner and the evidence is looking you him in the face. I like how I could feel the 1970's throughout the novel. I really liked the climax and how intense and chaotic it got.
What I Disliked: The opening scene was very cliche, I was worried the whole book was going to be this way, but it was not. I wanted to see a little bit more of his struggles with being gay and a gangster. I really wanted to see the drunken fight with his wife where he confessed how prison and his cellmate changed him. The epilogue could have answered what Nicky did after the climax instead of 13 years later a little bit sooner.
Recommendations: If you're looking for a gangster novel that is brutal and features lots of betrayals then this is it. I recommend this novel for it's super quick pace and when reading this story I kept asking me what's going to happen next? It's not a great book but a very solid story. I rated Gangland by Chuck Hogan 4 out of 5 stars.
Plot Summary: Nicky "Two Pins" has just done the biggest double cross killing his mentor for a way to move up and works under Tony Accardo who is the boss of Chicago and a protégé under Al Capone. Nicky has kept it all underwraps from FBI since he is an unwilling informant that blackmails him for being gay during the 1970's. Everything is going smoothly until thieves steal form a jeweler without permissions and steal an anniversary present from Tony to his wife. The thieves get confronted and are told to return everything and maybe they can work together in the future. The guy that set this up had to return his kid and wife's Christmas present as Tony vacations in Palm Springs. He decides to break into Tony's house while he's on vacation and steal the jewels back, but they were not there, but something of value was the books of payoffs, that same thing that took Al Capone down. Tony wants the people responsible and to send a message to thieves no one steals from Tony! It's a cat and mouse game to find who is responsible before the thief realizes what he has and figures out the code of the books.
What I Liked: I love a good gangster story and this one starts off okay but gets really great as paranoia hits everyone involved, then double and triple crosses start to happen. I loved all the pop culture references, and just how hard it was to get a star wars toy at Christmas. I really liked the character of Nicky "Two Pins" and felt for his secret gay life and the way he treated others fairly in his business. I like how easily Tony could lie even when backed in the corner and the evidence is looking you him in the face. I like how I could feel the 1970's throughout the novel. I really liked the climax and how intense and chaotic it got.
What I Disliked: The opening scene was very cliche, I was worried the whole book was going to be this way, but it was not. I wanted to see a little bit more of his struggles with being gay and a gangster. I really wanted to see the drunken fight with his wife where he confessed how prison and his cellmate changed him. The epilogue could have answered what Nicky did after the climax instead of 13 years later a little bit sooner.
Recommendations: If you're looking for a gangster novel that is brutal and features lots of betrayals then this is it. I recommend this novel for it's super quick pace and when reading this story I kept asking me what's going to happen next? It's not a great book but a very solid story. I rated Gangland by Chuck Hogan 4 out of 5 stars.
July 4, 2022
I wanted to give this good 5 stars because i love mafia novels, I went to law school in Chicago at the time this novel is set(late seventies) and because i have loved all of Hogan’s previous books. But this one did not send me—it seemed disjointed and lacked focus—of course the inside mafia and cops and crime stuff is there - along with lots of period references but it just didnt seem to hang together for me. Maybe you’ll feel differently. Still it was enjoyable but The Godfather it is not.
July 15, 2024
4.5 stars
What a perfect title for this novel! If you started reading this and did not already know the title, this is the title you'd have chosen. A novel about gangs in New York City, populated with both "based on real life" characters, like Sam Giancana, and lower-level criminals with names like Nicky Pins, Cue Man, Crease Man, and a number of others. A really great read and one I would recommend. Also going to look into other titles by this author.
What a perfect title for this novel! If you started reading this and did not already know the title, this is the title you'd have chosen. A novel about gangs in New York City, populated with both "based on real life" characters, like Sam Giancana, and lower-level criminals with names like Nicky Pins, Cue Man, Crease Man, and a number of others. A really great read and one I would recommend. Also going to look into other titles by this author.
March 30, 2023
Extremely well written mob tale with the subtle touch of humanity you might expect from the author of the town. Would have been a five save for the fact that it is not really my kind of book, I read the Edgar nominees because they are often good even if not exactly my cup of tea, and this was one of those
March 15, 2025
The setting of Chuck Hogan’s “Gangland” is in the late 1970s in and around Chicago. As the story opens, the ‘Outfit’ has the entire city of Chicago in its hands. Tony Accardo is its fearless leader. Nicky Passero who runs a bowling alley is his loyal soldier, though no one knows he has a direct line to the Big Boss. When the Christmas gift Accardo got for his wife, an inscribed bracelet with gold and diamond inlay, is stolen along with other items in a jewelry heist, Nicky is charged with tracking down and returning all of the items—by whatever means necessary.
I felt that there were strong points and some weak points. First off, apparently, “Gangland” is based on the true story of Tony Accardo, the longest reigning mob BOSS in history. “Gangland” is drama of integrity, lost honor, and certainly revenge. It is possibly the ultimate gangster tale. which was based on honor, loyalty, and the almost meaninglessness of the many soldiers or pawns in play.
I felt that the dialogue was forced at times, especially with the preponderance of nicknames ~ like the protagonist Nicky Passero as “Nicky Pins.” The plot was nothing new, but more than that, it got too repetitive at times. It was just a bit too stereotypical at times. and read like a movie script. I wanted to give this a four, but I just could not do it. I am rating it a 3 ½.
I felt that there were strong points and some weak points. First off, apparently, “Gangland” is based on the true story of Tony Accardo, the longest reigning mob BOSS in history. “Gangland” is drama of integrity, lost honor, and certainly revenge. It is possibly the ultimate gangster tale. which was based on honor, loyalty, and the almost meaninglessness of the many soldiers or pawns in play.
I felt that the dialogue was forced at times, especially with the preponderance of nicknames ~ like the protagonist Nicky Passero as “Nicky Pins.” The plot was nothing new, but more than that, it got too repetitive at times. It was just a bit too stereotypical at times. and read like a movie script. I wanted to give this a four, but I just could not do it. I am rating it a 3 ½.
February 18, 2023
A taut, gripping thriller that you'll make time to read.
I was skeptical that Hogan could weave an interesting story around real life events and characters. I was wrong. The characters are so vivid I had no idea who was real and who he had imagined. The pacing is perfect. The story is excellent. I loved every page.
I was skeptical that Hogan could weave an interesting story around real life events and characters. I was wrong. The characters are so vivid I had no idea who was real and who he had imagined. The pacing is perfect. The story is excellent. I loved every page.
August 31, 2022
Compelling From Beginning To End!
I won’t spend time describing the plot of Gangland as this can be found in in the Book Description, other than to say that it pertains to the main character, on the “outer limits” of the Mafia, being summoned by real-life head of the Chicago Outfit, Tony Accardo, and charged with helping to recover items stolen from his house. From that moment until the final page, I was engrossed in every aspect of this book. That’s due to author, Chuck Hogan, creating a plot that is filled with action and surprises, developing primary and secondary characters that are three-dimensional, very realistic dialogue and a sense of time and place that makes the reader feel he/she is “right there” experiencing everything going on.
For me, Gangland is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year, thus making it a book I’d highly recommend to anyone who likes books that will keep you turning the pages as fast as possible to see what happens next, and especially books involving the Mafia.
#Gangland. #NetGalley
I won’t spend time describing the plot of Gangland as this can be found in in the Book Description, other than to say that it pertains to the main character, on the “outer limits” of the Mafia, being summoned by real-life head of the Chicago Outfit, Tony Accardo, and charged with helping to recover items stolen from his house. From that moment until the final page, I was engrossed in every aspect of this book. That’s due to author, Chuck Hogan, creating a plot that is filled with action and surprises, developing primary and secondary characters that are three-dimensional, very realistic dialogue and a sense of time and place that makes the reader feel he/she is “right there” experiencing everything going on.
For me, Gangland is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year, thus making it a book I’d highly recommend to anyone who likes books that will keep you turning the pages as fast as possible to see what happens next, and especially books involving the Mafia.
#Gangland. #NetGalley
March 25, 2023
If there's a subgenre of 'Historical Crime Fiction' then Chuck Hogan's "Gangland" would be near the top of the form. It's a fascinating reconstruction of a period of transition for the Chicago mafia with fictional characters and situations interwoven with real Mafioso people and happenings. It's not a 'typical' Hogan novel, but that's not a bad thing by any means.
The short plot summary is that Tony Accardo, the real head of the Chicago mob of the 70s, controls his city and people with an iron fist. A free-lance group of thieves rips off a jeweler but neglected to get Accardo's permission to do so, so he coerces them into giving him the entire haul instead of the usual percentage he'd demand. The leader of the free-lancers, Johnny Salita, gets pissed about it and decides it'd be a good idea to break into Accardo's house while he's vacationing in Palm Springs. He doesn't locate the jewels but takes something even more valuable, whereupon Accardo sets his attack dog, a mid-level fictional guy nicknamed 'Nicky Pins', on a mission to find him. Mayhem (including folks ending up in car trunks) ensues as Salita can't be found, Accardo is steaming, and Nicky Pins is concerned that some of his secrets will somehow be revealed.
The way Hogan threaded historical with fictional sequences was pretty impressive. I don't think the writing was as crisp as with his Boston area based crime novels, but he did manage to capture the essence of the Chicago mob's activities very credibly. I'm a huge fan of this author and although he takes a different approach with this novel it's still an impressive accomplishment.
The short plot summary is that Tony Accardo, the real head of the Chicago mob of the 70s, controls his city and people with an iron fist. A free-lance group of thieves rips off a jeweler but neglected to get Accardo's permission to do so, so he coerces them into giving him the entire haul instead of the usual percentage he'd demand. The leader of the free-lancers, Johnny Salita, gets pissed about it and decides it'd be a good idea to break into Accardo's house while he's vacationing in Palm Springs. He doesn't locate the jewels but takes something even more valuable, whereupon Accardo sets his attack dog, a mid-level fictional guy nicknamed 'Nicky Pins', on a mission to find him. Mayhem (including folks ending up in car trunks) ensues as Salita can't be found, Accardo is steaming, and Nicky Pins is concerned that some of his secrets will somehow be revealed.
The way Hogan threaded historical with fictional sequences was pretty impressive. I don't think the writing was as crisp as with his Boston area based crime novels, but he did manage to capture the essence of the Chicago mob's activities very credibly. I'm a huge fan of this author and although he takes a different approach with this novel it's still an impressive accomplishment.
August 22, 2022
“I have you by the short hairs now, Passero. You’re a midlevel guy at best, a worker, an earner, somebody who maybe had the boss’s ear. You run book out of a bowling alley, and you’re an FBI informant and at least a part-time queer. Where’s that going? Sideways at the very best."
*****
Pity the poor middle manager, the person who's as responsible for those below him as to those above him, who often finds the space left for him too narrow on the spectrum to comfortably breathe. Nicky Fassero, known as Nicky Pins because he runs a bowling alley, is such a middle manager, only one for the Chicago Outfit, and severance packages in that line tend to not include things like COBRA , unemployment benefits and job placement assistance. GANGLAND is the story of how Nicky's tiny stripe of space in the mob-hierarchy spectrum gets smaller and smaller, squeezed as much from above as below as he tries to navigate the aftermath of an unauthorized jewlry heist.
It's 1976 when things begin, and much of the action takes place in 1978, but GANGLAND opens like gangbusters, with Nicky dispatching legendary Outfit boss Sam Giancana with a double tap — at the behest of real-life Chicago mobster Tony Accardo. All that's before Johnny Salita, a talented but hotheaded burglary artist, stages a jewelry heist of a connected business owner without the OK of Nicky or the higher-ups, and when Salita is forced to return what he stole but later steals it again — from Tony Accardo's house — Nicky is ordered to square things. In blood. But things go sideways, of course, and Nicky is sure Tony is going to have him killed — that is, if the FBI agent who knows Nicky's darkest secret doesn't leverage him first to take Tony down. The only thing that's certain? Tony's "strict no-fiasco policy" is getting violated, repeatedly, in every possible way.
It's an impossible fix that Nicky is in, but he's determined to find a way through, and the reader will be with him every step of the way. They may not love Nicky, who doesn't pretend to be likable, but anybody who's been in a bad jam between opposing forces will be able to relate.
All this is told without an ounce of fat by one of the most muscular voices in crime fiction. The prose here isn't showy, but it is sleek without being slick, and you won't find an ounce of pretension in its vividly rendered characters and settings. That said, there's plenty of quotable lines here, and Chuck Hogan is particularly on point when it comes to depicting 1970s life and style, a particular value-add for this dedicated Seventiesologist:
"Momentarily clearheaded, Nicky realized how f***ed up he was right now. He had been chauffeuring around a murder weapon while barking Linda Ronstadt out his open windows. His recklessness chilled him."
"Nicky had a couple of things in his cart so that he blended in with the frenzy. A Six Million Dollar Man action figure with Bionic Grip, a Slime Monster Game with an extra plastic garbage can of green Slime, Mattel Electronics Football, a Kojak board game, an official Mark 'the Bird' Fidrych glove. But this Child World in Forest Park was the absolute last place he wanted to be the week before Christmas."
"Gerald Roy wore an apricot sports jacket with tiger-orange oval elbow patches over a bee-yellow shirt with a flared collar, no necktie, and fawn-colored polyester pants."
"Over at Pong, you would think it was the finals at Wimbledon, Connors taking on Björn Borg. Kids stacked their quarters on the game panel to hold a spot in line for the next game."
"One kid flailed away at the Elton John pinball game, probably because he had already invested so much time and money in getting good at it. But nobody was watching him. That wasn’t where the action was anymore."
"Pinball is black-and-white television to these kids. It’s the stagecoach. The plunger launch, clang-clang, flipper-flipper, bad ricochet, game over. That’s their fathers’ game. Push-button stuff, video arcade cabinets, this is the hottest thing going."
"The Edge of Night was a late-afternoon television soap opera, also a crime series, and only a half hour long. There was a matriarch, as well as a whole thing with her family and multiple untimely deaths, and vendettas and affairs and endless amnesia cases, but there was the cop story too, set in the fictional city of Monticello. It was jarring to see stories about drug shipments and gangsters and district attorneys on television at four in the afternoon, when that primary audience was mothers cleaning up the house around their children after school. It was difficult to know who this show was aimed at, aside from Nicky Pins."
"Farther down the bar, Nicky viewed a sight that brought out his first smile of the night. Connected guys and the usual wannabes gathered in a tight circle, outnumbered by the new generation—but, as Nicky saw, even they were sporting gold medallion chains all of a sudden, wearing open shirts, flared slacks. The disco craze was spreading like a virus. You had to respect it."
Epic in scope and stakes but intimate in detail and portraiture, GANGLAND is a read as substantive as it is smooth. It's propulsive without ever seeming to pander, commercial without ever reaching for cliché, briskly stylish without a breath of self-consciousness. It is one of the best crime novels I've read in 2022 — or any year — and should be a strong contender for a passel of thriller-genre awards and a prestige screen production.
*****
Pity the poor middle manager, the person who's as responsible for those below him as to those above him, who often finds the space left for him too narrow on the spectrum to comfortably breathe. Nicky Fassero, known as Nicky Pins because he runs a bowling alley, is such a middle manager, only one for the Chicago Outfit, and severance packages in that line tend to not include things like COBRA , unemployment benefits and job placement assistance. GANGLAND is the story of how Nicky's tiny stripe of space in the mob-hierarchy spectrum gets smaller and smaller, squeezed as much from above as below as he tries to navigate the aftermath of an unauthorized jewlry heist.
It's 1976 when things begin, and much of the action takes place in 1978, but GANGLAND opens like gangbusters, with Nicky dispatching legendary Outfit boss Sam Giancana with a double tap — at the behest of real-life Chicago mobster Tony Accardo. All that's before Johnny Salita, a talented but hotheaded burglary artist, stages a jewelry heist of a connected business owner without the OK of Nicky or the higher-ups, and when Salita is forced to return what he stole but later steals it again — from Tony Accardo's house — Nicky is ordered to square things. In blood. But things go sideways, of course, and Nicky is sure Tony is going to have him killed — that is, if the FBI agent who knows Nicky's darkest secret doesn't leverage him first to take Tony down. The only thing that's certain? Tony's "strict no-fiasco policy" is getting violated, repeatedly, in every possible way.
It's an impossible fix that Nicky is in, but he's determined to find a way through, and the reader will be with him every step of the way. They may not love Nicky, who doesn't pretend to be likable, but anybody who's been in a bad jam between opposing forces will be able to relate.
All this is told without an ounce of fat by one of the most muscular voices in crime fiction. The prose here isn't showy, but it is sleek without being slick, and you won't find an ounce of pretension in its vividly rendered characters and settings. That said, there's plenty of quotable lines here, and Chuck Hogan is particularly on point when it comes to depicting 1970s life and style, a particular value-add for this dedicated Seventiesologist:
"Momentarily clearheaded, Nicky realized how f***ed up he was right now. He had been chauffeuring around a murder weapon while barking Linda Ronstadt out his open windows. His recklessness chilled him."
"Nicky had a couple of things in his cart so that he blended in with the frenzy. A Six Million Dollar Man action figure with Bionic Grip, a Slime Monster Game with an extra plastic garbage can of green Slime, Mattel Electronics Football, a Kojak board game, an official Mark 'the Bird' Fidrych glove. But this Child World in Forest Park was the absolute last place he wanted to be the week before Christmas."
"Gerald Roy wore an apricot sports jacket with tiger-orange oval elbow patches over a bee-yellow shirt with a flared collar, no necktie, and fawn-colored polyester pants."
"Over at Pong, you would think it was the finals at Wimbledon, Connors taking on Björn Borg. Kids stacked their quarters on the game panel to hold a spot in line for the next game."
"One kid flailed away at the Elton John pinball game, probably because he had already invested so much time and money in getting good at it. But nobody was watching him. That wasn’t where the action was anymore."
"Pinball is black-and-white television to these kids. It’s the stagecoach. The plunger launch, clang-clang, flipper-flipper, bad ricochet, game over. That’s their fathers’ game. Push-button stuff, video arcade cabinets, this is the hottest thing going."
"The Edge of Night was a late-afternoon television soap opera, also a crime series, and only a half hour long. There was a matriarch, as well as a whole thing with her family and multiple untimely deaths, and vendettas and affairs and endless amnesia cases, but there was the cop story too, set in the fictional city of Monticello. It was jarring to see stories about drug shipments and gangsters and district attorneys on television at four in the afternoon, when that primary audience was mothers cleaning up the house around their children after school. It was difficult to know who this show was aimed at, aside from Nicky Pins."
"Farther down the bar, Nicky viewed a sight that brought out his first smile of the night. Connected guys and the usual wannabes gathered in a tight circle, outnumbered by the new generation—but, as Nicky saw, even they were sporting gold medallion chains all of a sudden, wearing open shirts, flared slacks. The disco craze was spreading like a virus. You had to respect it."
Epic in scope and stakes but intimate in detail and portraiture, GANGLAND is a read as substantive as it is smooth. It's propulsive without ever seeming to pander, commercial without ever reaching for cliché, briskly stylish without a breath of self-consciousness. It is one of the best crime novels I've read in 2022 — or any year — and should be a strong contender for a passel of thriller-genre awards and a prestige screen production.
July 14, 2023
Brutally realistic account of mafia boss Tony Accardo & how he wreaked vengeance on those brazen enough to burglarize his home.
August 21, 2023
As far as I can tell, this book is massively underrated. Or rather, underread, because the few people who have read this have rated it very high. I highly recommend.
March 24, 2023
Gangland by Chuck Hogan is a throwback to the gangster novels of yesteryear that were more drama than thriller. With a pivotal central character, Gangland is novel that rivals the best of Don Winslow.
Summary -
"...Maybe I need to introduce myself,' he said.
He looked at each face. Nobody said anything.
He said, 'My name is Antonino Leonardo Accardo. Some know me as 'Joe Batters.' Other people just refer to me as 'the Man.' That is because I hold a position of responsibility in an organization of like-minded individuals. It's a thing we have, like a union, with structure, not written down nowheres, but rules anyone can follow. A regime. Orders go down, money goes up. Nod your head if you're following me--you all seem kinda slow.'
The others nodded dutifully. Salita was on edge, keeping half an eye on the drivers flanking Accardo, no idea where this going.
'Chicago is a big city,' said Accardo, 'but it's a small town too. 'The City That Works'--works for us. Some people think because a machine runs good, it's easy to run it, anybody can. Maybe that's what you all think..."
It is the late 1970s and The Outfit runs the city of Chicago. With the killing of Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo is the undisputed leader of the Chicago mob. Accardo is the original teflon Don. Never been convicted, never spent a night in jail.
Nicky Passero, aka Nicky Pins, is a mid level earner. But he has the ear and a direct line to Accardo. A favor Nicky did for the Man. Nicky is a fixer of sorts. He helps Accardo keep the city running smoothly.
Until a jewelry heist. A non sanctioned robbery that Accardo takes personal.
"...I gotta know,' said Nicky, ignoring the flashy cuff links, 'exactly what were you hoping to accomplish by breaking into the Man's home? Besides everything that has happened since. You're the one got your friends slaughtered. Now you're on the run, hiring militants from--you guys Black P. Stone Nation? Latin Kings?-- and looking like shit.'
Salita nodded fast, angrily. 'I wasn't looking for a war. This ain't a war.'
'Sure it is.'
'All I want is what's mine. And my safety. I think you know what I have. I don't need a gun to take down Accardo, or Joey Doves, all those gargoyles. I don't need judges and cops. I got the books..."
Johnny Salita is a thief. An exceptional thief. He is not the smash and grab type. No Johnny knows how to bypass those new alarm systems businesses and banks are using now. Only when Johnny and his crew rob a jewelry and make the haul of a lifetime, they don't know that it is a business with protection. Not only that, they never cleared their actions with The Outfit. Now Accardo wants his cut and then some. The some, being, all of it.
What Salita does next, sets in motion a string of murders and violence Chicago hasn't seen since the Capone era. And Nicky Pins is caught in the middle. Accardo tasks Nicky with finding Salito and handling the thief and setting an example for everyone. Only Salita is smart and stays one step ahead of Nicky Pins.
But Nicky's got problems of his own. A marriage on the rocks and a relationship with his son that is teetering on becoming nonexistent. But Nicky has got secrets too. Secrets that could get him killed in The Outfit. Secrets the FBI knows.
Review -
Gangland is a terrific throwback crime novel that reminds me of early Don Winslow or dare I say; John D. Macdonald. It is gruff. it is Noir. It is a novel, had it been written a decade or two ago, would have been owning the bestseller lists. Gangland is not formula driven. It is character driven and Chuck Hogan has created brilliant and vibrant characters that leap off the page. Nicky and Salito, mixed in with real life characters that lived, breathed and died during these times.
I became familiar with Chuck Hogan during his partnership with Guillermo Del Toro and their trilogy of vampire novels beginning with the Strain. After reading and loving Gangland, I see that Hogan is a terrific writer in his own right and what I need to do, is step back and read some of his earlier work.
But for now, I will say, Gangland is a great read!
Summary -
"...Maybe I need to introduce myself,' he said.
He looked at each face. Nobody said anything.
He said, 'My name is Antonino Leonardo Accardo. Some know me as 'Joe Batters.' Other people just refer to me as 'the Man.' That is because I hold a position of responsibility in an organization of like-minded individuals. It's a thing we have, like a union, with structure, not written down nowheres, but rules anyone can follow. A regime. Orders go down, money goes up. Nod your head if you're following me--you all seem kinda slow.'
The others nodded dutifully. Salita was on edge, keeping half an eye on the drivers flanking Accardo, no idea where this going.
'Chicago is a big city,' said Accardo, 'but it's a small town too. 'The City That Works'--works for us. Some people think because a machine runs good, it's easy to run it, anybody can. Maybe that's what you all think..."
It is the late 1970s and The Outfit runs the city of Chicago. With the killing of Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo is the undisputed leader of the Chicago mob. Accardo is the original teflon Don. Never been convicted, never spent a night in jail.
Nicky Passero, aka Nicky Pins, is a mid level earner. But he has the ear and a direct line to Accardo. A favor Nicky did for the Man. Nicky is a fixer of sorts. He helps Accardo keep the city running smoothly.
Until a jewelry heist. A non sanctioned robbery that Accardo takes personal.
"...I gotta know,' said Nicky, ignoring the flashy cuff links, 'exactly what were you hoping to accomplish by breaking into the Man's home? Besides everything that has happened since. You're the one got your friends slaughtered. Now you're on the run, hiring militants from--you guys Black P. Stone Nation? Latin Kings?-- and looking like shit.'
Salita nodded fast, angrily. 'I wasn't looking for a war. This ain't a war.'
'Sure it is.'
'All I want is what's mine. And my safety. I think you know what I have. I don't need a gun to take down Accardo, or Joey Doves, all those gargoyles. I don't need judges and cops. I got the books..."
Johnny Salita is a thief. An exceptional thief. He is not the smash and grab type. No Johnny knows how to bypass those new alarm systems businesses and banks are using now. Only when Johnny and his crew rob a jewelry and make the haul of a lifetime, they don't know that it is a business with protection. Not only that, they never cleared their actions with The Outfit. Now Accardo wants his cut and then some. The some, being, all of it.
What Salita does next, sets in motion a string of murders and violence Chicago hasn't seen since the Capone era. And Nicky Pins is caught in the middle. Accardo tasks Nicky with finding Salito and handling the thief and setting an example for everyone. Only Salita is smart and stays one step ahead of Nicky Pins.
But Nicky's got problems of his own. A marriage on the rocks and a relationship with his son that is teetering on becoming nonexistent. But Nicky has got secrets too. Secrets that could get him killed in The Outfit. Secrets the FBI knows.
Review -
Gangland is a terrific throwback crime novel that reminds me of early Don Winslow or dare I say; John D. Macdonald. It is gruff. it is Noir. It is a novel, had it been written a decade or two ago, would have been owning the bestseller lists. Gangland is not formula driven. It is character driven and Chuck Hogan has created brilliant and vibrant characters that leap off the page. Nicky and Salito, mixed in with real life characters that lived, breathed and died during these times.
I became familiar with Chuck Hogan during his partnership with Guillermo Del Toro and their trilogy of vampire novels beginning with the Strain. After reading and loving Gangland, I see that Hogan is a terrific writer in his own right and what I need to do, is step back and read some of his earlier work.
But for now, I will say, Gangland is a great read!
August 5, 2022
If “Miller’s Crossing” had been set in Chicago in the 1970’s, and covered actual mob-war events instead of fictional ones, and if Gabriel Byrne’s connected, capable, understated Tom Regan character had been a bowling alley owner named Nicky “Pins” Passero, then “Miller’s Crossing would be “Gangland.”
Chuck Hogan creates great, realistic characters—think, Doug McRae in The Town—with fidelity. He recreates actual events involving actual people—think 13 Hours, about the heroes of Benghazi—with tension and realism and honest perspective. Here, in Gangland, he somehow does both at the same time. It’s an impressive feat. Gangland tells the story of the last era of The Outfit, the Chicago mob started by Capone and Nitti and carried on by their heirs Giancarlo and Accardo. Picking up in the mid-70’s, at the height of Accardo’s reign, the book remains faithful to events we know happened, but deftly blends in original characters like Passero to tell a compelling story of how these events may have come to pass. Like a lot of Hogan’s previous work, Gangland seems destined for the screen. I can’t wait. (Maybe Casey Affleck as Passero?!?)
Chuck Hogan creates great, realistic characters—think, Doug McRae in The Town—with fidelity. He recreates actual events involving actual people—think 13 Hours, about the heroes of Benghazi—with tension and realism and honest perspective. Here, in Gangland, he somehow does both at the same time. It’s an impressive feat. Gangland tells the story of the last era of The Outfit, the Chicago mob started by Capone and Nitti and carried on by their heirs Giancarlo and Accardo. Picking up in the mid-70’s, at the height of Accardo’s reign, the book remains faithful to events we know happened, but deftly blends in original characters like Passero to tell a compelling story of how these events may have come to pass. Like a lot of Hogan’s previous work, Gangland seems destined for the screen. I can’t wait. (Maybe Casey Affleck as Passero?!?)
March 15, 2024
I found the beginning of this book tedious because I kept comparing it to Hogan’s book Prince of Thieves, one of my favorites, and the movie Goodfellas. Those stories had compelling main characters, and even though I liked Nicky Pins, it took a while for me to get to know him.
Gangland is loosely based on the true story of the infamous Chicago mob boss, Tony Accardo. Accardo is a character in the book, but the story is told mostly through the eyes of the fictional Nicky Passero (Nicky Pins), a middleman of sorts. He owns a bowling alley and runs a gambling book. He’s known as an earner.
When Accardo takes Nicky under his wing, Nicky’s thrilled because it’s an opportunity to show what he can do. Soon, though—after thieves break into Accardo’s home—Accardo begins asking for more than Nicky is willing to do.
Throw in Nicky’s sputtering relationships with his wife and kid, a couple mobster buddies, and an ambitious FBI agent, and you have something resembling Goodfellas minus the cool, suave style. If I have a complaint, that’s it, that the book could have been more exciting, a little more razzle-dazzle. In that way, maybe a better comparison is Donnie Brasco.
Gangland is loosely based on the true story of the infamous Chicago mob boss, Tony Accardo. Accardo is a character in the book, but the story is told mostly through the eyes of the fictional Nicky Passero (Nicky Pins), a middleman of sorts. He owns a bowling alley and runs a gambling book. He’s known as an earner.
When Accardo takes Nicky under his wing, Nicky’s thrilled because it’s an opportunity to show what he can do. Soon, though—after thieves break into Accardo’s home—Accardo begins asking for more than Nicky is willing to do.
Throw in Nicky’s sputtering relationships with his wife and kid, a couple mobster buddies, and an ambitious FBI agent, and you have something resembling Goodfellas minus the cool, suave style. If I have a complaint, that’s it, that the book could have been more exciting, a little more razzle-dazzle. In that way, maybe a better comparison is Donnie Brasco.
January 1, 2023
Did I have fun? Yes.
Did I get bored and want the book to end? No, surprisingly. In fact, I couldn’t put it down.
Was I emotionally tied to the characters? Eh, it could’ve been deeper but also that would’ve made the book longer than it needed to be so I appreciate the balance.
I’ve never been one to enjoy shows like the Godfather (and probably never will be) but Hogan didn’t lose me for a page.
P.s. This was the read I needed and wanted. People always say don’t judge a book by it’s cover but no one talks about not judging a book based on the experience you had with the book you read immediately before that one. We are off to a much better start in 2023 than how 2022 ended with “Fairy Tale” by Stephen King.
Did I get bored and want the book to end? No, surprisingly. In fact, I couldn’t put it down.
Was I emotionally tied to the characters? Eh, it could’ve been deeper but also that would’ve made the book longer than it needed to be so I appreciate the balance.
I’ve never been one to enjoy shows like the Godfather (and probably never will be) but Hogan didn’t lose me for a page.
P.s. This was the read I needed and wanted. People always say don’t judge a book by it’s cover but no one talks about not judging a book based on the experience you had with the book you read immediately before that one. We are off to a much better start in 2023 than how 2022 ended with “Fairy Tale” by Stephen King.
April 1, 2023
I've read only one other Chuck Hogan, "Devils in Exile," about military vets pulling heists on Boston area drug dealers and it was a good read...This one like “Devils in exile,” has an Elmore Leonard-like, without the humor vibe...In this one, Hogan deals with the Chicago Outfit and the people who populate Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo orbit...We're dealing with an unsanctioned robbery and the fallout and retribution meted out, all from the eyes of an Accardo soldier Nicky Passero...You can almost hear the echoes of these stories brought to you on the news by Bill Kurtis, Walter Jacobson, John Drury, John Daly, Floyd Kalber, Carl Greyson and Marty McNeely.
Read
December 14, 2024Fun read; would have more impact if non- fiction
Author is detailed and if you didn't know it would appear like the book was based on actual events.
It keeps your attention but it's also easy to read.
Author is detailed and if you didn't know it would appear like the book was based on actual events.
It keeps your attention but it's also easy to read.
May 30, 2023
Rarely have I been so obsessed with knowing what will happen next in a book
December 2, 2024
3.5 stars
May 17, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
August 2, 2022
If you love Mob stories then Gangland by Chuck Hogan is a must read. The writer does a fantastic job of making you feel the pressure of needing to make the best decisions possible in order to survive. Make sure to buy yourself a copy of this wonderful book. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy.
June 20, 2023
If you are a fan of the book, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Gangland is definitely a read for you. It is well written and researched.
August 18, 2022
Hogan does a great job capturing 70s gangland Chicago. Lots of familiar beats from every other mob story out there, but all really well done.
September 9, 2024
Good mafia novel. Apparently a true story.
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