Toughs

by Edward Falco

Set during the Great Depression and based in part on real characters and a series of historical events, Toughs follows the story of Loretto Jones as he finds his life intertwined with the fate of Vince Coll, a 23-year-old Irish gangster who for a brief moment rose to the level of a national celebrity during his war with Dutch Schultz, Owen Madden, and Lucky Luciano. Tagged “Mad Dog Coll” after killing five-year-old Michael Vengelli in a botched assassination attempt, Coll was the subject of a shoot-to-kill order issued by New York City Police Commissioner Edward P. Mulrooney, a $50,000 bounty offered by Dutch Shultz and Owen Madden, and $30,000 in reward money from by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the city’s newspapers. Loretto and Vince are bound to each other by years spent in an orphanage and on the streets, but in the summer of 1931, with Loretto in love with newly-divorced Gina Baronti, and Vince in thrall to the beautiful Lottie Kriesberger, their world of tough guys in tough times is hurtling toward disaster, and Loretto finds himself faced with impossible choices.

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First published July 1, 2014

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Enough To Finish But Nothing Special About It!

I won’t take your time describing the book’s plot, as you can get this from the Amazon Book Description. Instead my review will pertain to my “bottom line” opinion of Toughs — which is that I found it to be good enough to finish but not good enough to recommend that you rush out to read it.

That’s because, while I found its story line, its characters, its attention to historical details and its action sequences to be serviceable enough to keep me reading to find out what happens next, Toughs is not a book that kept me particularly engrossed nor did I find anything about its plot or writing style to be memorable or exciting.

[Mohamad Al Sarraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its more a 3.5 than a 3

I like ed falco writing. Always did. I enjoyed the god father's prequel more than toughs. But over all it was gd book. Always liked the early 1900s.

[Bagman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clarification: I gave this book 2 1/2 stars.

This book was . . . okay. I can't think of anything especially bad to say about it. But, I can't really think of anything exceptional about it either. This is a story about bad guys, gangsters, and killers during the early 1930's. It will have a number of familiar names to anyone that knows anything about the gangster era, and Prohibition. How many of the events within the book that actually took place, I have no idea.

At times, it was hard to believe that the characters could actually be as stereotypical as the story presented them. I'm not sure if it increases your "suspension of disbelief", or detracts from it. Picture every old gangster movie that you've seen on The Turner Classic Movie Channel; remember every cliche, saying, or slang word that was used and I'm sure you'll find it somewhere in Toughs. Top off everything with the fact that the protagonist is completely . . . forgettable, and you have a completely mediocre book. I was not sad when the last page of the last chapter came up on my Kindle.

[Alyson Hagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rip-roaring portrayal of Prohibition-era gangsters in New York. Falco knows the in and outs of loyalty, greed, power, and failed love. He writes with power and verve. This is a novel that's very hard to put down.