The Godfather's Revenge

The Godfather #5

by Mark Winegardner

It is 1963 in New York, and things have never been better for the Corleones. They've taken out their Mafia rivals, and legitimised the Family. Outside the fortified building owned by Michael Corleone, newly undisputed Boss of Bosses, a parade of people - among them former mob rivals and an emissary from the Mayor of New York - wait to ask the great man for favours. Only one thing remains to be done. Traitorous former Corleone capo Nick Geraci has powerful friends and far too much to say, and needs to be brought in. But then everything changes. As fireworks explode over First Avenue, news arrives that Jimmy Shea, President of the United States and an old friend of the Corleone's, has been assassinated...

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Classics, Drama, Historical Fiction

580 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2006

About the author

Mark Winegardner (born November 24, 1961) is an American writer born and raised in Bryan, Ohio. His novels include The Godfather Returns, Crooked River Burning, and The Veracruz Blues. He published a collection of short stories, That's True of Everybody, in 2002. His newest novel, The Godfather's Revenge, was published in November 2006 by Putnam. His Godfather novels continue the story of the Corleone family depicted in Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

According to a press release from Putnam: In a major acquisition, G. P. Putnam's Sons Executive Editor Dan Conaway secured North American rights to The Godfather's Revenge, the capstone to the Corleone family saga, which began with Mario Puzo's landmark novel and was carried forward in Winegardner's 2004 New York Times bestseller, The Godfather Returns. The Godfather's Revenge was written by Winegardner, based on Puzo's original characters.

"It's staggering to contemplate the legacy of the Godfather films and novels," says Dan Conaway. "They have had a deeper, broader and more lasting impact on the fabric of contemporary culture than has any other such franchise in the past 50 years.

It's fitting, then, that The Godfather's Revenge overlays the resonant mythology of the Corleone family onto the most vexing real-life mystery of our age, with a storyline that explores the role organized crime may have had in the assassination of a charismatic young President." [1]

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sequel-A-Thon: Read a sequel you've been putting off the longest.

Reading The Godfather's Revenge for Sequel-A-Thon is a bit of a cheat since its not technically a sequel. The Godfather was written by Mario Puzo and published in 1969. Its a classic novel and it spawned two of the greatest movies ever made The Godfather and The Godfather Part II( I'm pretending Part III doesn't exist). This novel The Godfather's Revenge and the novel that preceded it The Godfather Returns were both written by Mark Winegardner based on notes the late great Mario Puzo left behind.

Anyone trying to recreate the world of the Corleone family was going to have a high mountain to climb but I went in with reasonable expectations but was sorely disappointed. First of all the title was wrong because I was expecting a gritty blood thirsty Michael Corleone out for bloody revenge against anyone who would come for his throne.

What I got was a bunch of random hoods plotting shit, faux Kennedy brothers thrown in for no reason, while Michael Corleone sat around drinking water. None of Michael Corleone's so called foes were a threat at all. I was more concerned about Michael's diabetes and insomnia. Also why did the author decide to turn Tom Hagen into an unlikable asshole? What was the purpose of that. I also do not understand why the author decided to pattern Michael Corleone after Sam Giancana? Michael Corleone was already iconic and he didn't need to have his entire personality rewritten.

As I write this review I'm thinking I should lower the rating to 1 star because I'm getting more annoyed the more I think about it but I'll keep it at 2 stars because the actual writing wasn't awful and I did read it rather fast.

Mark Winegardner is no Mario Puzo!

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I am really appreciative of, what I truly like here is , how a minor character from the first Godfather movie was taken ( one of the guys who beat up a creep who hurt the baker's daughter, the one who was telling his woes to the Don at the very start of the movie) and turned that character into this arch rival of Michael, just brilliant.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of this book is somewhat misleading. Sure Michael Corleone has a revenge of sorts but mainly, THE GODFATHER'S REVENGE focuses on the political side of mafia life and traitor to the Corleone regime in Nick Geraci.

Reading the back of the book is more spoiler than synopsis - the events detailed don't happen until the final third of the book and by then, the reader is well aware they are coming and what the likely outcome is.

I will say, that Tom Hagan, a crucial member and close friend of Don Corleone is well written. His part, along with Geraci's scenes make this book worth a read alone - unfortunately there isn't much more going for this book apart from that.

This review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Eray · Rating 3 out of 5]

baba dönüyor'a göre başarılı olduğu kesin fakat puzo'nun dilinin yanına yaklaşamadığını belirtmek gerekiyor. winegardner, amerika soslu bir italyan hikayesi yazmak yerine italyan soslu bir amerika hikayesi yazmış diyebiliriz. puzo'nun en önemli artıları; hem italyan olması, hem de romanı ve filmleri fazla amerikanlaştırmamasından kaynaklıydı. gereksiz markaların belirtilmesi de ucuz roman hissiyatı uyandırmıyor değil.

yazar birçok boşluğu doldurmaya gayret etmiş ve bunlarda başarılı da olmuş. corleone suç örgütünün kurucusu vito'nun prensipleri ve kurallarını özenle aktarmış. fredo detaylarınıysa oldukça iyi işlenmiş. kennedy kardeşleri de gerçek tarihe uygun bir şekilde hikayeye yerleştirerek bir fark yarattığını da söylemeden geçemeyiz.

michael corleone'nin soğukluğunu sürekli okuyucuya belirtmesine rağmen yer yer puzo'nun michael'ından uzaklaştığını da belirtmek gerekiyor. tom hagen'ın ölümünü fazla abartılı bir hale getirilmiş. komisyonun ağırlığını ise okuyucuya gerektiği gibi hissettiremediği aşikar. bazen nick geraci konusunda ipin ucunu o kadar kaçırmış ki hikaye corleone hikayesinden, geraci hikayesine dönebilecek raddeye gelmiş.

mark winegardner, the godfather hayranı birçok yazarın kurduğu hayali gerçekleştirme konusundaki imkanları orta seviye bir romanla heba etmiş. yine de tüm olumsuzluklara rağmen emeği için bir teşekkürü hak ediyor...

[Ramon van Dam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a difficult one to rate, to be honest. For most of this last Godfather novel by Winegardner the quality is just as high as The Godfather Returns, which I enjoyed way more than I expected. The last act deviates a little by letting some major characters make choices that are more dumb than we've known them to be. A classic case of letting the story dictate the action instead of your established characters.

Once again I really enjoyed it overall, though. It all feels so familiar and except the ending the arcs are quite smart. To many people it might be sacrilege to say that Winegardner has picked it up where Puzo left it in a satisfying way, but that's really how I feel. Yes, it's pulpy, but in the genre it's what I want.

I'd rate the first two acts as at least four stars and the ending as three stars. Recommended for anybody that's already invested in the mafia novels of Mario Puzio and The Godfather Returns.

[Henry Wijaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the continuation of the original The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Overall, this ook is interesting. Yet, I still find that the original The Godfather is more thrilling and interesting. The pace of this book is slower than The Godfather that sometimes I get bored reading it. Reading The Godfather, I couldn't put the book away from me. I remember I read that book when i was in the middle of a debate competition. Yet, I brought that book with me everywhere I went. It is interesting though to see the continuation of the Corleone's family. I find myself guessing how Michael will solve the problem. Will it be as surprising as what he did at the end of the Godfather?
So, read this book if you want to know what happen with the Corleones. However, if you expect what you get in Puzo's work, I think you will be a lil bit disappointed. Oh, one more thing, this book is still violent, vulgar, and sophisticated. If you are against those things, don;t bother to check this book. I kinda like it though.

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you have seen Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather movie you know that he and Mario Puzo carefully cut away all the bad stuff to leave the best of the story

You haven’t?? Well go watch it - I’ll wait.

This book is the inverse; it takes boring characters and makes them the focus

Set when Michael is in his 40s it is a slog through tedious meetings, thinly veiled history and absurd interlinked story lines

I think Connie has more dialogue than Michael and delves into machinations that could be skipped

Really run away

[szmeagol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whole book is just a prologue to the last chapter of 10 Pages. Too long, too many events of marginal importance.

[Karen Jackson]

Great

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing that fully prepares us for the climax of The Godfather’s Revenge is the title. I hope that isn’t a spoiler for you because I’m trying to write this without giving away the entire store anymore than Mark Winegardner did in the title itself. Indeed, one can sum up this novel (definitely a prequel to Godfather III) by saying that “These aren’t the Corleones you are looking for.” Tom Hagen plays a meaty role and Michael’s right-hand capo, Al Neri, serves as a key element in the plot. As for Michael, his diabetes is more involved in the story than Michael personally. There is none of the planning and detail for which we admire “Mikey” from his first appearance in the initial novel.

Considering the initial novel, it is fair to note that Winegardner attempts to obscure some of the original assumptions as he weaves just enough reality into the fiction to obscure the familiar. For example, the epilogue tells us that the memoirs of one of the major characters have been novelized by one Sergio Lupo, author of two failed efforts entitled An Immigrant’s Tale and Trimalchio Rex respectively. If the author sounds vaguely familiar, it’s likely that the fictional novel, Fausto’s Bargain, represents an early version of The Godfather since Trimalchio Rex could easily be a cipher for the Romanesque protagonist of The Dark Arena and An Immigrant’s Tale is a pretty good description of The Fortunate Pilgrim. Since Frank Sinatra was angry at Puzo for drafting Johnny Fontane using composite elements of his life (ie. the actual threat to Dorsey with regard to brains or signature on the contract to release him), Winegardner lists Sinatra as a competitor to Fontane. Right! And how disguised are the Ivy League Irish brothers (sons of a patriarch who trafficked with the mafia) who become President of the U.S. and Attorney General of the U.S. with the help of Corleone and the Commission in stealing ballots in Illinois (I’m sure the Chicago River has eaten away at that 1960 ballot box by now.)? And could Carlo Tramonti be anything like Santos Trafficante, Jr. and Carlo Marcello (both allegedly involved in the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro in cooperation with the CIA)?

Former caporegime Nick Geraci is back “from the dead” and provides a clear threat to both Michael Corleone’s existence and position as head of the family (and allegedly chief among equals in “this thing of ours”). There are elements of mystery (fairly thin, though) with regard to his ability to evade Michael’s manhunt and with regard to just who his allies really are. Without giving too much away, you can expect double-crosses on multiple sides of this story. Several characters may think that they are keeping their friends close and their enemies closer, but some discover that they may have confused the two. Of course, that’s to be expected in a good mafia story—trust and betrayal is the name of the game, just like Diplomacy.

But just because I can’t write about this novel without talking about trust and betrayal, doesn’t mean that it isn’t full of standard fare like bloody hits and torturous interrogations. In fact, you may be surprised at the familiar figure who sleeps with the alligators instead of the “fishes” in this story. In addition, you may be surprised at those who are spared the worst part of a mob interrogation. It is a far cry from the “turkey doctors” to be seen in Don Pendleton’s Mack Bolan stories.

The truth is that I liked this novel better than The Godfather Returns by the same author. The Godfather’s Revenge has a lot of the right elements that I would expect in such a novel. Yet, without those familiar dialogues where Michael and, first his father and later, Tom Hagen discuss threats and options, the pace seemed extremely slow at times. I’m glad I read this novel because I have always been fascinated by the characters, but it isn’t the briskly-paced escape reading I would have preferred.

[Kaye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Naturally I read this to complete the series but it disappointed me greatly

[Billie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these characters; I always have, so regardless of who writes the story, I'll be into it, learning more about the Corleone family. This book, the second about the family written by this author was good, but, by far, not great.

First the book was very, very much longer than it needed to be to get the entire story across. I enjoyed learning more about Tom Hagan, especially how he became part of the family when he was a kid. I didn't like this author's Michael nearly as much as the Michael in Puzo's novel or in the movie. He does get his revenge, however.

Also, because I've studied a lot about John F. Kennedy and his presidency and eventual assassination, I knew it was coming in this story, even though all the names had been changed. It almost made me feel like the author didn't trust my intelligence to know that his thinly veiled story *actually* was, in parts, true.

I'm glad I read this book, but I would probably debate reading any other of his works.

[Charles Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literary novelist Mark Winegardner, sort of a dark-horse surprise (his forte was doing novels of local color strongly referencing Cleveland and Florida) was selected with continuing the mighty Corleone family Mafia saga begun by the late Mario Puzo. His initial "The Godfather Returns," did crack the best-seller lists, and did well to follow Puzo's voice about second-generation Sicilian-immigrant mob lord Michael Corleone and his dynasty built on the REAL American dreams - of power, corruption, fear, love and "respect." Of course, some of Winegardner's plotlines, amusingly, were sort of "fix-ups," accounting for discrepencies between Puzo's original narrative and Francis Ford Coppola's inconsistent blockbuster movies (like the now-you-see-him-now-you-don't act pulled by key character Tom Hagen).

"The Godfather's Revenge " continues the saga. When last seen, Michael made a powerful enemy in his betrayed former underboss from Cleveland (Winegardner's home town, coming in for fewer gratuitous plugs here than last time), Fausto `Nick' Geraci, last scene languishing in a hideout in the Lake Erie Islands. Revenge takes place in the early 1960s, during a Winegardner invention, the Shea administration. Charismatic President James Kavanaugh Shea and his Attorney-General little brother Danny are two skirt-chasing Irishmen whose father was a mobbed-up bootlegger and who owe their rigged election to the Corleones. Yes, they're pseudo-Kennedys, and both Sheas have slept with Michael Corleone's present mistress, a movie actress.

Doesn't sound promising, but Winegardner narrowly avoids relying too heavily on yesterday's newspapers for a narrative template, as Geraci escapes his Lake Erie hideout and begins mustering his own forces in the underworld for a vendetta against the Fredo-haunted Michael and his advisor Tom Hagen, and the body count includes major players.

Sometimes the author does have a bit too much fun with the disguised parallels, dropping in one-shot mythologisms of Sammy Davis Jr. and Vaughn Meader, and - in a move that threatens to take this into the sci-fi alt-universe genre of "The Man in the High Castle" - even Mario Puzo logs a pseudonymous cameo. Still, The Godfather's Revenge should satisfy regulars, even if you need an extensive companion-guide (helpfully provided by the publisher in the frontispiece) to sort out a cast conjured tandemly by Puzo and Winegardner (and, to a degree, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola).

These characters stride across an epic, tangibly pessimistic crimescape of a United States, depicted as a place where machinations of big business, politics, racketeering, `family' and vengeance have intersected ever since the first Indian got whacked by the first predatory European. Winegardner wraps up this installment with aplomb, in a way that can bring the mob opera to a satisfactory conclusion - or open it up to further additions. And indeed, the publishing industry continues to crank out Corleone sequels (without Winegardner's participation), whose acquaintance I have not yet made.

[Faizah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐️

Thank you to my friend Christy for buddy reading with me ❤️


Puzo, the original author of the series and the screenplays for the films had no involvement in this - which explains so much about the disappointing way the book carries itself.

I'll start by saying that the storyline is not bad in the slightest; however, judging it as part of The Godfather series, it doesn't meet the expectations that most fans would have. The first thing I didn't like about it was how it's pretty much a rip-off of Charles Brandt's "I Heard You Paint Houses" (The Irishman) in terms of storyline. It follows a very Kennedy vs The Mafia type of story, but it fails to create its own uniqueness and individuality. If you want to write about the Kennedys and their struggles with the mob, write a separate work of historical fiction, rather than forcing it onto an already existing Universe.
Furthermore, the author constantly breaks the fourth wall, a trait that Puzo didn't carry. Nino Rota and Marlon Brando are mentioned as characters in the book, which is insane! Brando is one of the leading actors of The Godfather franchise, playing Vito Corleone, and Rota is on the soundtrack for the films.

There are mentions of Sonny, Fredo, and other characters from the franchise, but nothing memorable enough for me to say that this was enjoyable. However, as a fan of TGF, I would recommend reading it as "fanfiction" and not be taken too seriously (like the Star Wars sequels 😉)

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked "The Godfather Returns," Mark Winegardner's first dive into the Corleone saga, then you'll also enjoy its follow-up: "The Godfather's Revenge," because it is exactly the same meal you were served the first time around (and shockingly similar to what Puzo served with the original novel). This isn't a complaint: Winegardner seems to be a student of the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" school of thought, and personally, I'm glad for it.

The plot is the similar setup of the other novels: Enemies of the Corleone family plot (and execute) bad things against the family and lay them low, and the Corleones strike back (the hint is in the title). But "The Godfather's Revenge" shines where the other novels shine as well: The details about the characters, who are both wonderfully complex and simple at the same time. And it never loses sight of what the original novel and movies captured so well: The Corleones are a family first, and gangsters second.

Like "The Godfather Returns," the argument could be made that this novel is fan fiction that stands on the backs of a pre-existing world. But even if that's so, it's the best possible fan fiction you're going to get with these characters, and there's enough new stuff in here to make it (mostly) stand on its own.

TL:DR: If you're this far into the Godfather series, you already know more or less what you're signing up for with this book, and Mark Winegardner serves exactly that.

[Mimi De · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I rewatched the Godfather films tail end of 2021 and thought I’d give the books a go.
I enjoyed family corleone for obvious reasons; it gave some back story to the main characters of the first film. However, there were so many characters, it made it a bit hard to follow initially.
The next book, the godfather, was plainly written but enjoyable as you knew the story & you reacquainted yourself with all the characters.
The Sicilian was a totally separate story that you could skip in this series perfectly well; however it was probably my favourite in this book series.
The godfather returns was crap; I only read it as I had already invested in the series.
This godfather’s revenge was better; I actually worried that Michael Corleone would be outplayed, but then I also liked nick gerachi’s character as it progressed, so I wasn’t sure which way I wanted it to go. It’s totally different from the godfather 3 film, fortunately!! It was also good to get some clarification over Tom Hagen’s story. He was always interesting to mi.
I would read them all again, even though as a series, I’d only rate it a 3. It’s a classic story so if you start it, you have to finish it and it’s good to read the books of cinematic icons.

[Drew Sheehy · Rating 4 out of 5]

as with 'Returns' Winegarder had an up hill challenge in front of him. Handling a much beloved IP like the Godfather and beloved characters like the Coreleone's is no easy task. At this I would say he succeeded yet again. Winegarder made this book his own, following the story he left off at at the end of 'Returns' with grace while making the world feel rich and filled out following in Puzo's footsteps.

I especially like that the main antagonist not only was sympathetic in his own right but had plenty of POV chapters so we can see the world from his eyes. The writing was so good that you get right up to then end not sure how the plot was going to resolve. I could see multiple different angles this story could have resolved, yet was very satisfied with then ending when it finally resolved.

Ultimately Winegarder is not Puzo, Return and Revenge do not hold a light to what the Godfather was when it was written or what it came to be in the following years. However the stories are still fun, the stakes are still high and they add to the tapestry that is the cultural phenomenon that is the Godfather mythos

[Tyler James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into The Godfathers Revenge right after reading through The Godfathers Return. I think this may be why I felt a certain, fatigue, with it. It felt like there was a lot of filler and it's debatable whether some of this was useful to the overall story. I think it just felt more dragged out than the first book did. Still, I really enjoyed this one. Mark has a fantastic writing style that fits perfect for these kind of books. He did well with the honor of fleshing out the Godfather universe and I am very happy that I took the time to read through these.

As far as the characters are concerned, Nick Geraci was definitely my favorite. This was to the point, that was, naively, rooting for a good outcome of his story although it ended the way I figured it would (always betrayal's from the ones you think you can trust). In the end, I liked Marks commitment to Nick and including his story arc as main point of focus for the two books.

One more thing, it would be AWESOME if Mark wrote out Fausto's Bargain. I would totally read that.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember buying this book cause I assumed it was connected to the godfather by Mario puzo..technically it is..just not sure which number in the series, though I'm also unsure if it's just slapped his name on it but written by another author.

I know I've read The Godfather book once before and it's somewhere still in my collection of books. But it's been a while, so my memory is a little hazy..

Woah. There's a lot of characters for 500 pages. Characters who have detailed back stories and detailed futures (that'll be fleshed out later), characters with multiple names and characters in multiple locations. It's a lot to remember.

Some characters were easy to follow, some not to much.

Mark Winegardner had gotten approval from the Puzo estate to write the godfathers revenge. In all honesty, it's nothing to crack up to talk about. Pretty forgettable but helps pass time.

[Eddie Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up from a charity shop because it had "The Godfather" in the title.

Even though this wasn't written by the original Godfather author, I was interested to see what a new writer would do with the story.

The new author came up with a story that didn't go anywhere, and just re-hashed lots of history from 1963.

It would have been more interesting to read a non-fiction book about the Kennedy's in the early 1960's, because that's all this is about.

Maybe this is why, even under license, you shouldn't copy another author's work. Every author has a very distinctive style - if they are any good - and it's impossible to re-create that style.

[Molebatsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Winegardner's The Godfather's Revenge brings closure to Mario Puzo's Godfather series. Mark goes into Puzo's head and continue where she left where he left the Godfather saga.
The way the book reads it may just have been written by Puzo himself. Winrgardner writes the book like Puzo could have written.
Michael, the new head of the Corleone Family seek revenge against Nick Geraci, one who was part of the family. Nick was a capo, a serious operative in the family.It takes time but it is realised in the end and his hegemony is confirmed.

[Stoyan Stoyanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this just to make sure I've read the whole trilogy. Far from being as good as the first one, a bit worse than the second one in my opinion, but still an enjoyable read. It's a bit slow to be honest, nothing too original or unexpected but I'd recommend it to people who, like me, like to read everything from a single universe/set/trilogy/etc. (if that's possible without dedicating years of course)

[Jose Borrero · Rating 1 out of 5]

🤦🏽‍♂️

It took me well over a month to read this book. The author somehow found a way to make you dislike the characters rather than like them as Mario Puzzo did. I’m not really sure if that was his intention since it’s almost like he does it on purpose. Better than the first which was not even worth one star but still not good and does a total disservice to the original masterpiece by M. Puzzo

[Tara Crisan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars because I had no expectations

I was terribly disappointed in The Godfather is a return because it was not true there but. I read this one because I was not able to say goodbye to the Corleone family just that. If you're not a Godfather fanatic and you just want a good read, I can in good conscious recommend this one. If you are, I caution both against this one and the Godfather's return.

[Rajath Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed reading this. Winegardener successfully trims the frills that bloated his previous work. Significant time and paper is invested in important characters such as Tom Hagen and Nick Geraci - a polarizing, brave choice, one that I strongly support A more imaginative finale may have given this book the ending it deserved.

[Warbotter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is great, and would have served itself better within a new property, because we know the outcomes because of the movies, being chained to them you can tell harbored the tale by a otherwise amazing writer. Fixes many of Puzos nagging issues and gets the characters right but this tale deserves better then this series [at least on the print side of things]

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly this whole book should have been about Francesca and Kathy Corleone because everything else felt too OOC (the only other exceptional scene being Tom Hagen killing the head of another family in a gondola)

[Konung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malonu sugrįžt į Korleonių reikalus, bet autoriui nepavyko prilygt originalui. Pradžia per daug ištempta. Vienu momentu jau pagauni Puzo vertą veiksmą/azartą ir vėl nuslobsta viskas. Finalas irgi kiek per paprastas. Skaityt smagu, bet abejoju ar kada kartosiu.

[RONNIE VANCE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fills in the blanks...

Masterful writing an plot...Along with the Godfather's Return fills in the blanks between GF 2 and 3....Nick Gerraci is a formable apponent for Michael....ALMOST....

[Michael W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time

Really boring book. Couldn’t keep my interest. Extremely slow and confusing. Very hard to finish. Cannot recommend. Should not have allowed Puzo’ name associated with this book