Las Vegas Books

This book is a very thoroughly researched summary of this heartbreaking case where because of some twisted agenda on the part of law enforcement, this courageous young woman is forced to spend her life in prison instead of making a life for herself. If one approaches this book with a completely open mind, one will realize three things: (1) Blaise didn't do it,(2) it was absolutely physically impossible for her to have done it, and (3) the criteria for guilt in this court of law were changed (a) from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent plus (b) from guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to guilt being possible.

This book is a great read and well worth the time taken to read it.

Wrongful convictions are turning up in the headlines it seems almost daily. This is a detailed and compelling book about a current wrongful conviction. A must read for those who know the frightening truth about what really happens in law enforcement and the court system. I am sure there are many other people currently incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit, but the absence of evidence in this case makes one realize that regardless of what they see on television on programs like CSI, there are places where evidence isn't necessary to obtain a conviction. Lady Justice is definitely blind in the Las Vegas courts.

i'm so sorry, but all the lonely planet books are the best,
i bought many of them, and my last was this from las vegas,
as usual, it was easy, cool and update.

Contained everything I needed to know for a one-week jaunt in Sin City. Where to stay, where to eat, where to gamble and what shows to see. Lonely Planet never disappoints!

My husband had a convention in Las Vegas last month and the thought of spending a week there was unbearable. Before I picked up this book, I thought Vegas was all casinos and tacky shows. I was happy to learn (and experience) that there is more to vegas than the casinos! With the guidance of this book, I was able to pick out the casinos I wanted to visit (when in Rome...) and then I was able to plan things to do outside of the casinos. After a few days on 'the strip', I ventured out and went on a few of the 'excursions' - which gave me a great break and I saw some amazing things that I didn't know where right there!

This book is a great addition to the Michelin collection!! I love it! I was in vegas last week for a convention and this book helped me find things to do in my spare time.

This is the story of how a sleepy little town in Nevada became a mecca for gamblers and other sinful types. It is also the story of Bugsy Siegal, a want to be movie star and mobster. The story is told as the investigation by Nate Heller of a murder back in Chicago. Needless to say, there is a lot of history told here but never a lecture. Collins is one of the greatest in this kind of storytelling. Read the notes at the end of the book to find how much is fact, a whole lot, and what is created for the tale. If you ever heard of a town called Las Vegas, read how it got its start. Truly fascinating, you won't put it down.

Perhaps Collin's best, it has the distinction of being (like Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye) an excellent novel which also happens to be a detective novel.

The copious notes and eight pages of bibliography supporting John L. Smith's meticulously researched biographical look at Oscar Goodman, former mob attorney - presently the two-term mayor of Las Vegas, impressed me.

Talk about "insider" information! Smith has long been quoted as a preeminent authority on mob history and "wise guy" relationships. In his book, "Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas," Smith names a Who's Who of notorious clients, alleged criminal activities, and egregious political innuendoes surrounding the controversial bonds between Goodman and friends. Scared me! While it is obvious the attention-seeking mayor was generous in his interviews with the author, Smith kept me up nights as he interpreted what Goodman would have us believe with his [author's] own extensive background knowledge and investigative prowess. John L. has balls of brass to write as honestly as he does.

Don't let an easy read fool you. This book is a gem for all who follow gaming history, or the Las Vegas / mob connection - to say nothing of government ineptitude (now, that was a hoot!).

Of Rats And Men: Oscar Goodman's Life From Mob Mouthpiece To Mayor Of Las Vegas is the inherently fascinating biography of Oscar Goodman, a man who deliberately became a pre-eminent defense attorney for alleged gangsters for 35 years. Accused but never proven of being more than a mouthpiece and defense attorney for organized crime, Oscar Goodman somehow managed to successfully defend his clients without becoming part of organized crime itself -- at least according to the voters of Las Vegas who eventually elected him as their mayor twice. Of Rats And Men is very highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the history of organized crime in America or who wish to avail themselves of a unique insight into the life and philosophy of an accomplished trial lawyer who specialized in defending members of established crime families.

This book is a gem of a find. Anyone who enjoys reading "Trip Reports" about Walt Disney World (or Vegas) will find this to be a very intertaining and enjoyable read.

If you have ever been to Walt Disney World in Florida this is the souvenir you want to document your trip. If it happened to you, it probably happened to Shari and Mike, but they made it seem funny and put it to paper. Hide all those little Disney hotel soaps so the housekeeping staff would bring more? yup. Think that Splash Mountain song is telling you to show something naughty? yup. Have a great time at Disneyquest? Well, you will just have to read this book.

And then there is Las Vegas. Read about the waiter who didn't know to quit when he was ahead. Ever been on Manhattan Express? Ever wish you hadn't?

Plus tips, reviews, planning info and much more. This book is huge and well worth the price. It's fun and funny, well written and informative, easy to read and hard to put down. I have been to Disney World hundreds of times and I still learned a thing or two, and was entertained along the way. If you are going for the first time, read this book to learn what you are in for.

This book is a souvenir for everyone who has gone to Walt Disney World and was too lazy to write it all down.

Really loved it and can't wait for John Irsfeld's next book! When is it coming out???

there is only one thing to say about john irsfeld: he is an exceptional writer. composed over a number of years, these stories are subtle, diverse, fluent, and mature. irsfeld's narratives exude confidence and flare. i can only suggest one thing, and that is to supplement a reading of this text with irsfeld's three novels: coming through, little kingdoms, and rats alley. highly, highly recommended. an overlooked master of modern letters.

Whether jazzoid or square, if you're a mystery reader, don't miss this one. A heretofore undiscovered Clifford Brown tape has shown up, and collectors are salivating. Is it real, or is it a clever counterfeit? If it's a counterfeit, who the hell is blowing the trumpet that sounds exactly like Clifford Brown? The questions are enough to cause a murder and suspicions all around. A fun read.
Milt Ghivizzani

this book by bill moody reaches a new standard by having a black culture presented in jazz and a murder mystery all in one. i wish there were more mysteries from a black culture

I stayed at the "Dust" in the late 1960's and I always went back. If you ever stayed, you'll love this book. It covers all the TIMES, evn Lefty Rosenthal's time. If you look close, you'll see the current(2008) mayor Oscar Goodman at the defense table for Lefty. Mayor Goodman was Lefty's mouthpiece in the early days. Best of Times in Vegas and best wishes.
St Louis Frank www.7dice7.com

I actually bought this book in the lobby of the Stardust a week before it closed. Initially, I found it morbid that they already spoke of the Stardust in past tense about what a shame it was gone as I sat in my hotel room... in the Stardust. It was like talking about someone in past tense while they're in the room listening to your conversation, not quite as dead as conversation would lead one to believe.

That aside, the book tells a lot of history of the hotel/casino, and is filled with lots of great pictures and fond memories of guests and employees of the Stardust. The book covers a lot of behind-the-scenes aspects of the casino, the shows that ran during its existence, and the celebrities which frequented the casino.

I think the saddest part of the book was the fact that it really did point out how innovative the Stardust was in changing the face of entertainment on the Strip. Such a great hotel with a lot of personality, closed down to make way for yet another casino/hotel/condo/mall hybrid Vegas seems so intent on placing all over the Strip in lieu of everything else these days.

Since buying the book, I've been back to Vegas, and now the Stardust is indeed closed in the past tense, and torn apart in a lot of places to be readied for implosion. After reading the book and looking at the ruins, I found a bittersweet sense of admiration for a casino that seemed to be so important to so many people, and now is shortly about to be wiped away from existence forever.

An interesting and sentimental read for those who enjoy the history of 1950's Vegas and enjoyed the casino itself.

Anyone who is an avid fan of mysteries and/or boxing will thoroughly enjoy Alistair Boyle's They Fall Hard. The story keeps the reader riveted to his/her seat until he/she finds out the solution to the mystery. The main character's search for the truth and love for plants is charming, and his "customized clichés" (8) are adorable. Best suited for people approximately high-school aged and older.

They Fall Hard: A Gil Yates Private Investigator Novel is hard-boiled detective story set in Las Vegas. A mystery surrounding why a champion heavyweight king of first-round knockouts threw his fight with a rookie, and his untimely death at age thirty-eight become a reopened case in Yates' lap. His client, the champion's son, arranges a creative alternative to cash for payment, and Yates is on the case - from visiting country clubs to the incurring the ill will of the Nation of Islam, to face-to-face confrontations with short-tempered sluggers. The excitement runs hot and brawling in this thrilling mystery where keeping one's guard up is just as important as watching one's back.