Short Synopsis
This biography of celebrity gangster Mickey Cohen digs past the sensational headlines to deliver a remarkable story of a man who captivated, corrupted, and terrorized Los Angeles for a generation.

Full Synopsis
Mickey Cohen: The Life and Times of L.A.'s Notorious Mobster is a seductive, premium-octane blend of true crime and Hollywood lore that spins around a wildly eccentric mob boss. When Bugsy Siegel was executed, ruthless Mickey Cohen, a former pro boxer and cunning provocateur, took over criminal activity in L.A., a move sanctioned by Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello. Attaining immense power and dominance, from the late 1940s until 1976 the semi-literate Angeleno became an above-the-fold newspaper name, accumulating a remarkable count of more than 1,000 front pages in Los Angeles papers alone, and hundreds of articles in national and international periodicals.

Cohen's story and the history of mid-century L.A. are inextricably intertwined, and author Tere Tereba delivers tales full of high life, high drama, and highly placed politicians, among them RFK and Richard Nixon, as well as revelations about countless icons, including Shirley Temple, Lana Turner, Frank Sinatra, and the Reverend Billy Graham. Meticulously researched, this rich tapestry presents a panoramic look at the Los Angeles underworld and immerses the listener in a dark, decadent, and dangerous side of Hollywood that has not been fully revealed until now.

"Kate Reading delivers the story with the unwavering ear of a television reporter. Reading is so good that listeners won't notice that a woman is playing the roles of hardened gangsters who would as easily kill a man as talk to him." ---AudioFile

"Tereba brings the bantamweight crook back to vivid life in this biography. . . . This is a remarkable biography, in that Tereba takes a long-gone, mostly forgotten criminal and through her lively re-creation of the '20s and '30s, the decades in which Cohen was formed, and the later years when he ruled, makes you care." ---Booklist

"For [fans] who revel in old movies, stories about gangsters in double-breasted suits, and midcentury Los Angeles. Recommended." ---Library Journal

"This is a slashing good book---a razor-sharp bio of malevolent macher Mickey the C: the confounding Kingpin of L.A. crime. Buy this book now---it'll hang you out to dry!!" ---James Ellroy author of The Black Dahlia

"This fascinating audiobook provides an excellent overview of racketeering and how it shaped L.A. during the middle of the 20th century. Narrator Kate Reading does an excellent job of presenting the story. VERDICT: This work is recommended to anyone interested in true crime." ---Library Journal Audio Review