Gangster Nation: A Novel

(Paperback)

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"Sal Cupertine is back-and better than ever. I love this guy." -Lee Child "Gangster Nation is a razor. It will slice you open and reveal your insides. And like the best of Tod Goldberg's work, it'll show you everything you are at your core." -Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author of The President's Shadow It's been two years since the events of Gangsterland, when legendary Chicago hitman Sal Cupertine disappeared into the guise of Vegas Rabbi David Cohen. It's September of 2001 and for David, everything is coming up gold- Temple membership is on the rise, the new private school is raking it in, and the mortuary and cemetery-where Cohen has been laundering bodies for the mob-is minting cash. But Sal wants out. He's got money stashed in safe-deposit boxes all over the city. He's looking at places to escape to, Mexico or maybe Argentina. He only needs to make it through the High Holidays, and he'll have enough money to slip away, grab his wife and kid, and start fresh. Across the country, former FBI agent Matthew Drew is now running security for an Indian Casino outside of Milwaukee, spending his off-time stalking members of The Family, looking for vengeance for the murder of his former partner. So when Sal's cousin stumbles into the casino one night, Matthew takes the law into his own hands-again-touching off a series of events that will have Rabbi Cohen running for his life, trapped in Las Vegas, with the law, society, and the post-9/11 world closing in around him. Gangster Nation is a thrilling follow-up to Gangsterland, an unexpected, page-turning examination of the seedy foundations of American life. With the wit and gritty glamor that defines his writing, Goldberg traces how the things we most value in our lives-home, health, even our spiritual lives-have been built on the enterprises of criminals.

Reviews

Praise for Gangster Nation

LitHub, 1 of 6 Crime MustReads This September
A Desert Sun Holiday Gift Guide Pick

"Sal Cupertine is backand better than ever. I love this guy." Lee Child

"Gangster Nationis a razor. It will slice you open and reveal your insides. And like the best of Tod Goldberg's work, it'll show you everything you are at your core." Brad Meltzer,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe President's Shadow

"One cant help but think of such greats as Mario Puzo, Jimmy Breslin, Elmore Leonard, and Donald E. Westlake while reading this witty, brutal, vital book. Goldberg is a master, expertly building upon the grim goingson of Gangsterland, merrily pursuing plot points set up there to their logical, wicked ends. And, as if the impressive buildup of tension werent sufficient, he ends the current installment on a cliff hanger of truly epic proportions, setting up what appears to be the forthcoming and final installment of the Gangster trilogy. This reviewer is already getting itchy, waiting for that welcome denouement." Mystery Scene Magazine

"Fans of Elmore Leonard will quickly devour Tod Goldbergs latest novel, Gangster Nation . . . This worthy followup sees Goldberg finetune his signature mix of dark humor, violent crime, Talmudic wisdom and suburban satire."" Orange Coast Magazine

"Written with humor and the same type of dark, upcloseandpersonal style of dialogue that Don Winslow is known for, Goldberg also mixes in some eyebrowraising historical facts about how criminals (of all types, but especially gangsters) have shaped and changed America throughout the countrys history. A touch better than its predecessor (Gangsterland), Goldbergs latest novel is a bold and daring adventure that hits hard early on and never lets up. The story twists and turns its way to a surprising ending, setting things up nicely for the planned third and final book in the Sal Cupertine trilogy, The Death of a Gangster." The Real Book Spy

"While Gangster Nation contains a great deal of humor, at least when talking about the members of the synagogue, the novel takes a more serious turn after the events of 9/11 . . . The novels cliffhanger ending . . . will leave readers eager to discover what happens next." The Reporter Group

"Not only religion but family (what is the mafia if not a family) and community are dissected in Goldbergs sharp satires, which also happen to be excellent crime novels." LitHub, 1 of 6 Crime MustReads This September

"Goldbergs new novel is every bit as entertaining and at least as quirky as its predecessornot an outandout comedy but certainly lighter than most books featuring organized crime figures and crazed law enforcers (although there are moments of memorable darkness). The book can be read as an installment in a series or as a standalone; Goldberg provides enough background to allow newbies to pick up the important plot threads." Booklist

"The sequel conducts extended discussions on how America is defined by crime, boldly linking gangland violence to the 9/11 attacks . . . Sal/David's mixing of Talmudic citations with Bruce Springsteen lyrics is still very funny. The sacred gets the stuffing kicked out of it by the profane in this wild and sometimesshocking novel." Kirkus Reviews

"Tod Goldbergs brilliant Gangster Nation is hilarious, complex, and a total pageturner. Its also a little insane, in the best possible way." Lisa Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of The Passenger

Gangsterland was compelling in every way, and in Gangster Nation, its sequel, Tod Goldberg has written an enthralling portrait of consequencesemotional, physical, moral, you name it. Amid all the expertly choreographed violence and intrigue is a moving, thoughtprovoking story about the fluid nature of identity, spirituality, and love. I enjoyed every page." Vu Tran, author of Dragonfish

"Gangster Nation punches even harder than the excellent Gangsterland did: against the backdrop of 9/11, everybodys roughed up and bleeding, and nobodys hiding it well. Tod Goldbergs weird world is getting The Sopranosgood, and The Sopranosfunny: he can hit you high, low, or straight in the gut. Meshugener wiseguys. Itll make you a better killerand a better rabbi. Bill Beverly, author of Dodgers

Author Bio

Tod Goldberg is the author of more than a dozen books, including Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize; The House of Secrets, which he coauthored with Brad Meltzer; and the crime-tinged novels Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Fake Liar Cheat, plus five novels in the popular Burn Notice series. He is also the author of the story collection Simplify, a 2006 finalist for the SCIBA Award for Fiction and winner of the Other Voices Short Story Collection Prize, and Other Resort Cities. His essays, journalism, and criticism have appeared in many publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Review of Books, Las Vegas Weekly, and Best American Essays, among many others, and have won five Nevada Press Association Awards. He lives in Indio, California, where he directs the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at the University of California, Riverside.