Product Description

This novel tells the story of the last great Mafia family, and its head, Don Domenico, describing his attempt to leave the world of crime and consolidate the family's power in Las Vegas and Hollywood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140060 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 482 pages

Customer Reviews

A master storyteller at his very best
'The Last Don' tells the story of the Clericuzo family - the last great Mafia family. The Don wants his family to escape the life of crime and move into legitimate business. It might not sound like the most thrilling story outline you've ever heard and indeed, you may think you've heard it all before; you'd be wrong.

Puzo has the knack for making the reader care about immoral characters and there is no better writer than Puzo when it comes to creating a seedy underworld environment. Anyone who has read 'The Godfather' will be aware of Puzo's uncanny knack of changing the pace of a novel to keep the reader on their toes. Puzo has honed that skill to perfection in this novel, almost to the point where the reader thinks he is trying to catch them out. There are several surprises in store for the reader in 'The Last Don', none of which I will spoil for you here.

It's a story of lust, love, loyalty, betrayal and above all, power. Commonly for Puzo, the characters have a price and little integrity, often however, this just makes them more interesting. At no point during his distinguished career did Puzo ever create a cast of characters as thrilling as in 'The Last Don' - and yes, that includes 'The Godfather'.

'The Last Don' is the best novel I have ever read. That is not hyperbole - it is too good for words. You absolutely must read this book.

the godfathers more talented sibling.
as with most fans of puzo under the age of 30, i was first exposed to his work by the godfather movies, of which i am a fanatic devotee; so after i had read the novel i searched for other titles by the same author. to date the only one i've read is 'the last don'. now what i'm about to say may be controvertial (who am i kidding); 'the last don' is a better novel than 'the godfather'.
yes i know that 'the godfather' has this cult status, 'but the last don' is just.....well, better. for a start, it doesn't have a ridiculous deviation in the middle of the story about a woman having her nether regions 'altered', those of you that have read 'the godfather' will know what i mean. the superiority of 'the last don' doesn't end there, the characters are better written and, as a result, you become genuinely attatched to them. so when one of your favorite mobsters is 'clipped', you actually miss them and mourn along side the relatives.
in closing, if you enjoy 'goodfellas', 'donnie brasco' or even 'analyze this' you have to read this book, don't choose 'the godfather', just move your hand a little to the right and choose the more talented sibling; 'the last don'.

Essential reading for fans of Puzo's earlier Mafia epics
The author wisely sticks to the tried and trusted literary style of The Godfather and The Sicilian albeit in a more modern setting and consequently the gambling underworld is more prominent than ever. Puzo cleverly pulls off a number of unexpected twists characteristic of his earlier novels, and the reader gets plenty of pages of gripping suspense for their money. A treat.