Review by redheadmargo -- Executive Hoodlum

[redheadmargo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Executive Hoodlum" by John Costello.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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This is a review for the book Executive Hoodlum: Negotiating On The Corner Of Main And Mean written by John Costello with Larry Elder. After reading and consideration, I would rate this book at 4 out of 4 stars. It is well written and I did not notice any spelling, punctuation or grammar errors while reading. This book will appeal to people who enjoy true stories of the American Mafia and all that entails. It will also appeal to those who like a story of redemption and succeeding against difficult odds.

This story grabs you right from the beginning with its “no holds barred” approach to the details of this author’s life and experiences. His life seems so foreign and unbelievable when compared to the average upbringing. He has to suffer terrible losses in his life and deal with characters that are frightening and seem to belong in movies. The author doesn’t shy away from his own participation in various questionable activities; I found that this lent credence to his words in this book.

I really enjoyed how the author seemed to rise above his circumstances to make decisions and takes actions that ensure his later successes. He still lives in this mob life, but simultaneously lives to better himself. He writes this book so finely that as he suffers or is maligned, you can’t help but empathize with him and feel for him. As he reaches the end of the book, you can easily feel happy for him and his life and his writing seems to reflect the change in him.

The only thing that I personally found fault with was the large amount of information given regarding the various characters that he dealt with all throughout his life. I realize that some readers may enjoy this, I just found it somewhat distracting and didn’t feel as though it added to the story. At some points I found myself sort of skipping lines that described these people so that I could get back to the story he was telling. As I said, some people may enjoy knowing the minutiae of each player, it just wasn’t for me.

Overall, this book was entertaining and informative. This author takes great pains to include such detail that you are easily swept up into his life and experiences. It’s like a roller coaster ride at points because you just can’t imagine what is coming next. His narrative is compelling and also, at times, heart breaking. This book was an easy read and truly showed us a glimpse into a life that we may have only imagined.

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Executive Hoodlum
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Like redheadmargo's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Delaney35]

This seems like it offers a look into an interesting life. Great job pointing out the advantages of the book!

[Kelyn]

Sounds interesting and I absolutely love knowing the backstories of the characters. I may just give this one a read! Thanks for the review!