The Lansky Legacy

Praise for The Lansky Legacy

“Meyer Lansky, or Hyman Roth as he was portrayed in the film The Godfather Part II, is the reality behind the great movie. The Lansky Legacy, by his grandson, is even closer to the truth.” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy (Goodfellas) and Casino

“Meyer Lansky pioneered an international gambling empire that continues to this day. His grandson captures his legacy from a perspective only he can share, and no stone is left unturned.” —Louis Ferrante, internationally bestselling author of the Borgata Trilogy

“Recently while at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, I was asked which mobster I would like to have lunch with, and my answer was Meyer Lansky—because of his organizational skills and mathematical genius in establishing casinos, but most of all his ability to work with the Italian Mafia to establish the National Crime Syndicate. This stellar book confirms my reasoning as to why I would choose to have lunch with Lansky above all others.” —Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco, former undercover FBI agent and author of Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia and The Bonannos: A Century of Murder

“A riveting account of the birth, ascendancy, and decline of the Mob as revealed through the life and letters of Meyer Lansky and recounted by S. J. Peddie and Lansky’s grandson, Meyer Lansky II, who has established himself as one of the premier historians of organized crime in the first half of the 20th century. Both a fascinating story and an invaluable resource for anyone interested in America’s criminal underworld, The Lansky Legacy is a must-read.” —Ed Falco, New York Times bestselling author of The Family Corleone

“I’ve studied Uri Dan and Robert Lacey, and while the first to explore are always given a special reverence, what Meyer Lansky II and S. J. Peddie have done with The Lansky Legacy is provide us with the most complete and best accounting of the life of Meyer Lansky. What they’ve uncovered is an incredible trove of new information that gives a true deep dive into the mind and daily life of one of America’s most enterprising mobsters.” —Matthew Black, bestselling author of Operation Underworld and Maritime Underworld

“The authors have penned a standout work wrought from meticulous research and Meyer’s revealing inside information inclusive of the Lansky family dynamics, which make for a rich and captivating narrative… . This is more than the biography of a mobster. It’s a chronicle of a bygone era that left an indelible impact on the ever-evolving American landscape.” —Phil Genovese, grandson of Vito Genovese and author of the award-winning novel The Grandfather Clause

“Meyer Lansky II gives us a revealing, intimate portrait of his grandfather through correspondences that reveal the ambitions, family values, philosophy, and heartbreak of the man who turned gambling into an industry and made the Mob ‘bigger than U.S. Steel.’ A must-read!” —Charles Bufalino, author of Bufalino: Revelations of a Mafia Family, the Teamsters, and the Final Resting Place of Jimmy Hoffa

“A must-read for anyone interested in organized crime and the behind-the-scenes moves of those who control it. This seminal publication provides a fascinating look into the very private life of America’s smartest, most powerful mobster of the 20th century, illustrating how he impacted our society today. Meyer Lansky, the inspiration for Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part II, often acted in real life like a corporate chieftain rather than a street criminal. The extraordinary trove of family letters revealed by Meyer Lansky II and S. J. Peddie show how his grandfather built his empire in Las Vegas and especially Havana’s lush casinos, only to lose it with Fidel Castro’s Communist takeover. Most poignantly, this book shows how Lansky, for all his money and power, was often burdened with difficult family problems, nagging illness, and devastating setbacks in business. With new insights and shocking details, The Lansky Legacy is a riveting tale of how a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe launched an empire through a mix of criminality and sheer guile. It is a classic story of the best and the worst of the American Dream.” —Thomas Maier, author of Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro

“A detailed and highly personal look at the man who helped create the modern American underworld. Meyer Lansky was always in the room where it happened and was, more often than not, the guy making it happen.” —George Anastasia, New York Times bestselling author of The Docile Don, Blood and Honor, The Goodfella Tapes, and The Last Gangster

“Meyer Lansky was one of the most important figures in American organized crime. He was also one of the most private, not only about his criminal activity, but also his family life. But now, Lansky’s grandson—also named Meyer—and biographer S. J. Peddie have pierced the shroud surrounding many aspects of Lansky’s life and have used his private letters to his family members as the framework for an engrossing and intimate look at his world and his dealings with the likes of Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello. This is a story of a cunning and tragic figure, a proud Jew, and in his way, a patriotic American who played a major role in the emergence of the US Mafia in the 20th century.” —Anthony M. DeStefano, Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award–winning journalist and author of Jimmy the Gent, King of the Godfathers, The Deadly Don, and Top Hoodlum

“The Lansky Legacy succeeds as both a historical document and a personal memoir. Through a collection of deeply revealing letters, it presents a rare and intimate portrait of the legendary Mob financier Meyer Lansky, illuminating the contradictions of an American family bound by love and fractured by reputation, while offering insights into his humanity that history books and Hollywood portrayals have largely ignored. For readers fascinated by organized crime, 20th-century American history, or family legacies shaped by controversy, this book is a poignant and essential read.” —Chris Enss, New York Times bestselling author of Meet the Kellys: The True Story of Machine Gun Kelly and His Moll Kathryn Thorne

“The Lansky Legacy is the first book I’ve read where Meyer Lansky is a real person. Through one-of-a-kind family letters and oral accounts that simply cannot be found anywhere else, Lansky is brought to life as much as a stranger you might sit down next to and have a heartfelt conversation with. This intimate portrait is a must-read for both fans of crime and anyone who wants to have a better understanding of the 20th century.” —Jonathan Lang, author of the graphic novel Meyer

“Meyer Lansky never left a paper trail. Fortunately, this book does. The Lansky Legacy deserves five stars and an offshore account. The writing is well-researched and engaging, and even the endnotes feel like they’re hiding something. Highly recommended.” —Malcolm Kushner, author of The Official Book of Mob Humor

“Forget what you think you know about Meyer Lansky. In The Lansky Legacy, Meyer Lansky II and S. J. Peddie peel back decades of mythmaking to reveal the man behind the headlines, supported by letters, records, and firsthand family insight and documentation to prove it. It’s as engaging as a thriller—but unmistakably true.” —Everett De Morier, co-author of In the Ghost Shadows: The Untold Story of Chinatown’s Most Powerful Crime Boss

“A brilliant and unique insight into one of modern history’s most enigmatic characters. With previously unseen detail, The Lansky Legacy is a must-read about a fascinating era.” —Francine White, arts journalist

Meyer Lansky II is the grandson and namesake of Meyer Lansky and the son of Capt. Paul Lansky, a West Point graduate. He spent more than three decades in gaming and hospitality and today partners with Caesars Entertainment to promote Bugsy & Meyer’s Steakhouse and its Count Room speakeasy. He also officiates weddings at Flamingo Las Vegas, the resort his grandfather founded with Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. Over the years, he has helped his grandfather’s legacy mature to legendary, keeping his story alive and accurate across national media, from The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker to AMC’s The Making of the Mob. He lives in Henderson, Nevada and Lake Tahoe with his wife, Dani, where they support veterans’ causes, libraries, and literacy.

S. J. Peddie is an investigative reporter at Newsday Media Group and was a finalist for the Public Service Pulitzer for a series of stories on police misconduct. She has won more than 100 awards for her work, including two New York Emmys for documentaries and the $35,000 Selden Ring Award for investigative journalism that gets results. She has been a featured speaker at national conferences, was named Long Island Journalist of the Year, served on the board of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and has taught journalism at two universities. A native of Minnesota, she is a graduate of Wellesley College. She is the author of Sonny: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses, John “Sonny” Franzese, and co-author with Meyer Lansky II of The Lansky Legacy and Bugsy and Flamingo.

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