Luciano’s Luck

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Lists with This Book. I don't like books about mafia, never managed to get through Puzo's Godfather, but Luciano's Luck was different. I took it because of the Higgins's brand, and the book justified my expectations, I literally swallowed it in a couple of days.

Real facts mixed with the Higgins's fiction encouraged me to conduct some diggings in history and the role of the Italian mafia in WWII. Feb 26, Bev Taylor rated it really liked it. Could it be that, just prior to the invasion of Sicily in WWII, General Eisenhower authorized the release of Mafia boss, Lucky Luciano, from federal prison to participate in an undercover operation on the island? According to author Jack Higgins, he met Sicilians who claimed to be eyewitnesses of Luciano's presence in Sicily during the war.

Hence this fictionalized account of what those adventures might have been like. This book is an enjoyable story about just such a adventure. Although it's no Could it be that, just prior to the invasion of Sicily in WWII, General Eisenhower authorized the release of Mafia boss, Lucky Luciano, from federal prison to participate in an undercover operation on the island?

Questions?

Although it's not a must-read, I recommend it for a few hours of entertainment and some action as well. Sep 11, Jack rated it it was ok. I didn't know there was a person named Lucky Luciano before reading this. It was just a book I picked off the shelf randomly. I don't understand the title of the novel.

With the assortment of characters that Higgins provides, it doesn't make sense to focus on just Luciano, and it doesn't make sense to focus on his luck as luck seems to have little to do with the plot. May 30, Christian D. Orr rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Action fans, thriller fans, Jack Higgins fans.

Another action-packed, fast-paced, page-turning military history thriller by Jack Higgins, this time involving a plot to employ the aid of legendary American Mafia boss "Lucky" Luciano in convincing his Sicilian counterparts to support the pending Allied invasion of Sicily.

Aahh, the good old days when you could lie about your age to get into the military and get away with it Inspired by the character from "The Godfather" by any chance? Timothy Dalton as Maj. In those days it was the only weapon the peasant had, his only means of justice. Carter is the sort of chap who appreciates the finer things in life. Major General Karl Walther?? Army Air Corps at age 26?

Luciano’s Luck by Jack Higgins - Paperback | HarperCollins

They're run by large corporations, just like big business. Aahh, good "Old Blood and Guts" Patton --p. Ike complaining about paperwork, I feel his pain! The author misspelled "Franklyn" [sic] Delano Roosevelt. And I wouldn't trust FDR beyond spitting distance. Chrysostom called celibacy the little crucifixion. Ugh, the infamous Einsatzgruppen. Look up meaning of "Zu Befehl. Ah, the old "automatics jam, revolvers don't" wives' tale. Higgins, revolvers aren't that easy to silence!

So then, "beretta" means "beret" in Italian as well as being the name of the famous firearms manufacturer?

Okay, so which M1, the Carbine or the Garand? Gotta love a woman who's comfortable scratching her butt in the presence of a dude, heh heh! Good riddance to that Communist POS bastardo!

Aahh, the infamous Dieppe fiasco. Fuck yeah, immediate head shot to resolve a human shield situation! Like the Spanish word for "dick? Lieutenant Suslov is now Major Suslov?? Savage, Clancy Brown Sgt.

Zim from "Starship Troopers" as Sgt. This Nook Edition is lacking in proper hyphenation, commas, and spacing of phrases in multiple places. Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins is very short, only two audio tape cassettes. It was a pleasant surprise. Since I had already read some reviews about the fiction in this historical fiction story, I did a little bit of research on this short chapter of history prior to listening to the cassettes. Jack Higgins says that Sicily had its own version of government and felt no allegiance Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins is very short, only two audio tape cassettes.

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Jack Higgins says that Sicily had its own version of government and felt no allegiance to Italy. In fact each town in Sicily had its own capo and obedience was paid only to that capo not to those in other towns. Basically the plan was to take Lucky Luciano aka Salvatore Lucina out of prison, commute his sentence and smuggle him to Sicily to rally the Sicilians and back the Allied Invasion. There were some secondary story which are probably the fictional part of the story. Both he, Tony Amendola and Judith Marx made it an exciting story to listen to.

It was very entertaining and dramatic and Jack Higgins added some Sicilian cultural information. There was some explicit sex but it was short. He also alludes to Sicilian customs that may have been carried over into the Mafia. The best reason for listening to this story is that it can cause you to hunger for more details of history and more information on Sicilian culture. If you have to chance to listen to this story, I highly recommend it.

Nov 15, Vikram rated it really liked it. In July , British and American forces were to be landed on the southern coast of Sicily. The terrain, that Patton's Seventh Army would have to pass through, to reach Palermo, was a soldier's nightmare, the area around the Cammarata a warren of ravines and mountains. It could take months to hack a way through it In July , British and American forces were to be landed on the southern coast of Sicily. It could take months to hack a way through it, if at all it were not to be destroyed in ambushes. General Eisenhower, American Commander, realised that progress would be slow and casualties high, if the Allies were to attack without local support.

On the other hand, if the local Mafia used its power, to promote an uprising of the people and to persuade Italian units to surrender, the Germans would have no other recourse, but to retreat. Luciani was sprung out of prison by American Intelligence and dropped into Sicily, along with Colonel Harry Carter and his team of Commandos. The only problem was, that Don Antonio hated the Americans, even more than the German invaders Oct 08, George K. More legend than fact, this is a story about mafia leader Lucky Luciano's involvement in paving the way for the U.

Not exactly a gripping and heart-stopping story, but an interesting enough story. May 05, Jonathan rated it liked it. Typical Jack Higgins book with an entertaining mixture of fact and fiction. Centres on a plan to aid the allied invasion of Sicily by gaining the support of the Sicilian Mafia. To do this, a team of agents are parachuted into Sicily, including the American gangster 'Lucky' Luciano and the local mafia don's estranged daughter, now a nun. Good Points The story is fast paced and certainly doesn't lack for action. Their are grizzly murders, gun battles and punch ups galore; just what we've come to exp Typical Jack Higgins book with an entertaining mixture of fact and fiction.

Their are grizzly murders, gun battles and punch ups galore; just what we've come to expect from Jack Higgins. I also liked the plausibility of the story; it does feel as if it the basic premise of the story could have happened.

Hardback Editions

I also thought that the character of 'Lucky' Luciano was very vividly portrayed as he appears likeable while still exuding enough savagery to appear realistically as a mafia boss. Finally, Higgins doesn't romanticise the Mafia - the reader sees it as it is in real life, a ruthless gang more than capable of extremely ruthless behaviour. Bad Points Unfortunately, there are rather a lot of these. For a start, Luciano is the only character who really seems to 'live' in the story, the rest of the characters appear flat and two dimensional.

I appreciate this book is meant as light entertainment but even compared to other books by Higgins such as The Eagle has Landed , the characters aren't up too much. Also, I'm beginning to get a bit sick of the good German, bad German conflict in Higgins novels. I appreciate that not all German soldiers in WW2 were ardent national socialists but surely the difference was by no means as clear cut as they often are in Higgins books?

All the Germans in this book are either despicable Nazis or reluctant patriots which I personally find a little annoying. Finally, the end of the novel is a little abrupt, as if Higgins had trouble working out how to tie up all the loose ends. Conclusion Despite the bad points, this is not a bad book as long as you don't expect too much.

It certainly isn't Higgins best work but by no means is it his worse either. It delivers a lot of action in a fairly realistic scenario, likeable if not very detailed characters and a fairly satisfactory ending. A good book to read on the beach or on public transport; not dull by won't cause you to become so involved that you'll miss your stop. Jul 11, John rated it it was ok Shelves: I read this on an eight hour flight down to Mexico.

Not my normal type of book but not bad. I do not think I will be looking for anymore books by this author. Gaining that support will be an incentive tor the Italian troops in Sicily to surrender, rather than vigorously oppose the allied invasion. Unfortunately, the Mafia's capo di tuti hates America and refuses to issue such an edict.

Luciano is bailed out of prison and brought to Italy to convince the capo otherwise. One person found this helpful. Hard to put down.. Having read this some time ago ,this second time was just as interesting as the first. One of the best books, full of action and suspense. Jack Higgins is a master of his craft. Very interesting read, my only wish that the book would have spent more time on Luciano as he was the book's most interesting character for me personally. Based on rumors believed to be true. I have read almost all of Jack Higgins books.

The vast majority are well written adventures. This book is a good read.

A great read for any history buff. A lot of action? Story is interesting and keeps you reading. Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase. See all 37 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. Published 1 year ago.

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