Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The Northern Club in Las Vegas got its gaming permit the next day from the Sheriff’s Department. The Meadows in Meadow Acres and the Pair-O-Dice out on Highway 91 were licensed during the summer. #2 Luciano had few problems with the law, but he was involved in many fights. He met Meyer Lansky at a street craps game, and they became friends. Meyer was the only one who was able to look into the crazed eyes of Bugsy Siegel and make him understand. #3 Prohibition put every tough, enterprising criminal in the country into business. The likes of Al Capone could never have amassed their fortunes without the government’s help. With the tremendous income produced, politicians became so many pawns in the running of gang-controlled cities. #4 Bugsy Siegel was a mobster in the 1920s. He was involved in bookmaking, bootlegging, hijacking, extortion, and loan sharking. He took his lumps, but always returned twice what he got. When he was picked up for questioning by the police, he had a black eye.

本書は、欲望の街ラスベガスの誕生という神話を、組織犯罪という裏面史から鮮烈に描き出した傑作です。砂漠の中に咲いた毒々しくも美しい夢の城が、いかにして血と暴力、そして緻密な権謀術数によって築き上げられたのか。その黎明期の熱量は、単なる犯罪録を超え、国家の光と影を浮き彫りにする壮大な人間ドラマとして読む者の心を掴んで離しません。 ルチアーノやシーゲルといった伝説的な男たちが、禁酒法という歪な時代に刻んだ足跡は、法と無秩序が表裏一体であることを突きつけます。社会の境界線上で踊る彼らの「業」が凝縮された本作は、一つの都市が怪物へと変貌していく過程を、冷徹かつ情熱的な筆致で活写した第一級のドキュメンタリー文学といえるでしょう。