Finally, after years in the making, you can order it directly from Amazon.
“The Dogs of Brownsville” is a historical novel ripped from the headlines of the past seventy years told in Godfather fashion and played out over a wide canvass. It tells the story of a handful of guys, and girls, who make it out of the ghetto of Brownsville and arrive in Las Vegas in time to witness and participate in the changing of the guard from the “Mob” to Howard Hughes to corporate America.
The novel traces the lives of Lawrence Cohen or Mongoose and his boyhood friends, Ringo, Solly, Moe, Scumbag and Charlie The Man together with Eunice and Yetta, the wife of a Rabbi who runs “Mustang Sally’s”, a “bunny ranch” in Pahrump, NV and her daughter Wylie who assists her in running the business before becoming a US Navy jet pilot.
Mongoose starts out covering parlay bets as a teen ager In Brownsville and works his way up the ladder until he is in charge of the gaming activities at the Desert Winds Hotel and Casino, the last holdout of the “Mob”, following the corporate takeovers of Howard Hughes who ultimately ends up controlling thirteen per cent of all of the gambling in Nevada. Mongoose works for Frank Rothman, the “Wizard of Odds”, and Ignacio Baldacci or Balsy, both of whom report to Tony Fats and Santo Testarosa.
Solomon Lukevitch or Solly started out singing the “Star Spangled Banner” in the auditorium of Thomas Jefferson High School at various school events changes his name to Sean LaSalle and achieves his life long dream of becoming a well known entertainer and ultimately a star headliner at the Desert Winds Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Yetta, the erstwhile wife of a Rabbi, changed her name to Sally Hutchins while working for Bruno Trafficante in Dallas. After the establishment of “Mustang Sally’s” she hooks up with Burton Seigel or Boom-Boom, who runs the Sands Hotel and Casino together with Meyer Lansky.
Eunice, who has become a successful showgirl under the name of Venus, reunites with Mongoose. At first she is cool towards him but softens after he is almost killed in a car bombing that takes the life of Frank Rothman. As their relationship develops, Mongoose is haunted by her prior relationship with Tommy DiMeglio, who he must deal with. He also has to “make his bones” with Funzi Santucci as he was the one responsible for the car bombing.
The novel concludes with the partnership between the Desert Winds and Stanley Ho, the richest man in Asia, to establish the Pacific Winds in Macao in time for the new millennium in the Year of The Dragon.