The Heights is the fictionalized life of Sal Liparello, a fictional mob boss in the Chicago Heights area from twelve years old right up to the final page. This time covers the creation of the mafia underworld during the Prohibition Era and its evolution right up through the sixties. You have big name appearances like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and the Rat Pack as well as many others. At times, especially early on, I felt as though the book was channeling a bit of Boardwalk Empire vibes.

There was plenty of potential for a truly great book and there were flashes of brilliance where for a page or two that potential was reached, but overall I felt the writing itself fell short of the quality of source material. It was as though I was reading fictionalized history more than historical fiction. This made sense when in the acknowledgments Franze says he leaned heavily on a relative's book: The Boys in Chicago Heights by Matt Luzi. I am guessing that there were many moments where he just took a paragraph or two from that, added a little context and dialogue, and threw it in his own book. Whether true or not, I was getting those vibes. Even still, it makes for a decent read and I would absolutely love to see it picked up as a movie. I think it is long past time Hollywood gave up on Superheroes and went back to some other genres like Mob and Western.

I was very excited to be chosen to read The Heights by Ray Franze. I really enjoy the history of crime families so this book was right up my alley. Anyone who enjoys books, movies, shows fiction or non fiction about crime families would enjoy this book.

thanks you to netgalley and blue handle publishing for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

As a lover of historical fiction I’m a bit biased in liking this type of book. You can tell the research was done well and you definitely get an inside look at mafia life with some action thrown in. A caveat however is the writing style. It felt like more of a play by play rather than a developing story line (kind of like the recent biopic films that have been released that just tell a general story of their life rather than focusing on a specific time frame and showcasing the character development).

Thank you for the ARC via Net Galley! The review is 100% my thoughts and opinions.

It was very hard to start and once I did I felt like I’d entered a Deja vu loop and I couldn’t get out. I felt no real connection to the characters, the ones I could remember, and was constantly confused on who was who.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This is a unique novel tracking Italian family members who interact with mafioso in the 20th century.

The author gives insight into individual family members and how they get involved in criminal activity. Many things go wrong as human failings manifest.

Good writing and interesting characters. A solid read.

The Heights, by Ray Franze, is an interesting look at the evolution of the Mob in 20th century Chicago, and beyond.A fascinating journey with main character Sal and his life in organized crime in Chicago. Sal gives us an in depth look at how a man chose the mob life and lived to tell about it as the author gives insight into individual family members and how they get involved in criminal activity. Many things go wrong as human failings manifest. Good writing and interesting characters. A solid read i must say.

Based on the true story of an Italian immigrant who ruthlessly fought his way into Al Capone’s inner circle and expanded organized crime across the American West

It’s hard to believe Sal Liparello has survived long enough to enjoy a midday scotch on his California tomato farm.

The sixty-something crime boss from Chicago Heights helped take out Sicilian gangs, advised Al Capone on some of his biggest moves, and rubbed elbows with the Kennedys, Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe — all while avoiding the likes of Eliot Ness and J. Edgar Hoover.

But as he surveys the fruits of his labor, Sal also remembers the cost of staying above ground and out of prison.

And all those decisions are about to catch up with him

A gangster tell-all, I love the idea that this guy basically won the lottery and didn't die while most around him did.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The Heights, by Ray Franze, is an interesting look at the evolution of the Mob in 20th century Chicago, and beyond.
The protagonist, Sal Liparello, tells the story of his life, from age 12, as his family leaves the poverty of southern Italy in 1913 and settles in the hardscrabble Italian immigrant neighborhood of Chicago Heights. While there were many honest businesses, the path to success and power for Sal and his buddies lay in racketeering. It is a fascinating story of the beginnings of their activities in bootlegging, to developing a national betting network over telegraph wires, to profiting by controlling thousands of cigarette vending machines and jukeboxes.
Many “big names” come up, as they work with Al “Snorky” Capone, Lucky Luciano, Franky B, and other Midwest mob bosses. The 50s and 60s involve the new casino business in Vegas, with celebrities and politicians enjoying the glitter while, at the same time, Hoover and his G-men are trying to shut down the racketeering.
There is a lot of bloodshed, brutality, and strong language in this debut novel, but it is in context and used to punctuate the deadly, strong-arm activities of this group. The plot evolves nicely as Sal tells his life story, from beginning to end, with a good sense of culture and place. I found the Chicago and southern Wisconsin settings, and the California locations particularly interesting as I grew up in the Midwest and have frequented the “Cali” spots from the 60s till now.
This is a well-researched novel presented as fiction but certainly evocative of a culture and time in 20th century America. If you like stories about the Mafia, the Mob, Vegas and mid-century modern America, this is a good read.

Thank you to Blue Handle Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This book was so monotonal. The story was super interesting but it really fell flat. It started out great but it felt like every chapter was the same. It felt like it was more someones diary entry rather than a novel. Kind of clinical in its execution and it was a real shame because I think there could have been something amazing here if not for that.

It needs some life breathed into it and then this book was have been a smash.

3 stars

The Heights started off well. But eventually, everything got so redundant. The kill or be killed theme permeated the plot and nothing else seemed to matter. It just felt like a wannabe Sopranos story.

There are so many characters that I easitly lost track of who's who, except for the narrator. And more confusing is that last names and first names were used interchangably so it made it difficult to determine whether the character was new or an existing one.

Needless to say, I lost interest in the novel at 44% Too bad as it does have potential as it kept me engaged till my stopping point. But the redundancy of taking out your rival before they take you out killed it for me. An unfortunate one star DNF.

I received a DRC from Blue Handle Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

A story about a Chicago Heights based crime family’s rise to fame and fortune told from the perspective of one player. Although the story itself was decent, the writing was poor and glossed over details that would have brought intimacy to the plot. I felt like I was looking in from a distance and didn’t get to know anyone well enough to continue past halfway.

The Heights is an enthralling novel that seamlessly blends history and fiction, offering readers a front-row seat to the rise of organized crime in America. Ray Franze’s writing transports readers to the streets of Chicago Heights, where the Italian immigrant community thrives amidst a dangerous underworld. The character of Sal serves as an excellent guide, navigating through complexities of loyalty, power, and family ties. Franze’s attention to detail brings each scene to life, immersing readers in a bygone era.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Blue Handle Publishing for this e-arc.*

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A very slow moving fictionalized story of Italian immigrant Sal Liparello. I have little gained from reading this book but I did find this statement interesting. "Lack of access to legitimate loans often sent law-abiding businessmen to illegitimate sources, a common occurrence for Italian immigrants."

2☆

Sal Liparello grew up an Italian immigrant in Chicago. His father was a connected Grocer and through these channels Sal got in with the fellas from The Heights.

The book is written as a reflective memoir, as Sal chronicles the history of his contributions to his family, including how he used his ideas for business expansion to bring more power to his territories and influence the neighboring families. Follow Sal through the ranks as he befriends Capone and gains respect through years of grocery, prohibition, gaming & vending as he rubs elbows with some elite characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I’ve seen the movie “Goodfellas” to many times, because as I read the book Ray Liota’s voice was the narrator, in my head, for the main character of Sal Liparello.

Sal Liparello grew up an Italian immigrant in Chicago. His father was a connected Grocer and through these channels Sal got in with the fellas from The Heights.

The book is written as a reflective memoir, as Sal chronicles the history of his contributions to his family, including how he used his ideas for business expansion to bring more power to his territories and influence the neighboring families.

Follow Sal through the ranks as he befriends Capone and gains respect through years of grocery, prohibition, gaming & vending as he rubs elbows with some elite characters.

The Heights reads like a witness giving a police statement or a journal log entry. The story reads fast because it is very matter-of-fact, quickly moving from one situation and time to the next. The unfortunate thing about this style is that there is little believable character development. Within a couple pages, the main character meets a girl, falls in love, and proposes. Because she denies him, he fully immerses himself into a life of crime, and it all happens so quickly with such little detail that it didn't feel genuine. The following events in the story happen much the same way, so there never feels like a connection between reader and story. I was unable to ever care about any of the characters, despite the story taking place during a time and in a city that interested me.

This book does not disappoint! It has moments that lull a bit, but it really drags you into the inner world of Al Capone from the perspective of one of his men. With most books that cover criminal historical figures, you only hear it from the writer's or Capone's perspective. This was done through eyes we don't normally see in these types of books. To know the involvement of so many big influential people who were involved with Capone was surprising for a true crime reader, but I guess I should know better by now.

Give this book a read! The other reviews don't give it enough credit. Can't wait to see what this author does next and who he will cover next in terms of historical true crime! Maybe make this a series of big and small Chicago crime bosses?

The Heights - Ray Franze

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC.

The Heights deserves a permanent place among the best of Mafia "fiction" . I use the word fiction loosely as this story is based on the life of a major mafia figure in Chicago who befriends Al Capone and is at least partially responsible for the expansion of the Mafia, both across the US and beyond bootlegging into drugs (and anything else that would make a profit).

Read from the safe distance of retrospection, this was a fascinating account, written as a memoir. I finished this book almost without moving a muscle, late into the night.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC for my review. This was not what I expected. I did like Jon, Dom and Sal and the dynamic between Rio and Dom was so cute. This was so informational but not as an info dump kind of way. I really did like reading through this but nothing really happens too much that you'd think would in a mafia story. I'm aware it's Historical so yeah, I'm trying to branch out and this is my second historical fiction for me. To me personally it's just too telling. There's a slight bit of action around the middle. All throughout this book I couldn't stop thinking "turf war" Most of the thing that intrigued me was the mafia thing and Al Capone but we don't get too much action about Capone really. Lots of bootlegging and working for others etc like mafia's work. I'm aware that it was 1920's so there isn't action as if it were in modern time but I felt like I was being told the story of the guy being an "friend" of Capones. Despite all of that, I love that most of the gangs have loyalty for family. This isn't something I feel strongly of but through the story I actually learned a lot of things from that time such as rocketerring and how hard things were back in the day amongst gangs and fighting for political, and having people under your thumb. This was middle of the road for me. I'd still recommend.