Whacking Jimmy - Hardcover

Wolf, William L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375501738 ISBN 13: 9780375501739

Publisher: Villard Books, 1998

Synopsis

In a hilarious thriller, Bobby Tucci, the unwilling heir to a mafia don, discovers that his rite of initiation will be to kill teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa and is forced to compete with every hood in the Detroit underworld to accomplish his task. 35,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

The body of Jimmy Hoffa--the grocery warehouseman who rose to the presidency of the Teamsters Union--has never been found. And it never will be, if you take William Wolf's word for it.

The year is 1975, the year of Hoffa's disappearance and there is trouble in the Tucci family. Don Vittorio is dying and his heir apparent, grandson Bobby, wants nothing to do with his inheritance because the family has set him to the task of murdering Hoffa. Not to mention Bobby's shark-like mother, Annette, who is all in favour and a force to be reckoned with: "She had come out of the kitchen wearing a burnt-orange leisure suit and matching lipstick, mules with five-inch stiletto heels, and a CuttySark-induced grin." What's more, she's intent on using every man she meets--she's even willing to sacrifice Bobby to get what she wants.

But the real hero of the story, the world-weary Mendy Pearlstein, saunters through the text as a has-been. One-time member of the feared "Purple Gang", Mendy has been there, done that and bought the T-shirt in 1935. The old man becomes Bobby's mentor and in the end it's Mendy alone who's capable of pulling the fat from the fire.

William Wolf is a pseudonym of a journalist and author whose "reluctance to reveal his true identity is unrelated to anything he may or may not know about the actual events surrounding the disappearance of the late Jimmy Hoffa. Honest." The racy and conversational style of Whacking Jimmy has all the assurance of a professional and, like the characters in it, the vocabulary pulls no punches. --Elizabeth McGregor

From the Publisher

A hip, hilarious thriller
It's 1975. Don Vittorio Tucci, head of the Detroit mob, lies on his deathbed as his family and associates secretly jockey for power. Meanwhile, his grandson Bobby Tucci - just an ordinary college student and rock musician, who has, until now, steered clear of the family business - is drawn into the middle of a power play among the Don's hot-headed first lieutenant, his consigliere, and Bobby's own mother - who has designs on being the first woman to lead a major crime family. It seems simple. His grandfather promises him a $40 million pay-day if he'll just stay around for a while, lending some stability as the next rightful heir to the Family. But there's a little complication. He's going to have to "make his bones" - prove himself to the Family. His assignment? Kill Jimmy Hoffa.

PRAISE FOR WHACKING JIMMY

'Whacking Jimmy is a seventies flashback, Mafia style - a classic caper built around one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history. It is a hip, hilarious thriller for readers of Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard' - CrimeTime

'Original and hilarious' - Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Villard Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0375501738
• ISBN 13: 9780375501739
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 243