Richard Kuklinksi, aka 'the Ice Man', will go down as one of the most vicious killers in history.
Responsible for well over 200 murders, he is the man who claims a direct link to the killing of Jimmy Hoffa and he is one of the reasons for John Gotti's rise to power. The wife of one victim referred to him as 'the devil'. Yet behind every monster, even the most cold-blooded ones, there lies a human story. After 240 hours of face-to-face interviews with Richard Kuklinkski and even more time spent with Kuklinkski's family, Philip Carlo reveals all in 'The Iceman'
He led a double life: professional assassin and devoted family man. As described by his wife Barbara, Richard was two people. At times he was a model father that would return home with a car full of groceries and presents, and at other times he was a monster, frequently subjecting Barbara to abuse and leaving their children to watch in horror. But despite even his worst moments at home, his family never knew of his other life as a top hitman contracted by the bosses of east coast crime families.
One the day Richard was arrested, the police found not one single weapon in the house. His family never knew of the nights he would meander into Manhattan's Upper West Side and brutally kill whatever panhandler stepped in his path. In short, Richard Kuklinkski may have been one of the greatest enigmas ever..
The Iceman:Confessions of a Mafia Contract killer.
An utterly compelling and unputdownable book. The sheer audacity and complexity of Richard Kuklinski and his crimes make this book one of the very best I have read.
Guest, 19/11/2009