{"product_id":"the-last-don-9780345412218","title":"The Last Don","description":"\u003cb\u003eA masterful saga of the last great American Mafia family and its powerful reach into Hollywood and Las Vegas, from the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Last Don\u003c\/i\u003e is Domenico Clericuzio, a wise and ruthless old man who is determined to see his heirs established in legitimate society but whose vision is threatened when secrets from the family's past spark a vicious war between two blood cousins. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Last Don\u003c\/i\u003e is a mesmerizing tale that takes us inside the equally corrupt worlds of the mob, the movie industry, and the casinos where beautiful actresses and ruthless hitmen are ruled by lust and violence, where sleazy producers and greedy studio heads are drunk on power, where crooked cops and desperate gamblers play dangerous games of betrayal, and where one man controls them all. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Last Don\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Puzo is in top form. . . . Head-long entertainment, bubbling over with corruption, betrayal, assassinations, Richter-scale romance, and, of course, family values.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"The most entertaining read since \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Skillfully crafted . . . It gives us Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the mob in one sweet dish.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Puzo returns after a quarter century to the terrain of his greatest success, \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather, \u003c\/i\u003e to tell a second masterful tale of Mafia life.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eVariety\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A compelling tale peopled by memorable characters . . . Puzo is a master storyteller with an uncanny facility for details that force the reader to keep the pages turning.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe son of Italian immigrants who moved to the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City, \u003cb\u003eMario Puzo\u003c\/b\u003e was born on October 15, 1920. After World War II, during which he served as a U.S. Army corporal, he attended City College of New York on the G.I. Bill and worked as a freelance writer. During this period he wrote his first two novels, \u003ci\u003e The Dark Arena\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Fortunate Pilgrim\u003c\/i\u003e.When his books made little money despite being critically acclaimed, he vowed to write a bestseller. \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/i\u003e was an enormous success. He collaborated with director Francis Ford Coppola on the screenplays for all three Godfather movies and won Academy Awards for both \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather, Part II\u003c\/i\u003e. He also collaborated on the scripts for such films as \u003ci\u003eSuperman, Superman II, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Cotton Club\u003c\/i\u003e. He continued to write phenomenally successful novels, including \u003ci\u003eFools Die, The Sicilian, The Fourth K, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Last Don\u003c\/i\u003e. Mario Puzo died on July 2, 1999. His final novel, \u003ci\u003eOmerta, \u003c\/i\u003e was published in 2000.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50631160135954,"sku":"9780345412218","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_487b29bb-06f1-48ba-b2ce-63908959cfe2.jpg?v=1732765895","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-last-don-9780345412218","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}