Thank you Grand Central and Netgalley for sharing this ARC. I enjoyed this 70s-era Chicago mob tale. I thought the beginning was slow-going, but about a 1/3 of the way in, things started to heat up and kept my interest. I’ve seen comparisons to Don Winslow and I would deem it Don Winslow lite. Not quite as violent, the characters are not quite as fleshed out. Recommend this fir anyone who likes historical crime fiction or crime stories.

If you love Mob stories then Gangland by Chuck Hogan is a must read. The writer does a fantastic job of making you feel the pressure of needing to make the best decisions possible in order to survive. Make sure to buy yourself a copy of this wonderful book. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy.

I loved this book. Classic mafia story with some unique twists. All the cloak and dagger underhanded dealings expected in a mobster story with some completely unexpected turns. Nicky Pins is a character you really learn to love a criminal that you hope can turn things around. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good mob read.

Gangland is a standard story of the Chicago mob in its waning days beginning in the 1970s. While some of the characters are real people, others have been created for this book. I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia trying to separate the truth from the fiction.

Overall, I was disappointed by Gangland but perhaps I expected too much from the author of The Town. The plot is nothing new and was repetitive. Hopefully, the inevitable movie will be better. 3 stars.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

The machinations of the Chicago mob overwhelm Nicky when he's sent on an impossible quest. This felt, at least to me, derivative of other novels about the Mafia but it did make for an immersive reading experience. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the genre.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to review this novel. Based upon the material and comparable works (both of the author and the subject matter) this fell a pale shade to other offerings

Perhaps it was my own hopes from Prince of Thieves.. I accept coming in with expectations and , like Mark Winegardner's Godfather Series, was left empty.

The book moves steadily, intertwining history and fiction pleasantly enough. The characters are 2 dimensional though and the ending is uninspiring..

The biggest flaws will be not releasing this a few months earlier as a forgettable beach read and referencing The Town. This is setting the book akin to a movie that opens big and loses 70% audience in its second week.. This is not Puzo. This is not Lehane. Sadly, it feels like this is Chuck Hogan under a deadline when he lost the excitement to writing his prose.

I wanted to like this, and I think the reasons I didn't have very little to do with the actual book. I really enjoy Chuck Hogan's writing, I like crime novels, and I love books set in Chicago. So this seemed right up my alley. But the problem with movies like Godfather and The Irishman and Goodfellas is that even the most intricately-researched and realistic mafia novel comes off feeling like a parody or homage to those classics. I gave the book a fair shot, but I was never able to get past the familiarity to see the book as its own thing.

I wanted to give this good 5 stars because i love mafia novels, I went to law school in Chicago at the time this novel is set(late seventies) and because i have loved all of Hogan’s previous books. But this one did not send me—it seemed disjointed and lacked focus—of course the inside mafia and cops and crime stuff is there - along with lots of period references but it just didnt seem to hang together for me. Maybe you’ll feel differently. Still it was enjoyable but The Godfather it is not.

Jumped at the chance to read another Hogan novel, and this one didn’t disappoint. The. Hicago mob provides the background for this exciting thriller as the Boss of Bosses is introduced to us, but his right-hand man, caught between the mob and the FBI isn’t sure which organization is good and which is bad as both play tug-o-war with him in the middle.

Gangland by Chuck Hogan
Rating: Stared review

Summary: Chicago’s longest serving capo sets Nicky Pins up to take care of some personal business when a jewelry heist committed by another group of expert thieves is not taken keenly by rival gangland capo. Nicky puts all his pins in one basket along with his child hood friends to keep Tony Accardo happy.

Comments: Having Hogan writing again would be enough of a celebration, but then he goes and writes the best book of 2022. A can’t miss thriller/heists novel. Keep writing Mr. Hogan, keep writing.