Tag: mob books

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My Favorite Mobster, May 14, 2013

 

“Who’s your favorite mobster?”

  The question arose at a recent luncheon, where I was the keynote speaker to a ladies social club. I answered without hesitation. “Louie Morelli,” I said.

  How can he not be? After all, I created him. The ladies appreciated this answer. They liked Louie too. In fact, some of them loved Louie. It’s true on page and off. Women do love Louie. They love him because he’s a dark hero--an enigmatic mobster who employs violent and, occasionally, underhanded methods. The ladies don’t mind that he cheats on his long suffering wife. They love Louie because he’s Louie—darkly handsome, filthy rich (not all of it come by honestly), and very powerful. Power is sexy. Louie is sexy.

  It’s easy to love Louie because he exists on the pages of my novels: the ultimate badboy. Operating from a code of honor and possessing a suave sophistication that’s a bit like Bond, as in James Bond, Louie has his share of male admirers too. He’s a pretty cool cat. And he always gets the girl.

  Frequently, mobsters in fiction come off as corny caricatures of Hollywood psychos. Bad to the bone. As an author, my advantage comes from having known a lot of Louie Morelli types in my life. And no, I don't care to elaborate. Anyway, as Louie’s creator, I get to be prejudiced. Louie is my favorite mobster. How about you?  Do you have a favorite mobster?

Patricia Bellomo writes about mobsters and millionaires in South Florida & New Orleans. Her books include Louie Morelli's Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli's Daughter. Books available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble    

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Mob Blog: An Old Soldier, April 26, 2013

I'm in Grand Isle visiting an old mobster, a man who first worked for my father, and then for me. He's a soft-spoken man, eighty-eight years old and still going strong. He's staying in a cottage built on stilts, with a  front room cooled by a noisy window-unit that clicks off every now and then, leaving us with the faint sounds of boat motors and seagulls. The green island sits in the gulf, south of New Orleans. When I was a kid, my father brought me here to to visit this man. He was a legend then, although now he's been largely forgotten. But not by me. I visit whenever I can, a sort of surrogate son to a man who taught me to do some very unpleasant things. An old soldier, fading away.

Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime and mob thriller books, Louie Morelli's Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli's Daughter. This anecdote is written in the voice of her main character, mobster Louie Morelli. Books available at Amazon & B&N.

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Mob Hit Incites Riot In New Orleans, April 12, 2013

 

Mob Hit Incites Riot in New Orleans ... In October of 1890, Chief Hennessy was assasinated by the Mafia.

The fateful scene in The Godfather, in which Michael Coreleone guns down Captain McCluskey and the infamous Turk, Sollozzo, is pure fiction. You may even recall the plotting beforehand, when Michael broaches the idea and Tom Hagen smartly slaps it down, affirming that, “Nobody has ever gunned down a New York police captain and gotten away with it.”

As a crime novelist, I agree that there is always a little truth in fiction. And here’s a bit of history for you: In October of 1890, in the city of New Orleans, Police Chief David Hennessy was gunned down on the street while walking home. At the time of his death Hennessy had been investigating feuding “Sicilian” gangs in the Quarter. Gasping his last breath in Charity Hospital, Hennessy was purported to have whispered that “the damn dagoes got him.”

Nineteen men of Italian origin were arrested; ten were charged with the murder. A long trial ensued, fervently covered by the newspapers.  Emotions were running high, and when a jury acquitted seven of the men and a mistrial was declared for the remaining three, the city erupted. A mob formed outside the parish prison on Treme Street, demanding justice. Forcing their way inside, the enraged vigilantes killed eleven Italian prisoners. Those they didn’t shoot outright were hanged.

Since most of the men were not American citizens, the Unites States paid a whopping twenty-four thousand dollars in reparations to the victim's families. But the townspeople and their municipal leaders, spurred on by a fomenting media, applauded the violence. Eventually, a grand jury concluded that the Mafia did exist in New Orleans, and that it had been responsible for the murder of Chief Hennessy.

All this … one hundred and twenty-three years ago. And in New Orleans, which makes me wonder if Louie Morelli’s ancestors were involved. Then again, that’s fiction. Louie’s a figment of my imagination, or is he? One of these days I’ll have to write the story of how his family seized control of the city.

Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime and mob thriller books, Louie Morelli's Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli's Daughter. Books available on Amazon.com. Photo courtesy of NOLA Times-Picayune. (Archives.)

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Bellomo's Mob Thriller Book Gets New Look: April 7, 2013

Patricia Bellomo's mob thriller book, Stella di Mare, is back on the market.

First published in 2010,  Bellomo's sexy thriller, Stella di Mare, has undergone a transformation. Pulled from the original publisher in 2012, Bellomo made some editorial improvements, including a basic restructuring of the novel, while leaving the plot intact.  The South Beach crime/mob thriller has been re-released with Libreria Publications, recently becoming available for purchase on Amazon.com & Barnes & Noble.  Stella di Mare is also available on Kindle.

     

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Patricia Bellomo's Latest Mob Thriller, Louie Morelli's Mistress, Is Now Available.

 

Crime Fiction Writer, Patricia Bellomo, announces the release of her latest mob thriller, Louie Morelli’s Mistress.

  If you haven’t read any of Patricia Bellomo’s books in the Louie Morelli series, Louie Morelli’s Mistress is a good one to start with. As Patricia says, “The series is non-sequential, but if you’re new to my novels, I’d recommend starting with Louie Morelli’s Mistress. Chronologically, it takes place before Stella di Mare and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. It also adds a mysterious twist, and it is set in New Orleans, as opposed to South Florida.”

  For those familiar with Ms. Bellomo’s novels, Louie Morelli is from New Orleans, the son of a former mob boss that conspiracy theorists credit with the thirty-fifth president’s assassination. Remember, this is fiction in the crime thriller genre or, as in the author’s words, “a sexy mob thriller.”

  There’s also a romantic angle: An exotic and beautiful woman, a love affair that feels “fated”, an eccentric little girl, a naïve young Realtor, and, of course, the enigmatic mobster, Louie Morelli. Add the FBI, a corrupt police force, a splash of voodoo, and a desperate young woman seeking revenge, and you are smack dab in the middle of Ms. Bellomo’s latest thriller.

  Louie Morelli’s Mistress offers the suspense and intrigue readers have come to expect from Patricia.  “A page turner to the very end.”

  Ms. Bellomo refers to her books as “mob thrillers”, and the novels have a definite appeal to fans of The Soprano’s and Boardwalk Empire, as well as the quintessential mafia fiction book, Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.  Like the The Soprano’s, the author’s books are contemporary, generally set in South Florida, although Louie Morelli’s Mistress takes place in Louie’s hometown of New Orleans, offering readers a glimpse of the Big Easy’s gritty underworld. Patricia’s main character, Louie Morelli, is the ultimate bad bay, an enigmatic mobster that always gets the girl, even if it does cause him marital problems.

  Dr. Marlene Siersema, host of “Amazing Women: Brains, Beauty, and Style” on Voice America/World Talk Radio, recently asked Ms. Bellomo why a nice lady like her was writing about mobsters and mayhem, and Patricia replied, “I have a naughty imagination.”

  Although the author admits to having known a few “Louie Morelli types,” she stresses that her books and characters are completely fictitious. They’re entertaining reads for those who like suspense and intrigue in exotic settings.

  For more information about Louie Morelli’s Mistress, or Patricia’s other books, including Stella di Mare and Louie Morelli’s Daughter, visit the author’s website:  www.patriciabellomo.com 

  Books available on Amazon.com, Major book retailers, and in all e-reader formats.