Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las V egas

HUNTINGTON PRESS, 2003. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. For more than 35 years, Oscar Goodman was the country's pre-eminent defense attorney for alleged gangsters. His endless client list included Meyer Lan sky, Nick Civella, Anthony Spilotro, Frank Rosenthal, Jimmy Chagra, Natale Richichi, Nicky Scarfo, and Vinny Ferrara, along with many others. Though n o further connection between Goodman and the Mafia has ever been proved, th e famous litigator has often been accused of being more than just a mouthpi ece for organized crime. Was Oscar Goodman only what he claims, an attorney who defended his clients based on the simple principle that they, too, hav e constitutional rights? And if so, how did he manage to mingle with the mo b for decades without becoming part of it? After scores of unlikely courtro om victories, Goodman pulled off an even more unlikely career change. Twice elected mayor of Las Vegas, he went from legal spokesman for the most noto rious crime figures of our era to political spokesman for the most notoriou s city in the country. Editorial Reviews About the Author John L. Smith is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and author of several books, including Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn; Quicksilver: The Ted Binion Murder Case; The Animal in Hollywood; and No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower. A columnist in Nevada, his work has been honored by the National Headliner Awards, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and t.