Toughs (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781609531119)

Set during the Great Depression and based in part on real characters and a series of historical events, Toughs follows the story of Loretto Jones as he finds his life intertwined with the fate of Vince Coll, a 23-year-old Irish gangster who for a brief moment rose to the level of a national celebrity during his war with Dutch Schultz, Owen Madden, and Lucky Luciano. Tagged "Mad Dog Coll" after killing five-year-old Michael Vengelli in a botched assassination attempt, Coll was the subject of a shoot-to-kill order issued by New York City Police Commissioner Edward P. Mulrooney, a $50,000 bounty offered by Dutch Shultz and Owen Madden, and $30,000 in reward money from by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the city's newspapers. Loretto and Vince are bound to each other by years spent in an orphanage and on the streets, but in the summer of 1931, with Loretto in love with newly-divorced Gina Baronti, and Vince in thrall to the beautiful Lottie Kriesberger, their world of tough guys in tough times is hurtling toward disaster, and Loretto finds himself faced with impossible choices.

Author: Ed Falco
ISBN-10: 1609531116
ISBN-13: 9781609531119
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Language: English
Published: 08/12/2014
Pages: 480
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.30d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2014
Booklist 08/01/2014 pg. 42
Publishers Weekly 08/04/2014