Random – Book Review (Non-Fiction)

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo.

The killer explains to the man he kidnapped why he is here; he’s crossed the wrong people. He begins to cut his victim, but only deep enough to make him bleed a little, that’s all he needs. One by one the hungry rats in the cave begin to assemble. There is no mercy; the killer is as cold as ice. He turns on a video camera, and leaves. The next morning he collects the video tape and all that’s left of the body are bones. This is the Ice Man, this is Richard Kuklinski, one of the most successful and brutal mafia contract killers in history, who also happened to be a devoted husband and father.

To really place Richard Kuklinski into perspective for the people reading this post, you must understand that to this day, police and other investigators are still unsure of just how many people he murdered during his lifetime. Some estimates range somewhere between 100 to 200 victims. The author of the book, Philip Carlo, conducted a one-on-one interview with Kuklinski while he was in prison serving multiple life sentences for murder.

The book unfolds as a fast paced biography that encompasses Kuklinski’s tragic childhood, his rise as a top killer for hire, and his arrest at the hands of a police investigation team determined to bring him down.

The most fascinating aspect of the book is attempting to understand the mind of Kuklinski; he is intelligent, cunning, and cold. He may have been the real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Kuklinski could murder a man just for cutting him off in traffic, yet he always took care of his wife and children. Amazingly, his family never knew of his murderous career until he was arrested.  Kuklinski’s morality was radically compartmentalized with a unique set of rules. While Kuklinski was a sadistic killer almost straight out of a horror movie, he oddly chose to save the lives of children on several occasions.

I strongly recommend The Ice Man for those in search of something new  to read, it is an interesting and often times chilling book.

There was also an HBO interview with Richard Kuklinski that can be found on the following Youtube links

Here is part 1 of 12

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xopaCQB4XM0

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPujBv51eU&feature=related

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y8Y0YF3H54&feature=related

Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VDrD6R9MpI&feature=related

Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDjXvxacn7c&feature=related

Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shKSd_L9KTQ&feature=related

Part 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAQurW32ab0&feature=related

Part 8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4V_0lijS28&feature=related

Part 9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZyrs7vF81s&feature=related

Part 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofDEaVZdWXs&feature=related

Part 11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnfNzco7AO0&feature=related

Part 12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f0Iadv0nNU&feature=related