The Good Rat - by Jimmy Breslin (Paperback)

About the Book

In his inimitable New York voice, Breslin, "the city's steadiest and most accurate chronicler" ("Village Voice"), gives readers a look through the keyhole at the people and places that define the Mafia--characters like Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, Gaspipe Casso, and the good rat himself, Burt Kaplan.

From the Back Cover

In his inimitable New York voice, Pulitzer Prize winner Jimmy Breslin gives us a look through the keyhole at the people and places that define the Mafia--characters like John Gotti, Sammy "the Bull" Gravano, Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso (named for his weapon of choice), and Jimmy "the Clam" Eppolito--interwoven with the remarkable true-crime saga of the good rat himself, Burt Kaplan of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, the star witness in the recent trial of two NYPD detectives indicted for carrying out eight gangland executions. Through these unforgettable real-life and long-forgotten Mafia stories, Jimmy Breslin captures the moments in which the mob was made and broken.

Review Quotes

"Breslin returns to us from brain surgery intact, writing the way he writes, which is very good stuff indeed." - Pete Dexter, National Book Award-winning author of Paris Trout and Paper Trails
"The Good Rat tells us about the corkscrew workings of the criminal mind where Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment left off." - Nicholas Pileggi, New York Times bestselling author of Wiseguy
"Jimmy Breslin still hits the high notes...entertaining, insightful and 100% Grade-A Breslin." - T.J. English, author of Paddy Whacked and The Westies
"Buck up, Sopranos buffs: Tony and the gang may be gone, but Breslin's steely look at mob life in the glory--and gory--days will take some of the sting away. Smart and stinging--Breslin in fine form, which means a winner." - Kirkus Reviews
"Bad cops, good crook, great story." - USA Today
"Breslin chronicles the cops' sordid tales with a mixture of awe, repugnance and perfect diabolical detail. He remains a master at transforming crookery into opera." - New York Times Book Review
"A great look at the ugly and anything-but-glamorous truth of organized crime. This is Breslin at his Runyonesque best." - Rocky Mountain News
"Breslin put his notes to brilliant use in a colorfully nuanced depiction of Burt Kaplan." - New York Daily News
"The ineffable Breslin, the mob's Homer, may not have done much to ensure Kaplan's longevity, but he has surely granted him immortality." - Boston Globe
"Completely sure of what he's doing, the author knows how to hook a reader." - New York Observer
"Smart and stinging--Breslin in fine form, which means a winner." - Kirkus Reviews
"[Breslin's] writing, like the Mafia itself, breezily transitions from humorous to horrifying." - Publishers Weekly
"[The Good Rat] is Jimmy Breslin at his best." - New York Times
"Breslin put his notes to brilliant use in a colorfully nuanced depiction of Burt Kaplan. Kaplan is The Good Rat, and while Breslin doesn't put a gloss on his crimes, he uses him wisely and well to tell us once again about New York's underbelly. And, in such memorable terms." - New York Daily News
"Breslin is a writer of the heart. It's hard to name another author who demonstrates a better understanding of the passions of urban misrule." - Playboy