By Meyer Lansky II and S.J. Peddie
Citadel Press, Kensington Publishing Corp.
Available July 28, 2026, at Barnes & Noble. Selected by CrimeReads editors for July 2026 recommendations.
Review by Jane Feehan
Who was Meyer Lansky? He was often described by some who did
know his real story as “accountant for the Mob.” There was much more to this unassuming
but shrewd player in 20th-century crime history. Grandson Meyer Lansky II and
S.J. Peddie bring him to life in The Lansky Legacy, The Life and Letters of
Meyer Lansky.
Lansky proved his toughness and business savvy growing up in the streets and tenements of Brooklyn. He also demonstrated loyalty—a virtue often cast aside in Mafia turf battles or challenges by law enforcement. Lansky counted Charles (Lucky) Luciano and Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegal among his lifelong friends and business associates. Loyalty also extended to love of country; he was able to prove his patriotism by assisting the U.S. government during World War II, an interesting tale included in this book.
The Meyer Lansky Legacy dives deep into the many unexplored (and unexpected) layers of this crime figure, including twists and turns of family life, his intellectual interests, business pursuits, and scrutiny by law enforcement.
It’s a story well told, documented and organized by grandson Meyer Lansky II and S. J. Peddie. This biography is a tale driven by hegemonic mob violence of the early 1900s, the Prohibition era and later drug trade years. It describes how gambling over the decades matured from city street games that a young Lansky excelled at, to the on again, off again legitimacy of casinos.
Meyer Lansky II makes an excellent case for his grandfather’s influence on the development of casinos with his focus on top-tier entertainment, elegant food, and classy ambiance. He shows the reader why 20th-century casinos helped shape the Meyer Lansky legacy.
The book is a fast-moving account, interspersed with short excerpts from Lansky’s letters; it holds interest to the last page and beyond. The appendix provides a list of mobsters mentioned in the book and includes a roster of mobster-themed Hollywood films since 1932 with the actors who portrayed them. The Lansky character, Hyman Roth in Godfather II, acted by Lee Strasberg ranks among the most well-known portrayals.
The number and popularity of those movies confirm the Mob’s place—good or bad—in American cultural history. The Lansky Legacy may explain why.
Copyright © 2026. All rights reserved. Jane Feehan
