The Longest Night

by Gregg Keizer

Book Overview

A thrilling debut that puts an unforgettable new spin on the World War II suspense novel: what if the Resistance had approached the notorious Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky for help? Leonard "Mouse" Weiss has worked as a hit man for Meyer Lansky-the legendary Brooklyn Jewish crime boss-for years. But with his last "drop," Mouse has blown it, big-time. Now Lansky needs Weiss out of town fast . . . and along comes the perfect opportunity. An underground...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399151702
• ISBN13: 9780399151705
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Meyer Lansky sends his regards

A first time author with an original premise. Mouse is a charactor who impresses. The author has a flair for the dialect of the different peosonalities involved. This is a must read that doesn't let the reader catch his breath.

It's good

I'm not finished reading this book yet, but I so far I think it's pretty good. The one thing that I absolutley love about this book, is that it has a little bit of everything. It has war descriptions, love, hate, betrayl, and ofcourse the Nazis in Europe. The people in this book are on a mission to let people around the world know that Jews were in mortal danger, and to show that they could be saved; but this is lost along the way in the first half of the book. It slowly goes into it, but that's fine because it makes up for it with the obstacles it provides for the characters. This book has so many different characters in it. It has gangsters, soldiers, engineers, police officers, jews that escaped from concentration camps, and other. I like how in the beginning of the book each person was on their own, but then everybody gradually come together. After reading this book, for awhile I started to think that the Mouse (the main character who is a hit man) is good, and that him killing all those people along the way was ok. The book does that to you because the characters in this book seem so real. I'm very eager to finish this book.

Excellent Read...Fast Action

I saw this book in the local library and picked it up to read the inside jacket. Seemed interesting. Took it home and read it in two days. Couldn't put it down. Starts out a little slow, but picks up quickly. A great read.

Excellent Book!

The hero of this story Mouse Weiss,a hit man for legendary mafia leader Meyer Lansky,messes up a hit on a rival of Lansky's. Lansky has to get him out of town so he cannot be identified. Lansky is approached by a group of Dutch Jews to help them rescue Jews being shipped to concentration camps and their deaths.They want Lansky to provide muscle and cash to rescue a train of Jews and call attention to their plight.Lansky volunteer the services of Mouse Weiss and puts up $100,000 to finacne their mission.Weiss joins forces with some incredible characters to steal this train.One of the main characters that he meets is Reka whom he falls for.Mouse originally intended to steal the $100,000 and flee.His plan is thwarted and he has to carry out his mission.He ends up showing character and bravery.This is a very good book that you will enjoy.

Very entertaining

In 1943 American hit man, Leonard "Mouse" Weiss knows he is fortunate to still b alive as he botched up his last assignment by allowing a witness to survive. Brooklyn Jewish crime boss Meyer Lansky knows that Mouse has been a loyal employee for years, but must make an example to others that failure is unacceptable, but does not want to have his man killed yet he cannot have him hang around the town. Instead, he decides to give Mouse a second chance when Danish Jews contact the mob boss for help. To make a case for world intervention, they need money and weapons to seize a train carrying Dutch Jews to certain deaths. Mouse will make the drop, but the New York thug, who considered absconding with the loot, finds he wants to help the resistance to the atrocities, but also lands in trouble in which failure means the deaths of not just him and the innocents are involved. This terse historical thriller is similar to Jeffrey Deaver's Garden of the Beasts with its hitman hero but has its own delicious flavoring being seven years later and outside Germany. Mouse, a terrific antihero turning into the people's champion, mostly tells the tale so that the audience can see his emotions running the gamut including horror of the atrocities. He makes the action-packed story line with his stunned horrific look at the state sponsored terrorism that gripped Europe during WW II. Harriet Klausner