Leopold Borstinki – The Alex Cohen Series (Books 1, 2 & 3) Boxset

Today I am bringing you my review of three of Leopold Borstinski’s Alex Cohen novels. The three books are, The Bowery Slugger, Eastside Hustler and Midtown Huckster. They all follow Alex Cohen a young Jewish boy who arrives in America at 15 years old and is determined to earn his place in the world.

The Bowery Slugger begins as he arrives in America and shows us how he makes his way in the world with the violent Jewish New York mob he becomes embroiled with.

Eastside Hustler picks up after Alex returns from war, showing even more of the true grit he will need to get to where he wants to in his life. This is not without risk and danger…especially with friends such as Al Capone! We go through the prohibition years with Eastside Hustler and see the violence and danger that Alex is prepared to endure in his quest to be at the top.

Midtown Huckster is the third visit back to Alex and the Jewish Mob gang he is an intrinsic part of. It is the 1930s now and Alex need to find a new way to earn money without prohibition. He is working for Lucky Luciano when Luciano goes to prison for racketeering. Alex is arrested and is given an impossible choice, what can you do when you trust no one? This instalment brings the beginning of narcotics trafficking and the Jewish New York mob.

This complete series is a must-read for anyone interested in America’s mob history, but then again it’s a colourful, immersive fictional read, that has good historical research for us to be able to follow a timeline within the history of the events for the mob also. It is a book that can be read as a standalone but, to be able to fully understand the mixed bag of Alex, the other two give you a fuller, more rounded picture. We see that although he wants to climb up the mobster’s chain, he has high standards and will not stamp on just anyone to further himself.
A fantastically compelling and addictive read, that is written to show the darker, murkier and grittier side of the 1930’s New York, gangsters world.

This series is a read that kept me gripped and wanting to know what came next every time I picked it up! Certainly enjoyed travelling to Alex Cohen’s world for the time I was reading this, and the other books. A big thank you to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and Leopold Borstinski for the opportunity to be educated about the gangster world of 1930’s New York, while being highly entertained at the same time!