Denny Griffin began writing in 1996, following a 20-year career in investigations and law enforcement in New York State. He currently has seven fiction and three non-fiction books published. His non-fictions are about Las Vegas police and organized crime history.

Surviving the Mob

“Surviving the Mob” is the true story of former Gambino crime family associate Andrew DiDonato. In his own words, you’ll learn how organized crime has changed over the years. From the early days when family members were considered to be men of honor, to the post-Gotti era where the bosses are concerned only about themselves; and loyalty runs strictly from the bottom up.

You  will be astounded learning about life in the Mob from a street soldier’s perspective. Andrew  lived in a world where there are few winners or happy endings. He’ll tell you what happens when you make wrong choices in your life and start down a road from which it is very difficult to turn back. You’ll come away realizing, just as Andrew does, how lucky he is to be alive.

Cullotta

Mystery and nonfiction writer Griffin covered the Vegas reign of kingpin Tony the Ant Spilotro in The Battle for Las Vegas: The Law vs. the Mob. Digging deeper into mob history, he now focuses on Spilotro’s lifelong pal, career criminal Cullotta, who appeared in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film, Casino, recreating an actual murder he committed in 1979. Spilotro and Cullotta met in Chicago as teenage troublemakers, and early chapters detail the violent escapades of Cullotta’s youth before he escalated to major crimes. Spilotro rose in the ranks of the mob and became the Chicago Outfit’s man in Las Vegas, and Cullotta eventually joined him, running a robbery and murder crew. Together, Spilotro and Cullotta extorted illegal bookmakers and drug dealers throughout Vegas. But in the early 1980s, Cullotta became a government witness, bringing down the house. In addition to poring through newspaper archives, Griffin interviewed various sheriffs, attorneys, agents and detectives, while primarily relying on information from retired FBI agent Arnoldy and what Pileggi calls the phenomenal memory of Cullotta himself. Griffin’s flat, unemotional yet potent writing makes the bloodletting, murders and mayhem chilling and unnerving throughout.

The Battle for Las Vegas

From the 1970s through the mid-1980s, the Chicago Outfit dominated organized crime in Las Vegas. Unreported revenue, known as the “skim,” from Outfit-controlled casinos made its way out of Vegas by the bagful, ending up in the coffers of the Windy City crime bosses and their confederates around the Midwest. To ensure the smooth flow of cash, the gangsters installed a front man with no criminal background, Allen R. Glick, as the casino owner of record, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthaal as the real boss of casino operations, and Tony Spilotro as the ultimate enforcer, who’d do whatever it took to protect their interests. It wasn’t long before Spilotoro, also in charge of Vegas street crime, was known as the “King of the Strip.” Federal and local law enforcement, recognizing the need to rid the casinos of the mob and shut down Spilotro’s rackets, declared war on organized crime. The Battle for Las Vegas relates the story of the fight between the tough buys on both sides, told in large part by the agents and detectives who knew they had to win.

Vegas Vixen

On Christmas Eve 2002, a 67-year-old woman is murdered in her exclusive Las Vegas home. Detective Steve Garneau learns the victim had a colorful past: In the 1960s she ran the best whorehouse in Sin City. Steve’s investigation takes him back to the days when the mob ran Vegas –an era rife with corrupt politicians, crooked cops, and Wild West justice.

Find all of Denny Griffin’s books on AMAZON and online and local bookstores.

In 2007 Denny began hosting his own Internet radio show on Blog Talk Radio. You can hear his broadcasts live or listen to archived shows at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin.

For additional information please visit http://www.dennisngriffin.com.