Marvin H. Albert, writing under one of his many pseudonyms, tries to cash in on the Godfather craze with this violent, fast-paced story of a war between two mafia families - with a few others along for the ride to see what they can get out of it. When I say he was trying to cash in, I don't mean it in a negative way. Albert seems (seemed) capable of writing in any genre he chose. For this work, he dispenses with anything deep (such as the religious angles in the Godfather) and just gets down to the dirty part of surviving as a mafia kingpin. None of these characters has any regret or second thoughts about who he kills or why. And their wives obediently leave the room any time business is discussed. After a bit of a slow start, the book gets rolling and Albert delivers the engrossing stay-up-late-to-finish experience his reader, at least this one, have become accustomed to. ( )