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The Ice Man - Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer 2007 Harper Collins

Philip Carlo 476 pp $AUD 27.99 ISBN 13 978 0 7322 8496 1 ISBN 10 0 7322 8496 1

Reviewed by: Dr Robert N Moles

This is one of the most harrowing books I have ever read. Richard Kuklinski is definitely the sort of person you don't want living up your street. He obviously had a tough and brutal upbringing. However, whilst this sometimes proves to be the making of some people, it can obviously turn out to be the ruination of others.

Philip Carlo takes us through the life and times of one of the most successful and systematic killers of all time. Clearly there have been others who have been responsible for the deaths of greater numbers, in times of war or mass attrocities. But all of Kuklinski's killings were "one on one" - face to face - hand to hand. Some were killed because they had caused him some offence or because he took a personal dislike to them. The vast majority were killed because he was paid to kill them. Sometimes, of course, he was subsequently asked to kill those who had previously had him kill others.

I am not usually one for big books - and this book is certainly longer than the average paperback. However, once you get started you want to see how Richard is going to turn out - and how he is going to get there. Obviously, brutal in his dealings with others he brings that brutality into his personal relationships with others including his family. I was struck by the fact that he carefully explained to his young daughters that if he accidentally killed their mother, then he would have to kill them as well. Matter of fact. Logical. Systematic.

However, just as striking is the other side to Richard. Caring to a fault; bringing gifts to young children in hospital; going out of his way to help others. In the final pages, even the author admits to having a certain fondness for the object of his study.

Written in the style of a rattling good yarn, one often has to step back and reflect on the fact that his book is meant to be "non-fiction". Like any other good story, this book has plenty of fools and heroes - on the streets - in law enforcement. Its a puzzle reflecting on why some survive and others do not. It is also a puzzle reflecting on how so many people can disappear - or be found in very mangled conditions - and yet so little seems to have been done about it. I'm also interested in how and why others take up the challenge and won't take "no" for an answer.

This is a book which has left me with a great many more questions than I had previously. It is informative - skillfully written - intriguing. A rattling good read to get you thinking.

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