Mark Winegardner Knihy

Pred viac ako tridsiatimi piatimi rokmi vyšiel veľký americký príbeh Maria Puza Krstný otec, ktorý zanechal v populárnej kultúre nezmazateľnú stopu. Uznávaný spisovateľ Mark Winegardner teraz v knihe Krstný otec sa vracia dopĺňa rozprávanie: opisuje roky, ktoré neboli zachytené ani v Puzovom bestselleri, ani v klasických filmoch Francisa Forda Coppolu... Je rok 1955. Michael Corleone vybojoval krvavé víťazstvo vo vojne medzi newyorskými zločineckými rodinami. Teraz si chce upevniť získanú moc, zachrániť manželstvo a presunúť podnikateľské aktivity rodiny do zákonných medzí. Musí sa preto stretnúť so svojím úhlavným protivníkom Nickom Geracim, bývalým boxerom, ktorý je rovnako úskočný ako Michael. Ich súkromná studená vojna potrvá v rokoch 1955 - 62 a ovplyvní životy bossov amerického podsvetia aj ich blízkych.

V druhém díle nové série, v níž uznávaný romanopisec Mark Winegardner navazuje na legendárního Kmotra Maria Puza, se ocitáme znovu v šedesátých letech. Nejvyšší šéf newyorského podsvětí Michael Corleone se stále snaží zrealizovat svůj velký sen: dát veškerému podnikání Rodiny legální základ. Zákulisní spojenectví s oslňujícím mladým prezidentem Jimmym Shea, politickými špičkami země a vládními agenty se však nečekaně obrací proti němu. Situaci navíc komplikuje pomstychtivý renegát Nick Geraci a všichni, kteří chtějí zachovat staré a neměnné tradice organizovaného zločinu. Michael se zaplétá do složitého přediva intrik, lží a zrad, z něhož se může vymanit pouze za cenu těžkých ztrát - a tato vysoká hra si vybírá oběti i mezi jeho nejbližšími.

It is 1963 in New York, and things have never been better for the Corleones. They've taken out their Mafia rivals, and legitimised the Family. Outside the fortified building owned by Michael Corleone, newly undisputed Boss of Bosses, a parade of people wait to ask the great man for favours. Only one thing remains to be done.

Der große Abschluss von Mario Puzos unsterblicher Saga! Im letzten Teil der einst von Mario Puzo begonnenen epischen Mafiasaga wagt sich der Corleone-Clan aus der Welt des organisierten Verbrechens auf die große Bühne der nationalen Politik. Welche Rolle spielte etwa Michael Corleone 1963 bei der Ermordung des jungen, charismatischen Präsidenten? Intrigen, Rachepläne und korrupte Machenschaften begleiten den Leser von New York über Washington und New Orleans bis in den Dschungel von Kolumbien.

THE MISSING YEARS FROM THE GREATEST CRIME SAGA OF ALL TIME Thirty-five years ago, Mario Puzo's great American tale, <i>The Godfather</i>, was published, and popular culture was indelibly changed. Now, in <i>The Godfather Returns</i>, acclaimed novelist Mark Winegardner continues the story-the years not covered in Puzo's bestselling book or in Francis Ford Coppola's classic films. It is 1955. Michael Corleone has won a bloody victory in the war among New York's crime families. Now he wants to consolidate his power, save his marriage, and take his family into legitimate businesses. To do so, he must confront his most dangerous adversary yet, Nick Geraci, a former boxer who worked his way through law school as a Corleone street enforcer, and who is every bit as deadly and cunning as Michael. Their personal cold war will run from 1955 to 1962, exerting immense influence on the lives of America's most powerful criminals and their loved ones, including Tom Hagen, the Corleone Family's lawyer and consigliere, who embarks on a political career in Nevada while trying to protect his brother; Francesca Corleone, daughter of Michael's late brother Sonny, who is suddenly learning her family's true history and faces a difficult choice; Don Louie Russo, head of the Chicago mob, who plays dumb but has wily ambitions for muscling in on the Corleones' territory; Peter Clemenza<b>, </b> the stalwart Corleone underboss, who knows more Family secrets than almost anyone; Ambassador M. Corbett Shea, a former Prohibition-era bootlegger and business ally of the Corleones', who wants to get his son elected to the presidency-and needs some help from his old friends; Johnny Fontane, the world's greatest saloon singer, who ascends to new heights as a recording artist, cozying up to Washington's power elite and maintaining a precarious relationship with notorious underworld figures; Kay Adams Corleone, who finally discovers the truth about her husband, Michael-and must decide what it means for their marriage and their children and Fredo Corleone, whose death has never been fully explained until now, and whose betrayal of the Family was part of a larger and more sinister chain of events. Sweeping from New York and Washington to Las Vegas and Cuba, <i>The Godfather Returns </i>is the spellbinding story of America's criminal underworld at mid-century and its intersection with the political, legal, and entertainment empires. Mark Winegardner brings an original voice and vision to Mario Puzo's mythic characters while creating several equally unforgettable characters of his own. <i>The Godfather Returns </i>stands on its own as a triumph-in a tale about what we love, yearn for, and sometimes have reason to fear . . . family. <i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>