The last boss of Brighton : Boris "Biba" Nayfeld and the rise of the Russian mob in America / Douglas Century.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063014954
- ISBN: 0063014955
- Physical Description: xvi, 395 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: [New York] : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2022]
Content descriptions
General Note: | Includes index. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Nayfeld, Boris. Russian American criminals > United States > Biography. Organized crime > United States > Case studies. Gangsters > New York (State) > New York > Biography. United States. |
Genre: | Biographies. Case studies. True crime stories. |
Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at Missouri Evergreen. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at North Kansas City.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Kansas City Public Library | 364.106 CENTURY 2022 (Text) | 0001012486766 | Nonfiction | Available | - |
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Kirkus Review
The Last Boss of Brighton : Boris Biba Nayfeld and the Rise of the Russian Mob in America
Kirkus Reviews
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
The life of a ruthless mobster, based on personal interviews. When Boris Nayfeld was born in 1947 in Gomel, Belarus, his father was thousands of miles away "doing time in a Soviet gulag for black marketeering." His mother abandoned him and his brother three years later, leaving them in the care of their grandmother. "I never loved [my mother]," he said later in life. "To be honest, I'm only grateful for one thing: she didn't have an abortion." Perhaps unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before he was hanging out with gang members, on his way to his own first experience with Soviet prisons. Century, the author of Hunting El Chapo and other bestselling true-crime books, thrillingly chronicles Nayfeld's criminal career in the Soviet Union, where stealing from the state was a main source of illicit income. However, living visibly beyond one's nominal means was a good way to earn unwelcome attention, and in 1979, Nayfeld and his family took part in a general exodus of Jews to the U.S. It wasn't long before he found himself in Brighton Beach, where "bilking the system was widely admired, a demonstration of intelligence and adaptability." Nayfeld quickly allied himself with those who could ease his path, especially Evsei Agron, a pickpocket from Leningrad who'd become a kingpin in Brooklyn. Under Agron's mentorship, Nayfeld took part in a stunning variety of scams, from passing counterfeit Russian coins to recent immigrants to insurance fraud, eventually hitting a real jackpot with fuel-tax evasion. Century wisely lets his subject tell most of the story in his own vivid words, painting his career in crime as a regular job, with prison just a cost of doing business and violence one useful item in the toolbox. True-crime fans will find this one irresistible, and the lengthy glossary of terms is a welcome addition. A fascinating, page-turning story of a genuine scoundrel. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.