This image is the cover for the book Last Jewish Gangster: The Early Years

Last Jewish Gangster: The Early Years

“A captivating and different kind of story” about the life of Bugsy Siegel’s godson, from the author “who captured his voice” (Nick Pileggi, author/screenwriter of Goodfellas and Casino).

In 1944 Brooklyn, newborn Michael J. Hardy is rejected by his mother so she can run with gangster Bugsy Siegel, Hardy’s godfather. Shirley Rook rose to the top of the criminal ranks. As the Queen of New York City crime, she laundered Mob money, ran the city’s largest bookmaking operation, and handed payouts to dirty cops, politicians, and judges.

To win his mother’s love and respect, Hardy became a fearless gangster. Throughout his career as a mercenary, he robbed banks and drug dealers alike, ran a kidnapping ring, and even became a hired gun. At his lowest, he ended up doing time for his mother’s counterfeiting operation in Mexico’s most dangerous prison.

Hardy’s criminal code of conduct combines elements of tough Ukrainian Jew and warm Southern Baptist, whether dealing with family and friends or fellow inmates during a combined twenty-six years spent in prisons and jails. He maintained this characteristic gregarious strength throughout his astonishing life in which Hardy was shot eleven times, committed fourteen hits for the Mob, twice wore wires for Rudy Giuliani to nab dirty cops, wrote a letter to JFK to get out of military prison, choked the Hillside Strangler, shared prison time with notorious criminals, and even spent ten years in Hollywood, cast in non-speaking roles in B-movies.

“A fascinating character study of an unapologetic criminal. David S. Larson masterfully weaves this tale in Michael Hardy’s own words, resulting in a powerful, inside story of a gangster’s life.” —Cathy Scott, Los Angeles Times-bestselling author

David Larson

David Larson is a storyteller, always on the hunt for original ways to bring stories to life on the page. Spending over a decade in the printing and prepress business helped him understand the machinations of the publishing process. Two decades leading global marketing for divisions of Fortune 500 companies prepared Larson to grasp the complexities of standing out in a crowded world of increasing noise. With the publication of The Last Jewish Gangster, Larson has now written nine books since 2013, five of them ghostwritten. He tells stories across a range of genres including biographies, autobiographies, true crime, base-on-a-true-story thrillers, historical fiction, fiction fantasy, apocalyptic, adventure/romance, non-fiction business, with others in the works. Since 2013, Larson has run a six-times-a-month Beta WRITERS MeetUp group where authors as far away as Cambodia put a chapter a week through the gauntlet to receive up to six reviews. What makes this so unique is that participants have three days to review submissions, tackling them first as a READER, then when they find something that stops or confuses them, suggest changes as a WRITER, using Word's Track Changes and Comments. The three-hour Zoom meetings are full of insights, laughs, and friendship. Champions of great storytelling, these Beta Writers push each other to make their writing more alive. Each chapter of Larson's books goes through this group. David Larson wrestled a 300-pound black bear when he was fourteen years old, preparing him for anything life threw at him, especially developing his craft as a storyteller. He is a father of two grown daughters, one a fashion designer, the other a graphic designer. He resides in the San Diego area with his love, Chona.

WildBlue Press