Rating: 
Summary: Operation "Omerta"
Review: A posthumous publication by a major literary figure presupposes these questions in the reader's mind: Did this author write this book? If so, how much of the book? Did this author receive any "help" in its writing? If so, then what was the form of this "help?"Without doubt, master storyteller Mario Puzo has placed the capstone of his life's work in "Omerta," the final tale of the "Godfather" saga. At first glance, "Omerta" appears to be a continuation of the struggles between older and younger generations, between traditions of Sicily and America, between alleged crime families and law enforcement agencies. Early on, the story seems to collapse on itself because the narrator deprives the reader of the suspense of "whodunit." Nevertheless, the Puzo "signature" of larger-than-life characters is stamped on every page of "Omerta." When Don Raymonde, the Sicilian scion of the Aprile family, is murdered, his adopted Sicilian son, Astorre Viola, steps up to enforce the Don's last wishes. Astorre is confronted by Don Aprile's daughter, Nicole, a corporate attorney who happens to oppose the death penalty. The "no mercy" tenet of Don Aprile is counterbalanced by the "mercy" obtained by Nicole Aprile through her pro bono work. The text of "Omerta" is threaded with imagery and aphorisms: ". . . when one changes one's country, one must always change one's hat." The usual cast of characters appears, including Roman Catholic cardinals and priests. A close reading of the text will reward one with glimpses of Puzo's dark humor. Beyond his use of irony, one can sense self-parody, which is a hallmark of his inimitable style. However, there are some textual clues in "Omerta" which lead one to suspect that Puzo may have changed his narrative style partway through the novel. After the early revelation of the "shooters" and their "contractor," the novel takes on an uncanny resemblance to a "police procedural." Indeed, the director of the Bureau asks, "And how is our operation 'Omerta'?" Further, the frontispiece defines "Omerta," using the "World Book Dictionary." A final quibble concerns the book cover, which is a minimalist European-style design: black letters shadowed onto a white background, with an oval of metallic red to dot the "i" in "Mario." My question is: where is the written accent for "Omertà?" Without "reading" too much into this "omission," nonetheless, I do find it to be an appropriate symbol of how "[t]he great Dons had accomplished their goals and blended gracefully into society . . . " (315). Naturally, one cannot read this book without envisioning the sights and sounds of "the movie" and its "soundtrack." Bravo, Signor Puzo e mille grazie.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe The Movie Will Tell The Story
Review: I had high hopes for this, the third and final book in Mario Puzo's trilogy of the Mafia. My hopes were held aloft as the main characters were introduced, albeit in a sparse and descriptively limited style. But as I continued it became evident that his writing had taken a sharp decline. I began to wonder just how much was written by him and how much by his wife after his death. The plot, simply stated, is plausible with imagination. Don Aprile is killed after he started to go straight. He leaves his nephew Astorre,whom he has raised with his own three children, the responsibility of managing the family's several banks, and to never sell them. Astorre must preserve the family honor and obey the Don's orders despite pressures from powerful factions who need the banks for their own selfish and deluded purposes. They want to launder drug money through the banks and then use the money to purchase, get this, a nuclear weapon. Knowing Puzo's success with converting his books to movies, there is little doubt Omerta has enough action and surprises to be transformed onto the big screen. However, as a book of literary achievement or even as a suspenseful thriller, it leaves much to be desired. In fact, ironically enough, there is a short scene in the book when Marcantonio, one of Don Aprile's sons, is meeting with a movie producer and an agent who are trying to sell three books to make into a movie. They are turned down because the books " are too literary. Its the language that makes them work, not incidents.". In the case of Omerta, it has incidents, i.e. action scenes, but not the language to paint the scenes with brilliance on the written page. The story, told from a narrator, third person point of view, is lacking in descriptive words and is closer to a newspaper article. There are very few frills and the characters are at times wooden and two dimensional. They aren't developed enough so I could never really connect with any of them. There were mistakes in the use of words, e. g. referring to descendants when it should have been ancestors.( I read the Advanced Readers Edition and maybe that error was changed ). There was a confusing reference to a basketball game between Temple and Villanova, two Pennsylvania schools playing at Madison Square Garden in New York. Finally, a reference was made to Operation Omerta by the F.B.I. director, never to be mentioned again. These errors distracted me and the story lost credibility. The Godfather was Puzo's greatest work and it is sad to see how far his writing talent had fallen. I wanted for the story to be as good as The Godfather but realistically very few books about the Mafia have even approached it. Now Omerta can be added to the list.
Rating:
Summary: Four stars for Omerta, one for Mr. Puzo.
Review: One year ago Mr. Puzo left us, but before he did he left his last work "Omerta" for us. This final tale of his is quite good, and when the end comes there is a feeling of closure to the epic he brought us with "The Godfather". The book is a melancholy reading experience, as you know it is the last work from Mr. Puzo. Do not make the same mistake I did by reading it in one day, make it last. Too much has already been given away about the plot, a trend I will not continue. Suffice to say this is a different type of Mafia that Mr. Puzo brings us; it is quite contemporary with events leading to the mid 1990's. New York and Sicily feature prominently in the book, and with a style that only Mr. Puzo can bring to the topic. It is clear that he was telling of great change in Organized Crime as we knew it, and it is a shame we will never know where he might have taken this storyline. The book is not a cliffhanger; it merely leaves you to ponder what would come next. When reading, one of the joys that returns is the memories of the first 2 Godfather Films. How many films brought that much talent to one screen? There were legends as well as legends in the making; Marlon Brando, James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Dinero, Robert Duvall, Dianne Keaton, and a host of faces we would see in the theaters in the following years. The jacket of the book says this story will soon be a film. I am probably in the minority but I wish it were not. Mr. Puzo was personally involved in the previous screenplays, and even though this work was written with an eye toward being a movie, without Mr. Puzo it cannot be what we have come to expect. He created classic literature, and then helped to bring at least 2 movies that already are in the category of "Classic". Our language has become peppered with lines from the movies, even movies carry the spirit, and Tom Hanks recently tutored a business owner with bits and phrases from the Godfather Movies in the film "You've Got Mail". You cannot help but remember all the original characters and the faces attached to them when this book is read, I just don't see how the Corleones could be brought back to the screen, especially as they are a very small part of this work. Thank you both for the body of works you left us, and for being a true original, rest in peace Mr. Puzo.
Rating: 
Summary: In Many Ways, Best of Puzo's Mafia Series
Review: In many ways Omerta is best of Puzo's Mafia series. There is less bloodshed and more intricate plotting. That is the way gangsterism has changed. As last of the old time Dons, Raymonde Aprile says, when he can legitimately fleece businesses through owning dozens of banks, why take risks? (It is a thought that will resonate with many readers who have dealt with banks.) Using factual accounts, Puzo's Godfather Books and Screenplays exposed the wide, sinister operations of a criminal organization with ancient roots -- as did no other more scholarly work. Omerta is the code of silence enforced as a defense against Government power. However preventing betrayal proves about as difficult for the Dons as squeezing Al Capone into a tu tu. Twin assassins murder the almost-retired Don Aprile. Kurt Cilke of the FBI, himself under suspicions finds himself up against a quiet adversary, Astorre. However, whoever ordered the Don's death, now threatens Astorre. Other characters include the unforgettable fresh-faced, fun-loving, tennis-champion Rosie -- as well as the Sturzo twins, intriguingly well drawn. Omerta is a rewarding finish to Puzo's Mafia works.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful Letdown.
Review: Maybe the realism of the Sopranos coupled with the actual decline of the mafia makes this book seem so very unimportant. The writing itself is pitched at the average fourth grader and Puzo is the master of using the trite expression.The world view put forth is that everyone but everyone is crooked on this planet so by the time you put the book down you are exhausted with the duplicity. Frankly, if you MUST read this book either go to the library or wait for the paperback.
Rating:
Summary: 'Omerta' Deserves To Be Read And Discussed!
Review: Omerta is a rich, powerful epitaph to Puzo's mafia trilogy. It well deserves the large reading audience it will definitely attract. Typical of all of Puzo's books, Omerta grabs your attention and never lets go, it's filled with action and suspense, and it's loaded with interesting characters. Omerta' s greatest quality, however, is Puzo's narrative style, in which you can feel every emotion his characters are feeling and vividly picture every setting in which his characters appear. Omerta is without question a fitting memorial to a great writer. The only reason I didn't give Omerta a 5-star rating is that would make it equivalent to 'The Godfather', which it is not. But than again, how many books are? Make yourself an offer you can't refuse and buy a copy of Omerta. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Puzo's last is the best since Godfather.
Review: I read this book in one night. I am a huge Godfather fan and was really looking forward to reading this. There are some great characters, like two twin hitmen who operate as a team and Astorre, the opera singing, horse riding young Don who knows the old Sicilian ways, like the code of Omerta. It moves back and forth from present day New York to some great early stuff in Sicily. I highly reccomend this to anyone who liked the Godfather. It is the best Puzo since then. I can't wait for the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great Start
Review: I have been a fan of Mario Puzo since i was in the 6th Grade and read "The Godfather." I read the second in the trilogy (The Last Don) and found it just as captivating as "Godfather." Now, on the first day the book was available, I rushed out to buy "Omerta", which, 50 pages in, has me already captivated. Puzo (Rest In Peace)is, simply put, the master.
Rating:
Summary: PADRE PADRINO
Review: Omertà non esiste più... Eh, Italian Mafia is no longer what it used to be, let an Italian tell you that. No more secrets, no more "law of silence", Hispanics taking over with their gratuitous violence: with Sicilians you knew were you stood. Every murder a symbolism, a pictorial work of art: a man with a fish in his mouth would teach the others to shut up. A man without his head would tell others not to lose it in a crisis. And then the famous horse's head, no? And the garroting, the precise stabbing in specific body parts to signify retaliative punishment. Ah, the art of it! Cynical sarcasm aside, now what's left of Cosa Nostra? Even Gambino is in jail. Wait, wait... perhaps, the whole thing went legit -- we don't see it any more. Omertà of another subtler, more subliminal kind -- a shroud of accepted legitimacy has transformed Italo-American organized crime into a corporate empire nobody can attack any longer. This is Puzo's lesson in concluding his trilogy and writing his epitaph: an enticing book that leaves the Colombians in the kindergarten.
Rating:
Summary: A storyteller to the end!
Review: I just finished "Omerta" and let me say that this is a fitting end to the 'Godfather' trilogy. The consequences of violating the Sicilian 'code of silence' or 'omerta' are explored In the violent operatic fashion that has become Mr. Puzo's trademark. The Characters are real and the plotting brillant! intrigue, betrayal and murder all the good stuff! A look at the Mafia as the century turns. Also recommended: 'A Tourist in the Yucatan' don't miss this one!
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