Rating: 
Summary: A bit dodgy at times, but very good
Review: "Omerta" is everything you'd expect from a Puzo novel. There is no real distinction of who's on whose side and often, you find yourself wondering who the bad guy is, at least I do. The book is a great note for Puzo to end on, may he rest in peace, and highly recommended for any fan of "Godfather" or "Last Don".
The story follows Astorre Viola, adopted nephew of Don Raymonde Aprile, and his attempt to solve the mystery of the Don's murder and punish whoever's behind it. I found that the plot twists and turns like a man running through a mine-field. But unlike that man, the plot in "Omerta" has a sense of direction. It knows where it's going. That's what I love about Puzo's novels.
That's not to say that the book is perfect. There are a few times that I was unsure of who the characters were and found myself flipping back to find out. To me, some of the character motivations weren't clearly defined and the romantic backstory was a little confusing, especially the part about Astorre and Agent Cilky's wife. That's why I deducted one star.
But the rest of the novel is fantastic. The scenes are so well staged that I could shoot them tomorrow. I love Puzo's dialogue and the thick narrative is handled well by the author. This book is a must try for any Mafia fan or a fan of Puzo's work.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a great Puzo novel
Review: I am not going to review the story, because others have, but I will start by saying that I have read almost everything Mario Puzo has ever written. I am a huge fan! I love his work and not just the Godfather. I think the Sicilian was a great book destroyed by a poor movie.
That being said, this is NOT a great Puzo novel, heck, it isn't a great novel for anyone. There are some classic Puzo moments, but it eventually falls flat and I even had a hard time finishing it.
I am not an elitist that thinks Puzo is trash literature, just the opposite, I am a fan, but this is just not good. The story goes no where, the writing is boring and the plot has been told better in other novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Omerta
Review: I found omerta to be one of the best books I have ever read. At no point was I ever bored with what was going on. The story is very interesting because of small things that happen in the beginning and seem insignificant, play a large role at the end of the story. The plot moves around just enough to keep you interested in the book, but not too much as to lose you. I thought this was a great book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Mafia or crime fiction genres.
Rating:
Summary: Omerta
Review: I just got finished reading this book today, it took me a couple of days to read it and I found myself fighting to put it down. This is another Mafia story from the great Mario Puzo. This book is a great read and it left me wanting to know what was gonna happen next, so it was hard to put down.The Godfather was an excellent book by Puzo, definitely his best. Omerta isnt as good as the Godfather but I haven't read a book yet that can top that masterpiece. If you are a fan of Mario Puzo or of Mafia/Crime stories, then I suggest you read this book, you shouldnt be disappionted.
Rating:
Summary: Omerta
Review: I just got finished reading this book today, it took me a couple of days to read it and I found myself fighting to put it down. This is another Mafia story from the great Mario Puzo. This book is a great read and it left me wanting to know what was gonna happen next, so it was hard to put down. The Godfather was an excellent book by Puzo, definitely his best. Omerta isnt as good as the Godfather but I haven't read a book yet that can top that masterpiece. If you are a fan of Mario Puzo or of Mafia/Crime stories, then I suggest you read this book, you shouldnt be disappionted.
Rating: 
Summary: Did Puzo really write this novel?
Review: If you're a writer and release a novel such as "The Godfather" you know you've set the standarts very high, and everything you may write afterwards is condemned to be compared to it. That's what happened to Puzo in the seventies and eighties: after having written his true masterpiece he went on writting novels such as "Fools die", "The sicilian" and "The last Don", very, very good ones, but not as beautiful, magnificient and wonderfully written as "The Godfather".
With "Omerta" the problem of comparison to other works doesn't even exist, since it is far inferior to almost everything the great novelist had written before. I suspect Puzo hasn't really written this novel, or at least, he hasn't written the whole novel: was he feeling too sick during the last three-four years of his life to write another novel, not necessarily outstanding, but at least as good as the most part of his prior works? Did someone else give him a hand to finish it? Or was this last work intended to be a script? If so, why do they call it a novel? It seemed too hollywoodish to me to be a Mario Puzo work, especially the happy ending. There's no deep character development, no vibrant, poignant dialogues, and the plot itself it's not as hypnotic or riveting as you expect it to be. I wasn't captivated by any of the characters of this book, although (believe me!) I desperately wanted to: the author never forgets to remind the reader how charming Don Aprile and how cunning and power-radiating Astorre viola is, but you never really, naturally feel it the way you do while reading about Michael Corleone, Salvatore Giuliano or Don Clericuzio.If only Mario Puzo had really written this novel...
Rating:
Summary: * * * * *Omerta* * * * *
Review: Is this book amazing or what? Truly a masterpiece, one of the greatest books I've read. Mario Puzo is a master of the art of storytelling and specially when it comes to mafia flicks. The story has great characters, a good plot, and it's a page-turner. Definitely a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Mario Puzo has been an acknowledged master of the tales of Sicilian emigres in the Melting pot of US. His earlier novels depicted lives of the Italians who straddled the illegal arena so forcefully.
Godfather came the closest to hitting where it hurts. Unfortunately the same can hardly be said for 'Omerta'. Although the book establishes the boundaries fairly early on, it never manages to get out of the pat convenience of the plot.
Thus you have Astorre Viola, a part time macaroni business man, part time singer and main protagonist.
He takes over the reigns (although subtly) of the Aprile family after the Don dies (murdered).
Even as Puzo sets out the spread of characters, and his language is lucid as ever, it calls increasingly for a suspension of belief.
Hard to believe that so many coincidences can be crammed into a single plot. Truth be told it all coalesces pretty well at the end.
Still there is something far fetched about the larger than life characters (especially Astorre) and the fringe elements that somehow don't build up to an appetising whole.
It is definitely a good rainy day read but not among his classics.
A pity that it was also his last book. Not one I would like to remember him by.
Rating:
Summary: Mario Puzo- Omerta
Review: Mario Puzo's last book "Omerta" starts off with Don Raymond Aprile an old mafia leader, who has had his children brought up to be good citizens, and has retired himself from his old life, to seek legitimacy. When Aprile, is assasinated after coming out from his grandsons confirmation, his children are left his inhertiance, with his adopted nephew Astorre Viola getting majority share in his banks, unlike his real children however, Aprile has had Viola trained, and he is much more then a simple macaroni dealer with a love for horses. Now Viola must protect his family, from the FBI, rival mobsters, and renegade cops. Thats a very brief description of book, as it has been reviewed many times I thought it would best now to talk about how I feel about it. Some of other reviewers have mentioned that they dont feel its vintage Puzo, and some even feel he did not write this book fully. Personally I think he wrote majority of it, but its simply just not one of his better books, Puzo has written many excellent novels, it makes sense that some will not be as good as others. However I still feel that it was an entertaining read, and that Puzo added some new elements by going into different perspectives, whether it be the Sturzo brothers, Don Aprile, or FBI agent Kurt Clike, the reader gets different views. "Omerta" to me will not rank among Puzos best books but even an average Puzo novel is good compared to alot of the reading material out nowadays. 3.5
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good read
Review: Omerta is on one hand an exiting mafia drama and on the other quite dissapointing. The excitment comes from Puzo's usual arsenal of excellent characters and a quick paced story. The dissapointment comes from the fact that this book is not anywhere close to the quality of Puzo's other two mafia novels, The Godfather and The Last Don. Thos two showed us the mafia in a way we hadn't seen it before with the Godfather focusing on those in charge and The Last Don choosing to look at those who carrey out the orders. Omerta doesn't seem to know where it wants to land. It seems to go for a balance between the two and winds up getting lost somewhere in the middle. Now if you're a fan of Puzo and are looking to read this novel, don't worry. It has passages that are just as gritty and violent as those in his other books but at the same time don't go into this book expecting another Godfather. Take it for what it is and hopefully you'll enjoy it.
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