Columbus Avenue Boys Pictures, LLC
REVIEWS
"Just finished Columbus Ave Boys. It's fantastic! I just loved it. It flew off the page and I was so into the whole thing. Rich, textured, exciting, humor etc etc."
~Katie Ford Writer/Producer ~Miss Congeniality
"A wild and exciting tale."... "The script oozes with authenticity."... "Introduces an immensely diverse and deep cast of characters."... "Feels very reminiscent of The Godfather II."
~WeScreenplay
"Columbus Avenue Boys is a fascinating story of Italian immigrants, their families, and their connection to crime and how they escaped its hold on them. Several things attracted me. The history and how these people fit into it held my interest throughout the book. And then the individual stories also were well done. It is called 'historical fiction," but one can't help wondering how much is true because of the characters that were taken out of real life and added to the novel. This interesting book gives the reader a chance to be entertained while learning things of historical interest."
~Writer’s Digest Annual Self-Published Book Awards
"When you're in the mob, you're in for life...so getting out is quite the difficult task. "Columbus Avenue Boys" is a story of the mob set in the 1980s. Three boys grew up closely tied to the underground of the Gambino crime family. As a family patriarch reveals that the Gambinos have strong links to the many deaths of their ancestors fifty years ago. Wishing for them to break free from the mob, the three must work closely together to bring down the Gambinos while retaining their own lives. "Columbus Avenue Boys" is a riveting tale of criminal intrigue, highly recommended reading."
~Midwest Book Reviews
"Carraturo novel tells the decades-long story of the mob-related Scalamarri family living through good and hard times. In 1947, mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was killed at his home. The identity of his assassin most likely resides somewhere in the lineage of the Scalamarri family, who lost 12 of its members in a fire—what came to be known as the Sunday Night Massacre. Vincent, the surviving son who witnessed the murders, tells his story years later to his grandson, Tony, and friends, Sal and Chris, all descendants of the Scalamarris. Tony and Sal agree to sever all association they have with gangsters, and Chris, a successful financial advisor, works out a deal with a friend at the FBI, allowing the other men to act as informants. The plan goes awry when wise guys start getting whacked. The author’s novel is a prequel of sorts to his previous book (Cameron Nation, 2011), which featured Chris as the protagonist. The title of his latest is a little misleading: It’s a reference to the three friends, but the plot jumps around the family tree, whose branches are depicted throughout the novel with a helpful visual, considering the vast number of characters in the book. In fact, the backstory—Vincent’s involvement with World War II, his quest for retribution and his falling in love—is tighter and more interesting. The author aptly manages frequent leaps, sometimes with dark humor. As the two timelines converge, the novel picks up pace with stellar results: a Fed goes undercover and a seemingly insignificant character returns to chuck a wrench into the FBI’s scheme. Blending plot with real-world events and people—Watergate, George Raft and Frank Sinatra—adds a dash of authenticity to the epic. A mob story with the prerequisite hits, casinos and Italian food, but augmented by a strong sense of camaraderie."
~Kirkus Reviews
"David Carraturo’s Columbus Avenue Boys is an authentic-feeling and compelling gangster drama told from the perspective of its musclemen soldiers, opposed to its cunning bosses. With the novel’s juxtaposed storylines of immigrants and their sons, much of the plot harkens The Godfather Part II; likewise, its portrayal of soldiers and FBI informants is reminiscent of more contemporary gangster films such as Donnie Brasco and Goodfellas. Carraturo writes this world with authority, making dynamic characters that have often been relegated to filmic clichés, while at the same time offering a proud and historic sense of Italian immigration and community."
~iUniverse Hollywood Coverage
"Get ready for an incredible ride, that's all. Megyn Kelly even shows up at 27%...or does she? Anyway, the cozy, informative introduction gives way to a "Nailed it!" prologue: you've just GOT to know what led up to it, let alone what will happen next! And you will definitely get both, and meet all kinds of members of a close Italian-American family, any one of whom would do ANYTHING for any other one, no matter WHAT "anything" could possibly involve. So when cousins Sal and Tony hear from their beloved grandfather Pops ("their favorite person in the world") about a horrible chapter in their family history....what else can they do?"...they simply could not kill a man they had no emotional connection to." "'Sometimes a bag of lime, a shovel, and a long drive to the country's the best marriage counseling.''…"Hey, you know why Betamax never took off....Cause they didn't support triple X flicks.'"…"Since he would now be a civilian, he wanted to know what was going on in the world and who the hot starlets were."…Family love, loyalty, and growth (and yes, family trees)...tasty chapter names....a way with words and details...join the Columbus Avenue Boys for the friggin' AVVENTURA they were destined to undertake...and obligated to friggin' prevail. At. (#@$% prepositional friggin' phrases!)"
~Majenta (goodreads reviewer)
"Want to feel like you are getting the down and dirty on the lives of those effected by the mafia/ those whose families have ties and history? David Carraturo’s COLUMBUS AVENUE BOYS is the story of three lifelong friends, closer than true brothers who discover a long hidden secret within the mob that directly relates to their own families. In true mob fashion, Chris, Tony and Sal , young as they are, are determined to seek revenge for the devastation wrought by the Mafia decades in the past. But first they must get to the black heart of the mafia in the late twentieth century and get out alive. The fever of vengeance will bring Chris home from his successful career in Dallas, as Tony and Sal, now muscle for the mob plan the ultimate takedown and give one old man the opportunity to silence the hosts of the past he alone survived. This is their story, their history and their present as theColumbus Avenue Boys wage their own personal vendetta. Follow through time, from past to present and back again as David Carratura recounts the heinous massacre and the years of deceit in between. Feel as if you can see these characters come to life, as mobsters from long ago lay through your mind like an old back and white film of the brutality and mentality of the mob. Is there truly family loyalty or can it be bought by the highest bidder? Is blood thicken than the champagne of wealth and power? Is it possible for three young men to shred the foundation of an age-old organization based on coercion, power and control? Yes, the mob is central to this tale, yes, there is violence, but there is also friendship and love for family that runs as soul deep as the need to protect. Follow the dark twists and unexpected turns as David Carraturo brings hidden worlds to life on each page of this gripping and edgy novel. Learn just how far three blood brothers will go in the name of honor."