Norm! column

April 8, 2007

Pileggi's Next Book

[Hear the whole interview here]

Crime writer Nicholas Pileggi, author of the mob classic "Casino," has a new Las Vegas project: legendary sheriff Ralph Lamb. As he did with "Casino," Pileggi hopes to turn his Lamb book into a movie, Pileggi told Steve Friess of TheStripPodcast.com.

"He was a tough cop, more of a cowboy than a cop," Pileggi said of Lamb, who turns 80 on Tuesday.

He was sheriff of Clark County from 1962 to 1980, a turbulent time when the mob pushed its weight around. Lamb pushed back and experienced some epic confrontations. Among them: a smackdown with Johnny Rosselli, a suspect in the murder of Chicago boss Sam Giancana and an alleged operative in the assassination of President Kennedy.

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