Entertaining, gossipy, engaging, and fairly disturbing look at a short period of time when the Rat Pack ruled Las Vegas. I will always love the music of Dean, Sammy, and Frank but boy were they obnoxious, especially Frank. The author manages to walk a fine line most of the time of admiring the stars but yet finding their actions repugnant. The most icky chapter is the one that lists all of the famous women the guys were supposed to have slept with. Lots of stories about the mob and the Kennedy's provide a lot of other salacious details.

Bad boys

Breezy, breathtaking romp through the lives, loves and tragedies of Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter and Joey -- known as The Rat Pack. Frank and crew ruled the world of showbiz for a couple of years, then were cast aside by the rise of the counter-culture in the 60s and 70s. But Frank is still the king of male singers, and his albums still fly off the shelf. And, surprisingly, Dean's and Sammy's best still hold up today. Levy's foray into the Rat Pack world of broads, sex, booze and crime is a real page turner, tying together the connections between Frank and the mob and the Kennedys. Disclosure: Shawn and I go back about 30 years when we worked on the same Hollywood publication.

Good writing, good story

As Sammy might say, "it's a hip, groovy book, man". It's intelligently written, moves along at a good tempo, is respectful, even supportive, of it's characters' wild ride through American culture, but never fawning, and it does not flinch from the darker and seedier side of the tale.

A look at the infamous Rat Pack at it's height during the making of "Ocean's Eleven" in Vegas in the 1960's. The best part is the light, ring-a-ding tone the book takes while providing real insight to the men and that time

"January 1960. Las Vegas is at its smooth, cool peak. . . . They call themselves The Clan. But to an awed world, they are known as The Rat Pack [Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop]. Acclaimed biographer Shawn Levy has written a dazzling portrait of a time when neon brightness cast sordid shadows." The highs, the lows, the wives, the broads, the drinks, the fights, the mob connections, the amazing talent, the style, the laughs, the betrayals and the heedless waste; it's all here and it was a wild ride while it lasted.

What a crazy talented, lucky, long-suffering, funny and miserable bunch of men who acted like toddlers and pimps according to this book. Wow. New perspectives help round out your beliefs!

Cool touch of nostalgia for those of us of a certain age.
A good deal of the information about each of the “Rat Pack” members is already widely known due to the many biographies and autobiographies already written.
This book brings them together as the “Rat Pack”. How it started, how it progressed and how it ended.
Their ups and downs were many and staggering, not always flattering, sometimes offensive.
Their triumphs and failures also many and stunning, sometimes shocking.
BUT they are remembered centuries later as giants of the industry.
Their collective excess of talent is flabbergasting. No one else can touch them.
I loved reliving the golden days when these icons, all of them, gave us everything they had, and more.
Love them or hate them, there is no denying, as I write this in 2020… “And there was never anything like it before or since.” (Pg.8)

Interesting "behind the scenes" look at the Glory and Fall of the Rat Pack. Levy takes us on an insiders journey into the world of the legends of the 60's.

Recommend this as a must read for fans of the late 50's early 60's era. Oh they were special and while Frankie is the feature, have to say have always been a bigger Deano fan. . . .cannot fathom his loss of his son.

Wades deep into the muck behind the glitz - half admiring, half condemning the individuals. Skims over some areas but it's one book, where numerous volumes could be filled.

I dug it. A little too detailed for my interest level on some aspects re: the politics, but it was part of the scene and necessary for the story.

Interesting history

This is the first book I've read about this group. It had some new insights on their dynamics and on their interactions with each other. As a child of the fifties I have some memories of watching the Rat Pack on TV. I thought they were cool but a little otherworldly and hard to figure out in my young mind. But most adults confused and mystified me back then. As time went on, the Rat Pack lost their relevance with the shift in people's tastes. That was inevitable, except for Frank Sinatra and that was due to his uncanny talent. All in all, it was an entertaining read.