This chronicle of the rat pack members reveals 5 talented men whose highest priorities were hedonistic pleasures and belonging to a 'cool' and 'hip' fraternity. Depending on the reader's point of view, different themes emerge. One theme: party heartily until you drop and leave a good looking corpse. Alternatively: Living the pleasure leads to an empty and barren quality of life; true happiness is created by pursuing wholesome principles and values. This is a very good read. It leads the reader to contemplate the myriad types of people in our world.

An Interesting Read

This was an interesting read, especially for anyone interested in the music of Frank, Dean and Sammy and the dirty secrets of the era. The book is essentially five district mini-biographies of the Rat Pack's members woven together by their participation in the Vegas of the early sixties. Though I found it difficult to discern truth from fiction at points, the book nonetheless made for an interesting read. I recommend.

A great insite into a bygone era of show business, super stardom and all the excesses, privileges and pit falls that comes with it. King Sinatras court laid bare. At one end of the spectrum you have the adualtion bestowed on the much loved Sinatra whilst at the other it explains the problems Sammy Davis has being one of the very few successful black entertainers of the era. Then there's the mob, always a sinister presence lurking in the background as are a few very well known politicians. Showbiz, crime, scandal....it's all in there. Loved it!

I love the Rat Pack. They were of my father's time and his adoration for them was passed down to me. That said, this book is somewhat tepid in it's telling of events, some known, some unknown. Nothing I found was much in terms of revelation. It's oddly brief, considering the enormous cultural footprint the Rat Pack gave to the world. I bought it at Barnes & Noble when Amazon was still in it's infancy, based on the title and the cover alone. That taught me a valuable lesson. There are much better books out there covering this subject.