Now a New York Times Bestselling Novel, and a Major Motion Picture From Universal Pictures!

Now a New York Times Bestselling Novel, and a Major Motion Picture From Universal Pictures!

AMERICAN GANGSTER MAX ALLAN COLLINS Based on the screenplay by Steve Zaillian

Based on a true story, the violent, action-filled chronicle of a uniquely American family.

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- For decades the Mafia controlled the flow of heroin onto the streets of Harlem. Frank Lucas changed all that. Born in rural North Carolina, he came to New York and rose to power under notorious mobster Bumpy Johnson. When Bumpy died, Frank moved to take over the drug business. Caught between the Mafia and the street dealers, Frank got creative. Instead of being a tool of the mob, he went straight to the source - Cambodia - and set up his own unique distribution system.

Using his brothers as his lieutenants and selling "quality" heroin in trademark blue baggies, Frank Lucas and his "Country Boys" became the kings of 125th Street. Frank had it made: he was rich, successful, and untouchable; he was the Drug Czar of Harlem.

Until Richie Roberts came along. Roberts, the Eliot Ness of drug enforcement, became a pariah among other detectives in the NYPD when he turned in the million dollars in cash he found in the trunk of a dealer's car. His personal life was a mess - his wife left him, and his son hardly knew him anymore - but on the job, Roberts was all business, and his business, heading up a Federal Narcotics Squad, was busting big-time dealers. His next target? Frank Lucas.

About the Author:

Max Allan Collins is a New York Times bestselling author. He has written dozens of novels, including his Nate Heller detective series. Collins wrote the graphic novel that was the basis for the mobster film Road to Perdition, as well as its sequel, The Road to Paradise.

About the Movie:

The major motion picture release of AMERICAN GANGSTER is scheduled for November 2007. Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down) and Universal Pictures bring this brutal story to the big screen in a movie starring Denzel Washington (Training Day), Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind), and Cuba Gooding Jr. (The Fighting Temptations). The screenplay was written by Steve Zaillian, screenwriter of Gangs of New York, Clear and Present Danger, and Schindler's List.

   AMERICAN GANGSTER   Max Allan Collins   A Tor Mass Market Paperback   ISBN: 0-7653-5901-4   Pages: 320   Price: $7.99   On-sale: October 2, 2007  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Tor and Forge Books

CONTACT: Jodi Rosoff, +1-646-307-5412, jodi.rosoff@tor.com

Web site: http://www.tor-forge.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment