The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer

There are rough childhoods then there is a Kuklinski childhood his father Stanley would regularly beat his wife and kids killing on of his sons at age 5 which he and his wife covers up thus becoming an impetus for Richard to become cold against the rest of the world also as a child growing up in the rough and tumble of New Jersey and being picked on bullies in gangs he sought his revenge on the rest of the world.He first began reading true crime magazines and learned how to kill and dispose of bodies and kept an axe under his bed as protection against his father.When Richard was young and lost a fight his father sent himont for revenge one time his father punched out the other kids father, he was also abused by Priests and Nuns when he misbehaved all this violence in his life led him to begin torturing and killing stray animals.While a teenager he made his first kill a bigger boy from a gang who would pick on him with all his buddies so Richard went out late at night and waited to catch him alone then beat him to death with a close line rod and transported him to the woods knocking his teeth out with an axe and cutting his fingers off and dumping the body in the river all learned in the magazines so the body if found could not be identified,this one event changed his life as he gave himself a motto "Mess with me and I'll Kill you",then after this event he'd walk the street looking for all the other bullies that picked on him exacting his revenge, he quickly got a reputation as someone to fear which he liked.He then started a 5 person gang called "Coming up Roses" and soon started getting Mob work but after a while his own gang went sour and was contracted to kill them which agin weighed heavily on his mind.He would practice killing bums and panhandlers and anyone else that rubbed him the wrong way and got more and more creative.When he was giving a contract with "Special Treatment" he would beat gag and bind the victim and put him in a cave with rats and film it, there would be only bones the next day.Richard also beat his wife but not the kids and caused her 3 miscarriages.He refused to do any contracts that included women and kids one time killing a guy who wanted his wife and kids killed.Because he was not Italian he became a freelance killer all the Mob families could hire and anybody else for that matter.Richard also killed 2 Cops both crooked one had him pick up Heroin and the other he didn't know was a Cop.His brother Joseph also turned into a killer but not for contract just another psycho on the street.He also described how he killed Jimmy Hoffa and what happened to his body.A Pharmacist taught him how to kill with Cyanide in a syringe or to sprinkle on food (his new favorite way of killing) because it looked like a heart attack with untraceable levels, latter Richard also killed the Pharmacist.He got even more creative when he met a Special Forces guy a contract killer and all around psycho who drove around in an Ice Cream truck killing people and taught Richard to put Cyanide in a spray bottle.New Jersey State Detective and an ATF agent would eventually get Richard on a wire and bring him to justice and named it "Operation Iceman" because he would occasionally freeze the victim for a while to throw off Law Enforcement.Richards father could have easily turned his wife and kids into Manchurian Candidates with his extreme violence instead Richard split personalities were just channeled through rage.Overall the book is written in short to the point chapters making for a fast and interesting read, if Richard really did save children from a nest of Pedophiles where is their story? also did Southerners really attack him? or was that just propaganda? did he really beat his wife for making a comment about a homosexual on TV? why was that important to know? or was that the anti-women gay agenda? did Nuns and Priest really abuse him? one man had a beard like Abe Lincoln? really? the author said the Mobsters had Reptilian eyes and refers to Richard or that he felt like God because he could take a mans life only later in the book was he referred to as Satan,well those are my outtakes.

Continuing his journey through the minds and lives of mafia involved killers, Philip Carlos tries his hand at the life of Richard Kuklinski, in The Iceman: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer. This book pulls back the typical dehumanizing aspects from books about killers, and puts the facts into an easy to follow story. This humanization of Richard Kuklinski allows the reader to focus on other things such as; the power of the mafia and their associates, the hard work of the NYPD, and the lasting effects of a more than disturbing childhood.With a ruthless father who would beat him at any moment, and a religious tyrant of a mother, it was no surprise that Richard Kuklinski would amount to a life of crime. As a child Richard was never taught the difference between right and wrong; he was simply just wrong all the time and beat repeatedly for it. Not only would Richard’s father Stanley beat his children relentlessly but also his wife as well. These abusive tendencies would surface in Richard’s own marriage later in life as he would beat his wife Barbara (whom he really did love) repeatedly to the point that she would actually suffer from two miscarriages. Besides being beaten by his father and mother, Richard was also repeatedly abused by the nuns at his Catholic school and even other children of his apartment building. It wasn’t just Richard that suffered from a household filled with pain, but his siblings as well. When Richard was just six years old his brother Florian was killed by his father Stanley, and the family was forced to cover it up, in fear of what Stanley might do. The aftermath of this horrifying childhood also led Richard’s younger brother Joseph to a life of crime, and in 1970 was charged with the rape and killing of a teenage girl. When Richard was asked about his brother’s crimes he simply replied, “We come from the same father,”(Page 145). There’s no denying that mafia families are powerful, but in the 1950’s they ran the cities that they inhabited. With news of Richard Kuklinski’s useful skills and undeniable discreteness, he seemed as if he could be a powerful asset, and every family was dying to get their hands on him. With the Five Families breathing down his back, and putting wads of cash in his pockets, there was no way for Richard to turn away from them. Richard was hired to kill dozens of marks, and all for a satisfactory price. Local cops were unable to catch on due to Richard’s interchanging methods; guns, knives, bats, fire, and poison, he used it all. The cops that did know what was going on however, made a slight profit off of their silence. It didn’t take long before famous mafia members such as Paul Castellano and Roy DeMeo had Richard roped into more than murder. Soon he was distributing porn, prescription pills, and extensive amounts of cocaine. The desire for money, along with help from the the Five Families transformed Richard into a man that craved only one thing; power. The arrest of Richard Kuklinski not only required the betrayal of some his closest friends, but also the hard work of truly passionate detectives. Mid 1980’s a detective named Pat Kane teamed up with Dominic Polifrone for an undercover assignment. Kane got Richard’s friend Phil Solimene to introduce Dominic Polifrone as a prospective client, and the operation was a go. It took almost a year before Polifrone got Richard on tape describing how he would kill a man. Once Richard was arrested, a jury found that he could only be connected to a total of 5 deaths; which was impressive as Richard had racked up the blood of nearly 200 men on his hands. Due to the fact that he pleaded guilty, Richard would not be sentenced to death, instead he was charged with repeated life sentences. As he had managed to keep his double life a secret from his wife and kids, Richard’s only regret was to have to “See the embarrassment, humiliation, and shame his family would have to suffer,” (Page 465). Even though many would argue that people are born killers or that they are just plain evil, author Philip Carlos makes the not-so-subtle argument that people can be caused to metamorphosize into a killer, based on a life filled with unruly circumstances. It’s unknown what Richard’s life could have been like if he hadn't been beaten without mercy, powerfully persuaded by the mafia, or arrested midlife. It is clear however, that Richard Kuklinski had become a money seeking, power craving individual. After confessing to the killing of his long time friend George Malliband (Which had been requested by Roy DeMeo), Richard had only one thing to say; “It was- it was do due to business,” (Page 475).

Pages nice and thick

Many of the facts that are listed in this book can easily be disproven. The first is that Anna McNally's parents died after emigrating from Ireland in 1904. Anna McNally wasn't born until Jan. 1911 which means her parents couldn't have died until 1910/1911 at the earliest. I actually found evidence they lived for years after Anna was born. Carlo also fudged the timeline of Kuklinski's parents marriage (they married in 1932) and the birth of Florian. He also states that Florian was named after Stanley Kuklinski's father- which is false. Stan Kuklinski's father was named John. All of these claims made in his book can easily be researched online. This makes the author lack credibility.

If I could give this book no stars I would do, badly written, it should start with 'once upon a time' because most of it is untrue. Kuklisnki was not involved in the Hoffa murder or many others he mentions; he's added them to try to enhance his reputation, The Ice Man should be renamed The Con Man. A book to avoid if you have any sense

This book could easily have lost at least 150/200 pages as it's very repetitive in parts, especially his wife's views on him. The author likes to keep reminding the reader that 'this was a very dangerous man' but I think that's fairly obvious and we don't need to be told in every paragraph. Certain phrases are used over and over again.Ultimately, I had no sympathy for this psychopath and I do wonder if a lot of it was made up, particularly where he supposedly videotaped killings and shared the tapes with those he worked for and with, but there was never any evidence of them.'Funny' how he got really annoyed during his arrest whilst his wife was manhandled yet he abused her for years?

Good read and story . Tho this bloke claims to off killed everyone probably Jesus aswell. Claims to of killed Roy and Hoffa when all the other books,films , documentaries h don't have him with anything to do with them. So make you think how much is made up ,alot of the crimes can't be traced and never been proven. Not any of these so called tapes have been found. So to some up a good read but likey alot of it is made up.

Good book if you like this sort of thing. Not really a one for the beach on your holidays (whenever that may be again). He was a serious man not be messed with. Just shows you what a really bad upbringing can encourage. Not too graphic in detail but you can imagine what he did.

I would highly recommend this book. It is top dollar as they say...thrilling, exciting, gruesome and at times utterly un-put-downable! Richard Kuklinski is a multiple killer..he should/would be viewed as a monster by most yet the author shows the reader a vulnerable,sad, abused and bullied side to this mountain of a man. By the end of the book I did not want this man to perish as he did..felt sad/sorry for him & yet at the same time wanted his pain to end..really enjoyed this book and if you are interested in human behaviour/psychology then you will love it. One more thing..if you are into Mafia/violence/hitmen..go for this book 100%! :)