“Hatch has written a political sizzler
that burns right down to the last page.”
                                               —The Hartford Courant

Mafia tale is unlikely no longer
Minneapolis Tribune
Reviewed by Dwayne Netland
    A year ago the content of this book would have been considered too improbable to take seriously. Strange things happen in politics, but could the Mafia really take over completely the New York City government?
    Now, with the stains of Watergate and Agnew behind us, we are beginning to realize that nothing in our political structure is impossible. Hatch’s grim tale suddenly seems all too realistic, woven as it is into an authentic Manhattan background reminiscent of "The Godfather."
    There is, come to think of it, a good deal of "The Godfather" in this story. Bobby DeStafano, scion of an East Coast Mafia family, conceives a plan to kidnap a WASPish socialite and coerce him, at threat of killing his daughter and estranged wife, into running for mayor of New York.
    The candidate’s name is Devereaux Page, a 38-year-old bastion of conservatism whose current position is president of the National Horse Show Association. Page gets the syndicate’s brainwashing treatment including a crash session in public speaking, and within weeks he is campaigning effectively on the streets of New York, financed by a $1-million war chest of Mafia money.
    When the New York Times breaks the news of Dev Page’s connection with organized crime, the lid almost blows off the campaign. But the Mafia, opportunistic as always, converts that initial wave of public outrage into a cunning choice for the voters: Would they prefer to have New York administered in its present state of chaos, with one out of every six residents on welfare; or would they prefer to turn it over to what DeStefano calls "the most efficient organization in the world?"
    The campaign builds to a smashing climax in a rally at Madison Square Garden, marred by a tragedy not uncommon on the American political scene over the past decade