American Desperado

My Life--From Mafia Soldier to Cocaine Cowboy to Secret Government Asset

De: Jon Roberts, Evan Wright

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall, Erik Davies, Mark Deakins, Kimberly Farr, Kirby Heyborne, Thomas Vincent Kelly, Steve Kramer, Meredith Scott Lynn, Johnathan McClain, Christina Rooney

The true story of super-criminal Jon Roberts, star of the documentary Cocaine Cowboys.

American Desperado is Roberts’ no-holds-barred account of being born into Mafia royalty, witnessing his first murder at the age of seven, becoming a hunter-assassin in Vietnam, returning to New York to become--at age 22--one of the city’s leading nightclub impresarios, then journeying to Miami where in a few short years he would rise to become the Medellin Cartel’s most effective smuggler.

But that’s just half the tale.

The roster of Roberts’ friends and acquaintances reads like a Who’s Who of the latter half of the 20th century and includes everyone from Jimi Hendrix, Richard Pryor, and O.J. Simpson to Carlo Gambino, Meyer Lansky, and Manuel Noriega.

Nothing if not colorful, Roberts surrounded himself with beautiful women, drove his souped-up street car at a top speed of 180 miles per hour, shared his bed with a 200-pound cougar, and employed a 6”6” professional wrestler called “The Thing” as his bodyguard. Ultimately, Roberts became so powerful that he attracted the attention of the Republican Party’s leadership, was wooed by them, and even was co-opted by the CIA for which he carried out its secret agenda.

Scrupulously documented and relentlessly propulsive, this collaboration between a bloodhound journalist and one of the most audacious criminals ever is like no other crime book you’ve ever read.

Turns the lovable bad guy cliche on it's head

Would you consider the audio edition of American Desperado to be better than the print version?

American Desperado is written the first person perspective of Jon Roberts and other key figures of his life. Often on the written page a change in first person narration is demarcated by extra spacing between paragraphs. When the book changes perspective the audio version changes narrators. I found that the style helped cement when the novel changed perspectives and allowed for an easier listen.

What did you like best about this story?

Jon Roberts is an interesting figure because he is un-apologetically bad. Similar, stories to Jon's have been told in both novels and films. However, this story is unique because it does not allow you any empathy for the main character. I like to say that everyone is the hero of his own story but that is just not true for Mr. Roberts. Jon Roberts is unquestionably the villain of his story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I really enjoyed this book. The reaction to the main character is a visceral hatred. This may be the only autobiography ever written designed to slander it's subject.

Incredible

One of the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. And I have read a lot. This one definitely sits at the top of the list.

exceptional!

great account of his crazy life! i was on the edge of my seat the whole book!

This was my 1st audio book I loved every sec of it

This book was awesome the details in the story were told were crazy. I had seen the movie cocaine cowboys so I want to look into this book and I am very happy I did

Incredible story!

I was hooked and couldn't stop listening. The career that this guy has had was fascinating. I wish someone would make a TV series of his life. It would have multiple seasons in order to tell the whole story. Very well written and read.