The Ice Man

Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer

By: Philip Carlo

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski led a double life beyond anything ever seen on The Sopranos, becoming one of the most notorious professional assassins in American history while hosting neighborhood barbecues in suburban New Jersey. Now, after 240 hours of face-to-face interviews with Kuklinski and his wife and daughters, author Philip Carlo tells his extraordinary story.

Kuklinski was Sammy "The Bull" Gravano's partner in the killing of Paul Castellano at Spark's Steakhouse. John Gotti hired him to kill the neighbor who accidentally ran over his child. For an additional price, he would make victims suffer; he conducted this sadistic business with cold-hearted intensity, never disappointing his customers. By his own estimate, he killed over 200 men, taking enormous pride in his variety and ferocity of technique.

Kuklinski's story, once known, captivated the public and became the subject of three HBO documentaries about which the New York Times raved, "Few viewers are ever likely to forget this thoroughly chilling portrait. As for possible movie competition, it would work on the level of The Silence of the Lambs."

©2006 Philip Carlo (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Good as an omnibus resource on Kuklinski, this is a fine entry in the burgeoning field of works tracing the decline of the traditional organized crime families and their once impenetrable structures." (Booklist)

The Ice Man

The Ice Man is aptly named. Truly a book that I couldn't put down, and one that drove me to the Internet for further research and information.

Great insight into the mind of a killer

It's an amazing look into the mind of a sociopath. I actually felt sorry for the guy at one point in the book. Nurture vs Nature. This guy could have been a great man had he had the proper upbringing. It's tragic how parents can affect the life of a child. RIP Richard the nice man Kuklinsky

Cat And Mouse

This book covers so much. And the killings are beyond what most serial killers could even comprehend. Just a monster. Telling his daughter, "If I lose it and kill mommy, you know I'll have to kill you too. But you'll be the most difficult." His daughters response: "Yes, daddy. I understand." And yet he never killed women.

The Ice Man was awesome!!

The more I listened, the more that I wanted to hear. I really enjoyed this audio book.

Facinating

Would you listen to The Ice Man again? Why?

No, it was a fascinating look inside a life that's difficult to comprehend, but listening once is enough.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Just how indifferent he was to killing someone.

What about Michael Prichard’s performance did you like?

He as the right voice for this story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for one sitting, but it made the time fly by on the treadmill.

Any additional comments?

It was weird knowing that this was taking place at a time when I was occasionally working in the areas described in the book. As a salesman, I frequently stopped at the Vince Lombardi rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike and used the phones and ate lunch at Roy Rogers.

The Iceman Cometh for You

Brutally honest story of a tormented and abused boy growing up to be the tormenter and abuser of others as a paid killer for hire. His own insights into his character and actions are worth the listen. Notwithstanding a very gory listen.
Shiloh

WOW!! Utterly gripping

Holy smokes this book grabs you by the throat & chokes you the entire read. If you have a weak stomach or get squirmish with gory details then this book is NOT for you. But if you want to know about one of history’s most prolific contract murderer then this is a must read.

Somehow you end up kinda liking the guy. I don’t know how that happens when in reality this guy was a cold hearted bad guy. Yet he had his soft spots & even behaved heroically at times, oddly enough.

I’ve listened to this 21hr long book twice now & I can see myself going through it again at some point. I compare all other serial killer biographies to this one. I have yet to find one as interesting & gripping. Stop reading my comments & start listening to The Ice Man!!

Fantastic!

I’ve been a big fan of pieces about the Ice Man for years. I knew a lot of the information in a vague sense. But this story goes into detail you won’t get anywhere else. Fantastically done!

The Ice Man

Terrifying to think a man like that could exist in actual now days. Good book and interesting material.

Intensely dark

Has a Great story line. Intense and graphic. Detailed enough to keep you guessing. Highly recommended.