I don't know about anyone else, but this was actually my favorite of all of Puzo's novels. The character development was superb, and it serves as a prequel to The Last Don, for anyone who hasn't read it. About half the book takes place in Vegas, in the Xanadu Hotel, and goes into detail in one of the chapters about how Alfred Gronevelt came to power. Also, isn't it somewhat ironic, that in Fools Die, Gronevelt's right-hand man was a guy named Cully Cross, and in The Last Don, his right hand man, before he dies, is Croccifixio De Lena, a.k.a. Cross? All in all, a terrific read, highly recommened to all readers, Puzo fans or not.