The Mensch by Leopold Borstinski

Release: 12th August 2022
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Sobriety Press
Source: Zooloos Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon

How can a crooked man ever go straight?

Jewish gangster Alex Cohen settles in Florida surrounded by his wife and family. But his past life in the criminal underworld stalks his every move. And when a bullet whizzes past his ear, he must decide whether to run or fight.

In his desire to go straight, Alex inserts himself in the East Coast porn film industry. But he finds that the tentacles of the mob are clasped tight around his life. The Feds start using new laws to hunt down mob bosses. And rats in his organization are too ready to testify against him. Now Alex must clean the house before the authorities throw him in jail or the mob kills him to stop him from ratting them out.

The seventh book in the Alex Cohen series is a historical thriller novel that reveals the dying embers of Jewish organized crime in America. Leopold Borstinski’s crime fiction shines a light on the death of the old-style mob in an explosive finale.

About the Author:

Leopold Borstinski is an independent author whose past careers have included financial journalism, business management of financial software companies, consulting and product sales and marketing, and teaching.

There is nothing he likes better, so he does as much nothing as he possibly can. He has traveled extensively in Europe and the US and has visited Asia on several occasions. Leopold holds a Philosophy degree and tries not to drop it too often. He lives near London and is married to one wife, one child, and no pets.

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The Mensch Review:

“The Mensch” is one of those books I wish I had read right from the beginning instead of picking up the 7th book to read first. Even though I have not read most of the previous books, I immediately liked Alex as the lead. He is by no means perfect, but it was interesting to see how he tries to become a better man and do things legitimately, only to backfire on him. I enjoyed his scenes with Sarah and their relationship, even when others like Liddy come into the picture. Moreover, it was interesting to see how Alex balances the business between Ezra and Massimo versus David and Moishe. The author wrote the family dynamics nicely, and I wondered how long Ezra and Massimo would be patient with Alex until they snapped.

Moreover, I enjoyed some sub-plots, particularly the new business Alex finds himself in with Mort and when Richard comes into the picture. The author has a friendly style of writing the character’s conversations. We also get some action-packed moments where Alex fears for his life, and we wonder what will happen to him. There was not a dull moment in the story.

However, the only concern I had with the story is how it somewhat changed gears now and then. For instance, in the beginning, the plot focuses on Alex and Mort, [then switches gears to Meyer and Israel, and then takes another tangent on Richard. It would have been nice if these plots somehow connected to a bigger picture.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading “The Mensch,” and I hope the author writes more books with Alex Cohen.