A gay man who created New York's most notorious den of heterosexuality ...an anxious, anything-but-hardboiled lawyer who became one of the most successful undercover mob informants in history...In this hilarious and fascinating account, Michael Blutrich takes you inside star-studded 1990s New York, mafia sit-downs, and the witness protection program. Meet Michael D. Blutrich, founder of Scores, the hottest strip club in New York history. A resourceful lawyer at one of the city's most respected firms, Blutrich fell into the skin trade almost by accident, but it was his legal savvy that made Scores the first club in Manhattan to feature lap dances and enabled him to neatly sidestep a law requiring dancers to wear pasties by instead covering their nipples with latex paint. Soon Scores, the club Howard Stern called "like being in a candy shop," was a home away from home for everyone from sports superstars and Oscar-winning actors to pop singers and political notables alike. The catch? The club was smack dab in John Gotti's territory, and the mafia wanted a piece of the action. The Gambino family doesn't take no for an answer ...and neither, as it turns out, does the FBI.
In his memoir, Blutrich recounts in detail how his beloved club became a hub for the mafia, and how he found himself caught up in an FBI investigation, sorely struggling to juggle roles of business owner and undercover spy. As his life spiraled out of control, Blutrich would face the loss of almost everything dear to him. But whether marching a line of topless strippers as human exhibits into a trial to save the club's liquor license or wearing wires to meetings with armed gangsters, he never lost his sense of humor or his nerve. In Scores, Blutrich finally tells all--from triumph to betrayal--in his own funny, self-deprecating voice.
It's books like this that make me realize I live a rather boring and mundane life. Seriously? How do people get themselves into these situations? And more importantly, how is this guy still breathing??
Anyways, on to the review. I enjoyed this one. The Mafia stuff was fascinating. The Scores stuff entertaining. The author had an engaging voice that kept me turning the pages.
