The Family That Couldn't Sleep At Night

The Family That Couldn't Sleep at Night is a fascinating collection of true crime stories written by Bruce Rubenstein, a seasoned veteran of the genre. The author ran with and observed thugs, addicts, gang members and crime-minded miscreants since his teenage years. He has a direct, open, no extra bulls*** style and spares absolutely no effort in his research. I was struck by the colorful and varied names and monikers of the real people in his stories: Quakenbush, Zipp, Scalzetti, Cabeza, Cindy Pluff, Dog Man, Choo Choo Johson and Chester Z.

Most of these "...True Stories of Murder and Mayhem", take place in the North Country of Minnesota, Wisconson, and a couple of neighboring states. Each tale begins with a helpful paragraph introducing the story. The title story "Family That Couldn't Sleep at Night", is about three brothers that make up The O'Kasick Gang, who shoot two Minneapolis policeman, killing one and gravely injuring the other. The hunt for the killers by the authorities is complex, lengthy and a sensation in the region.

The son of a well-known millionaire poet/artist in "Danny's Boat" is the victim of a gripping, twisted tale when he is murdered by the crewmen he hired for his yacht to take an impulsive voyage. The story takes detectives and then Rubenstein from Minneapolis to many cities and countries in this tragic story.

"Key Man" is the story of the murder of a Minneapolis wholesale florist that destroys a family, displaying for the reader, The Good - Det. William Quinn of Minneapolis PD; The Bad - an unknown killer; The Ugly - Det. Russell Krueger, also of MPD, a heavy-handed brute who hung out with gangsters and took over as lead detective in the case.

In the autobiographical "Notes On My Sources" Rubenstein tells his own excellent and moving tale of woe, when he took a 3-plus year vocational training course in Writing About Crime and Criminals in Sandstone Federal Prison without intending to.-Bill Savran