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Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip to the Tune of Five World-Class Hotels, Three Armored Cars, and Millions of Dollars Audiobook
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(3.17) - 155 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Immediately gripping and thoroughly harrowing,Storming Las Vegastells the story of a remarkable true-life crime spree—a story that was previously squashed so as not to disturb tourism—that ultimately proves the saying "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."
On September 20, 1998, a Cuban-born former Red Army lieutenant named Jose Vigoa launched a series of raids on the Las Vegas Strip. During a sixteen-month spree, Vigoa hit five world-class hotels, three armored cars, and one department store. The MGM, the Desert Inn, New York, New York, Mandalay Bay, and the Bellagio were the casinos involved.
Lieutenant John Alamshaw, a twenty-three-year veteran in charge of robbery detectives, was ordered to stop the robberies at all costs. He knew he was up against a mastermind—what he didn't know was that he was running out of time.
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"It's an amazing non-fiction story that seems too extraordinary to be real. Action mixed with a bit of humor, irony and mystery. Some parts really get you excited and you want to quickly read what's happening next. I can see a movie coming out of this book. "
— Davis (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Harrowing…Storming Las Vegas showcases Mr. Huddy’s fine reporting and deft storytelling skill.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Revealing in what it shows about the criminal mind…[Huddy has] the perfect blend of skills and experience to tell the story of Vigoa.”
— Seattle Times -
“An amazing and absorbing story…[John] Huddy’s vivid, visceral prose and lean narrative make reading about this episode of extreme criminal violence much more than a guilty pleasure.”
— Miami Herald -
“A thought-provoking, demented Horatio Alger story.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“A total page-turner…riveting from beginning to end.”
— Laura Ingraham, The O’Reilly Factor -
“A gripping story of greed, violence, theft and public relations…A must for true-crime enthusiasts.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Storming Las Vegas Listener Reviews
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" Quite an intriguing story, considering that it actually happened "
— Charles, 2/9/2014 -
" Anyone living in Las Vegas; a must read! "
— Patricia, 1/1/2014 -
" True crime book - not the best I've read, not the worst. Some of the time it seems like the writer thinks the bad guy (Soviet-trained commando) is cooler than the police who catch him. "
— Mark, 12/19/2013 -
" Really interesting book about an immigrant criminal. If you live in Las Vegas or are interested in law enforcement at all you will find this book VERY interesting. I couldn't really put it down once I picked it up and read it quickly. "
— Tbone, 12/5/2013 -
" Interesting real-life story of high profile crime in Vegas. Good writing, interesting characters. "
— Kerry, 12/1/2013 -
" Not my normal kind of book, but read it because it was written by a friend of a friend of mine. Pretty good and interesting. One tough criminal! "
— Rhonda, 11/18/2013 -
" Story was intriguing and true, but was poorly written in some parts. i still recommend as the main character wa and is a very intriguing person. "
— Asantorelli, 11/12/2013 -
" I thought this would be much more engaging and exciting, but was very bored quickly. Two stars because I learned some history about Cuba's history that I didn't know before. "
— Brian, 10/18/2013 -
" An excellent story, it's very involved, action packed, and the backing up that it may all be legit is very intriguing. Highly recommended. "
— Steve, 9/17/2013 -
" This is the story of the real life Tony Montana. I read a lot of true crime and I have never encountered another story that caused me to go back and re-read entire sections because the story was so complex and unbelievable. People who are interested in true crime should definitely read this book. "
— Billye, 11/26/2012 -
" Its amazing the things that happen in real life that you don't hear about. As a person that travels to Las Vegas frequently, I find it amazing that these heists actually happened. I couldn't put this book down...read it in about 3 days "
— Jon, 11/12/2012 -
" What I can't get over is how this story hasn't reached a wider audience. To me this book is the move "Heat" in novel form. Highly, highly recommended. "
— Jordan, 10/5/2012 -
" Good book, especially if you're into "true crime" stuff. Author does a great job of putting together all the information and going into detail about the people involved. Would make a great movie. "
— David, 8/11/2012 -
" It's an amazing non-fiction story that seems too extraordinary to be real. Action mixed with a bit of humor, irony and mystery. Some parts really get you excited and you want to quickly read what's happening next. I can see a movie coming out of this book. "
— Davis, 4/15/2012 -
" This book is about a commando turned bank robber became a modern day Butch Cassidy. "
— Craig, 4/8/2012 -
" What a story...one of my top picks from the non-fiction genre. Action, adventure, brutality, justice. The title tells its premise. Amazing read. "
— Simon, 11/16/2011 -
" I enjoyed learning more about the Cuban culture. It was also interesting reading about the transition between the Casino mafia rule and corporate ownership in Vegas. The main character is unbelievably arrogant - which led to his demise. A good page turner. "
— Julie, 10/6/2011 -
" Pretty good read except when he goes off on long tangents that do not aid the story. "
— Scott, 8/29/2011 -
" This was an interesting story of a Cuban immigrant who was, on the surface, the mastermind of several armored car and casino heists which netted millions of dollars, but may have actually been a Cuban or even Soviet sleeper agent. Somewhat graphic, but quite interesting and well written. "
— Jesse, 5/31/2011 -
" Anyone living in Las Vegas; a must read! "
— Patricia, 5/10/2011 -
" An excellent story, it's very involved, action packed, and the backing up that it may all be legit is very intriguing. Highly recommended. "
— Steve, 3/14/2011 -
" Pretty good read except when he goes off on long tangents that do not aid the story. "
— Scott, 8/5/2010 -
" Good book, especially if you're into "true crime" stuff. Author does a great job of putting together all the information and going into detail about the people involved. Would make a great movie. "
— David, 7/20/2010 -
" This was an interesting story of a Cuban immigrant who was, on the surface, the mastermind of several armored car and casino heists which netted millions of dollars, but may have actually been a Cuban or even Soviet sleeper agent. Somewhat graphic, but quite interesting and well written. "
— Jesse, 6/5/2010 -
" Its amazing the things that happen in real life that you don't hear about. As a person that travels to Las Vegas frequently, I find it amazing that these heists actually happened. I couldn't put this book down...read it in about 3 days "
— Jon, 2/5/2010 -
" This book is about a commando turned bank robber became a modern day Butch Cassidy. "
— Craig, 1/2/2010 -
" I thought this would be much more engaging and exciting, but was very bored quickly. Two stars because I learned some history about Cuba's history that I didn't know before. "
— Brian, 4/13/2009 -
" True crime book - not the best I've read, not the worst. Some of the time it seems like the writer thinks the bad guy (Soviet-trained commando) is cooler than the police who catch him. "
— Mark, 2/3/2009 -
" Really interesting book about an immigrant criminal. If you live in Las Vegas or are interested in law enforcement at all you will find this book VERY interesting. I couldn't really put it down once I picked it up and read it quickly. "
— Tbone, 12/20/2008 -
" Interesting real-life story of high profile crime in Vegas. Good writing, interesting characters. "
— Kerry, 11/25/2008 -
" What a story...one of my top picks from the non-fiction genre. Action, adventure, brutality, justice. The title tells its premise. Amazing read. "
— Simon, 6/24/2008 -
" Quite an intriguing story, considering that it actually happened "
— Charles, 6/18/2008
About John Huddy
John Huddy, a network producer and print journalist for three decades, has won two Emmys for editorial writing and on-air commentary and other national awards for producing, news writing, and documentary filmmaking. A former columnist and critic for the Miami Herald, he now lives in Granada Hills, California.
About Stefan Rudnicki
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.