Order of Book Series
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Hank Messick Books in Order

Hank Messick has written 14 books, published between 1968 and 1995. The first book is Syndicate Wife: The Story Of Ann Drahmann Coppola (1968) and the newest is Razzle Dazzle (1995). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
14
Published
1968–1995
Pages on record
2,163 in 10 of 14 books
Reading time
36–54 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,163 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 10 of 14 titles with a page count on record.

See all 14 books in order Printable Hank Messick checklist

Hank Messick, born Henry Hicks Messick (August 14, 1922 to November 6, 1999), was an American investigative journalist who wrote about organized crime. A biography of Meyer Lansky is the work Messick is best known for, and the catalogue lists Lansky (1971). The 14 books span 1968 to 1995, from Syndicate Wife: The Story Of Ann Drahmann Coppola to Razzle Dazzle. Other subjects include kidnapping, gambling, the Mafia and the Battle of Kings Mountain.

How many Hank Messick books are there?

Hank Messick has 14 books, released between 1968 and 1995.

Hank Messick Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 Hank Messick books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The Mobs and the Mafia: The Illustrated History of Organized Crime by Hank Messick (1972)
  2. Cover of The Beauties and the Beasts: The Mob in Show Business by Hank Messick (1973)
  3. Cover of King's Mountain: The epic of the Blue Ridge "mountain men" in the American Revolution by Hank Messick (1976)
  4. Cover of The Only Game in Town: An Illustrated History of Gambling by Hank Messick (1976)
  5. Cover of The Politics of Prosecution: Jim Thompson, Marje Everett, Richard Nixon & the Trial of Otto Kerner by Hank Messick
  6. Cover of Of Grass and Snow: The Secret Criminal Elite by Hank Messick (1979)
  7. Cover of Desert Sanctuary by Hank Messick (1987)
  1. 1
    Syndicate Wife: The Story Of Ann Drahmann Coppola1968 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1968214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Syndicate Abroad1969 · confirmed 1/4
    1969–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Lansky1971 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1971288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Mobs and the Mafia: The Illustrated History of Organized Crime1972 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Beauties and the Beasts: The Mob in Show Business1973 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1973256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Gangs and Gangsters. The Illustrated History of Gangs from Jesse James to Murph the Surf1974 · confirmed 1/4
    1974–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Private Lives of Public Enemies1974 · confirmed 1/4
    1974–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Kidnapping: The Illustrated History1974 · 206 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974206
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    King's Mountain: The epic of the Blue Ridge "mountain men" in the American Revolution1976 · 194 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976194
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Only Game in Town: An Illustrated History of Gambling1976 · 214 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976214
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Politics of Prosecution: Jim Thompson, Marje Everett, Richard Nixon & the Trial of Otto Kerner1978 · 253 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978253
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Of Grass and Snow: The Secret Criminal Elite1979 · 190 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Desert Sanctuary1987 · 134 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987134
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Razzle Dazzle1995 · confirmed 1/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Hank Messick books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

14 books

14 Hank Messick titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Hank Messick books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 14 Hank Messick books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with Hank Messick

Start with Syndicate Wife: The Story Of Ann Drahmann Coppola (1968), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Hank Messick book?

Razzle Dazzle (1995) is the newest Hank Messick book released so far.

Is there a new Hank Messick book coming?

No next Hank Messick book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Hank Messick at a glance

Died
Hank Messick died in 1999, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Hank Messick on record dates from 1995.
Release pace
Hank Messick books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
2,163 pages across the 10 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 214 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Hank Messick books, 10 of 14, were published in the 1970s.

What the Hank Messick books are about

10 of the 14 Hank Messick books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: organized crime is tagged on 4 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.