Rating: 
Summary: A movie treatment, not a novel
Review: Omerta reads more like a synopsis than a fully realized novel. As always, Puzo creates fascinating characters, but this story is so brief that few of these characters have the opportunity to come to life. This book is really a movie treatment, and I won't be surprised if the movie is more enjoyable than the book, which is redeemed only by Puzo's gift for description and his talent for delightfully cynical aphorisms. We'll never know if Puzo intended to do more with this story. It would be easy to believe that Omerta was a first draft and that if Puzo's health had been better he might have breathed more life into it. As it stands, it's a predictable, fairly bland story, with familiar plot elements that fans of Puzo's earlier Mafia works are accustomed to. It's become more difficult to believe in Puzo's mythological wiseguys, after films like "Goodfellas", "Donnie Brasco" and the TV series "The Sopranos" have given us a more realistic view of what these people are like. Puzo himself expressed contempt for his own myth, saying of the Godfather, "I made it all up", and "I wrote it to make money." This lack of respect for his own material was evident in The Godfather and even more so in The Last Don; however Puzo's talent for character development and ear for dialogue made these novels compelling in spite of their pulp origins. However, Omerta didn't have enough substance in it to hold my interest. I enjoyed bits and pieces of it, but I expect the movie will be more fun.
Rating: 
Summary: The Sicilian Sound of Silence
Review: Anyone who has read Mario Puzo's Godfather and has clamored for the release of the three films on DVD, will not be disappointed with this tale. If you're a viewer of the Sopranos or just want entertainment, you will enjoy this book. But if you cannot appreciate the differences between Don Raymonde Aprile's family and Tony Soprano's, then you're missing the point.The characters, the locations and the details are all what you expect from a Puzo novel. The tale runs back and forth between the hill towns of Sicily with their simple lifestyles and traditions to the complexities of corporate law firms, FBI investigations and network television. Puzo's language is so descriptive about Sicily that you'll find yourself rereading certain passages to experience their flavor again and again. As you read the novel you will come to realize that Omerta was a way of life where secrets were kept or else.
Rating: 
Summary: Omerta
Review: I found omerta to be one of the best books I have ever read. At no point was I ever bored with what was going on. The story is very interesting because of small things that happen in the beginning and seem insignificant, play a large role at the end of the story. The plot moves around just enough to keep you interested in the book, but not too much as to lose you. I thought this was a great book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Mafia or crime fiction genres.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good read
Review: Omerta is on one hand an exiting mafia drama and on the other quite dissapointing. The excitment comes from Puzo's usual arsenal of excellent characters and a quick paced story. The dissapointment comes from the fact that this book is not anywhere close to the quality of Puzo's other two mafia novels, The Godfather and The Last Don. Thos two showed us the mafia in a way we hadn't seen it before with the Godfather focusing on those in charge and The Last Don choosing to look at those who carrey out the orders. Omerta doesn't seem to know where it wants to land. It seems to go for a balance between the two and winds up getting lost somewhere in the middle. Now if you're a fan of Puzo and are looking to read this novel, don't worry. It has passages that are just as gritty and violent as those in his other books but at the same time don't go into this book expecting another Godfather. Take it for what it is and hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: All the elements of a good Mafia novel
Review: This is the final book by Mario Puzo, finished just before he died last year at the age of 78. He certainly did leave a powerful legacy though. "The Godfather" and other books about the Mafia will long stand as classics in their field. I personally enjoy Mafia books and looked forward to reading this one. I wasn't disappointed. It has all the elements of a good Mafia read: the rise to power of a young Mafia leader, violence, romance, intrigue, betrayal, interesting characters and, above all, a strict observance of the Sicilian code of honor. It's predictable of course. There is the good guy, Astorre Violla, trained to follow in his adoptive father, Don Raymonde Aprile's footsteps. Astorre is everyman's ideal of Mafia manhood. He is attractive and honor bound and, although there are a few hard choices, every murder he commits is justified. Then there are all those bad guys. They have no scruples, and will murder just for the money or for power. And there are those weak guys, such as the FBI agent in this book, who treads a thin line between right and wrong. The women have always played secondary positions in Mr. Puzo's work, but at least in this book one of them is a sharp lawyer by profession. Another one is a sadistic cop. And yet another uses her feminine wiles as bait in the search for justice. The plot moves quickly and there are only 336 pages set in large type. It's easily a one-sitting book, but I enjoyed it so much I stopped reading halfway through on purpose because I wanted it to last. Basically, its a good story with a good plot. I just wish that Mr. Puzo didn't insult the reader's intelligence so much by over-explaining what was going on. The book could have used a lot more fleshing out too. Character tags are quick and fast ways to make characters interesting, but not quite enough to stir emotions. But we do have to remember that Mr. Puzo was dying as he wrote this and this was probably the best he could do. I must say that I applaud him for pursuing his writing up until the very end of his life. And I am glad to have read the book. Recommended for fans, such as myself, of this genre. And try not to compare it to earlier works.
Rating:
Summary: Omerta
Review: I just got finished reading this book today, it took me a couple of days to read it and I found myself fighting to put it down. This is another Mafia story from the great Mario Puzo. This book is a great read and it left me wanting to know what was gonna happen next, so it was hard to put down. The Godfather was an excellent book by Puzo, definitely his best. Omerta isnt as good as the Godfather but I haven't read a book yet that can top that masterpiece. If you are a fan of Mario Puzo or of Mafia/Crime stories, then I suggest you read this book, you shouldnt be disappionted.
Rating:
Summary: * * * * *Omerta* * * * *
Review: Is this book amazing or what? Truly a masterpiece, one of the greatest books I've read. Mario Puzo is a master of the art of storytelling and specially when it comes to mafia flicks. The story has great characters, a good plot, and it's a page-turner. Definitely a must read.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining
Review: I listened to the audio version of Omerta on CD while on a long day's drive. It was certainly enjoyable enough to hold my attention and make the miles and hours pass more easily. The story was straightforward and is summarized nicely by other reviewers. One of the main shortcomings of Omerta is that the characters do not change or grow through the story, in contrast to Michael Corleone in The Godfather, for example. (Perhaps this is a fault of the abridgement for audio rather than of the novel itself.) At other times, Puzo glosses over events that are so imporobable as to demand more explanation. For example, one police officer is killed and another wounded when a car bomb explodes. In the trunk of the car was $480,000. Despite the highly suspicious nature of this event, the surviving, courrupt police officer is soon back on the street wielding a gun and killing suspects with impunity. One gets the impression that Puzo doesn't really know very much about how police forces work.
Rating:
Summary: More politically oriented than Puzo's other two mafia novels
Review: While 'The Godfather' continues to reign supreme over the other works of Mario Puzo, this novel definitely holds it's own as an exciting and gripping story of deceit, honour, and retribution. Those who are familiar with Puzo's earlier mafia works will most likely find this story to be a bit closer tied to corruption in the government and the dark side of the political system. This may be because a good portion of the novel takes place in America as opposed to Italy, or simply because not as many characters are involved in Mafia families. Either way, it's a step in a different direction which may turn off fans of novels like 'The Sicilian' or 'The Last Don'. Most readers, however, will most likely welcome this change, as it doesn't really detract in any way from enjoyment of the book. The characters are still memorable, the plot has just the right level of complexity, and a man who betrays his friends will still be dead by the following morning. One drawback I found was the massive number of characters. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but Mario Puzo's style of writing is such that the reader has to remember the name of every single character they read about because the name will most likely come up again in the novel. If you don't remember who the person is it may detract from your understanding of the plot as a whole, and that's not a good thing. If your even an occasional reader, however, you probably wont have a problem with this. Overall, this is quite an interesting story, and definitely worth the time it takes to read.
Rating:
Summary: Not a great Puzo novel
Review: I am not going to review the story, because others have, but I will start by saying that I have read almost everything Mario Puzo has ever written. I am a huge fan! I love his work and not just the Godfather. I think the Sicilian was a great book destroyed by a poor movie.
That being said, this is NOT a great Puzo novel, heck, it isn't a great novel for anyone. There are some classic Puzo moments, but it eventually falls flat and I even had a hard time finishing it.
I am not an elitist that thinks Puzo is trash literature, just the opposite, I am a fan, but this is just not good. The story goes no where, the writing is boring and the plot has been told better in other novels.
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