The glamorous story of Skinny D'Amato and the Rat Pack, kings of the corrupt world of showbiz in the 1950s

'Fascinating... van Meter's atmospheric evocation of a lost world of glamour and corruption has the kick of a perfect Martini, straight up, with a twist' Sunday Telegraph

'Beautifully paced and compulsively readable, this book will keep you thoroughly entertained from cover to cover' Scotland on Sunday

Paul 'Skinny' D'Amato was perhaps the most important man in the history of Atlantic City, where his world-famous 500 Club served as the ultimate backroom for the players of entertainment, politics, sports and the Mob. Skinny was not part of the Rat Pack, but he was its mentor. It was Skinny who taught Frank Sinatra the coolest way to hold a cigarette, tip big and play with the big boys.

Skinny was the ultimate connected guy, a passionate gambler who had a special touch that brought people together, but with wealth and power there was also tragedy - fires, mental illness, bankruptcy, death and murder. The Last Good Time is a classic story of the whisky-soaked dark side of America and a portrait of a self-made man.