Murder of a Mafia Daughter

The Life and Tragic Death of Susan Berman

By: Cathy Scott

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Susan Berman was reared in the lap of Las Vegas luxury as the daughter of Davie Berman, a notorious casino mogul and mafia leader. It wasn't until college - well after her father's death - that she learned what her dad did for a living. She ultimately dedicates her life to learning about Vegas and its underworld mob, publishing two acclaimed books on the subject: Easy Street and Lady Las Vegas.

Her story takes a turn for the bizarre in 1982, when Kathie Durst - the wife of college friend and heir to a New York real estate fortune Robert Durst - mysteriously disappears. Robert Durst is considered a prime suspect, but a case is never mounted against him. Then, in 2015, the Kathie Durst case is reopened, and soon after, Susan Berman is found shot in the back of the head, mob-style execution. No forced entry, no robbery, nothing missing from her home. Like Kathie Durst's disappearance, Durst is a person of interest in Berman's case. Did she have information about the fate of Kathie Durst?

With investigators after him, he fled New York and eventually is arrested for killing an elderly neighbor in Galveston, Texas, who some suspect may have had information regarding Kathie Durst's disappearance. Durst is acquitted by a jury, however, after claiming self-defense. Then, in 2015, Durst is arrested again while on the lam in New Orleans, this time for Susan Berman's murder, and the trial is ongoing in Los Angeles.

This new edition of Murder of a Mafia Daughter includes exclusive information on the Durst connection straight from LAPD investigators working on the Berman case as well as from Susan's friends and family.

©2002, 2015 Cathy Scott (P)2021 Cathy Scott

Not a lot here, needed an editor

There are two reasons I got this book. First, it seemed like a reasonable complement to The Jinx, regarding the Robert Durst connection. And secondly, my wishlist is getting woefully short, as I've run through virtually everything I found interesting.

The biggest problem with this book is that there is really no discipline in the writing. Seriously in need of an editor, it introduces people referenced through people we haven't learned about yet (at the time of its original writing, I believe neither The Jinx nor the film All Good Things had been produced). And even if we had some external reference, it would just be good form to have a clear presentation of major players. One might imagine some jeopardy would have been stirred, but even with the extensive Las Vegas backstories, and the frankly overlong recitation of Ms. Berman's literary recounting of her father and the mob in the city, it never really takes hold. The author essentially acknowledges this in early chapters, focusing on the Durst connection, essentially leaving subsequent mob talk as mere commentary.

More troubling is the uneven portrayal of Susan Berman herself. She is called pretty. Then homely. Excitable. Morose. A talented writer. A hack. Incredibly driven. A poor little rich girl exploiting her childhood. At the peak of her career. In dire straits. Now, this could be a solid format for presenting a complex woman, but it isn't. It's just a mishmash of perceptions that don't coalesce into anything like a literary mission.

And just as an aside, I found it oddly incongruous the number of times the author referred to crossdressing with reference to Durst in Galveston. Yes, it is part of the story, and quite bizarre at that, in a story that is no stranger to bizarre incidents. But the focus placed in it seems out of proportion, particularly considering that the man was accused of at least three murders, and dismembering at least one of them. But yeah, he wore women's clothes when hiding out.

The one enjoyable part of this laxity of form is the entry of Jeanine Pirro into the book. Whether intentionally or not, the author exquisitely portrays Ms. Pirro as a loudmouth boor on the one hand (even the venerable Kevin Pierce could not do justice to her rapacious delivery) when broadcasting, in her own self-aggrandizing way, the intention of seeking prosecution of Robert Durst in NYC. And on the other hand, the meek "Who me?" hypocrisy, running from the responsibility that she may have had a hand in facilitating her murder. Easily earns her the spot as 2nd most odious person in the story, behind Durst. Go watch The Jinx, or watch it again. This adds little to the story.