Mary Moss

My moniker in my youth was "Webster," because I loved words and was similar to a walking dictionary. Friends and fellow students came to me when they needed writing or vocabulary help, and I was often the school spelldown champ. So it followed that I would develop my skills as a writer and wind up doing it to earn a living. Working with Chris Banson to write his memoir about "running with the boys" was exciting, scary, and incredibly informative. For a country mouse like me, he made those days come alive with stories that curled my hair: moments spent with a gun to his head, adrenaline-fueled incidents where he had to outdrive pursuing cars full of gangsters, and how just one tiny wrong move at the wrong moment would have spelled his end. I grew up watching my dad working on the family car, and I especially loved the 1960's muscle cars. Hearing about Chris' get-away-car driving experiences took me back to the old drag race days. But I never got the chance to drive at really high speeds, something that came easily to Chris. So, I'm a bit jealous. I greatly enjoy hearing--and telling--other people's stories; it's why I worked for years on honing my expository writing skills. Even so, being a woman personally far removed from the nastiness of organized crime, it took determination to remain open-minded so we could get this memoir written. While I'm no prude or stranger to the lure of sex, the obsessive focus on sex in Chris' life was a bit off-putting at first. However, this book isn't about me at all, and I can't praise Chris enough. He made it easy to see-and explain--how hard it was for the average guy to be put in close proximity to so much cash and power without being tempted to try to get some of it for himself. Throw in the lure of extramarital sexual intrigue--while he tries to salvage his crumbling marriage and family--and it's obvious why Chris finally wanted out. What really blew me away was the fact that Chris actually survived all of the dangers that Mob associates face and could finally tell his story all these years later. Mob aficionados everywhere will likely respect that very noteworthy achievement. Stan and Frank Valenti weren't people to mess with; Chris was on a familiar, first-name basis with both of them. In fact, Stan was one of his mentors. In the end, most other men who served in a Mob soldier role never lived to see a day when they didn't have to sit with their back to the wall all the time. Chris was very lucky. And I was fortunately in the right place at the right time when he was looking for some writing help.