Santangelo novels
novel by Jackie Collins
The Santangelo novels are a series of novels written by Jackie Collins, which focus on the Santangelo family, particularly Gino Santangelo, an Italian-American former gangster, and his daughter Lucky. The novels, which take place from the 1920s to the present day, are set in the world of organised crime and include the Santangelos' rivalry with the Bonnatti and Kassari families. There are nine novels in the Santangelo saga and one spin-off. Confessions of a Wild Child (2013), is a prequel depicting Lucky's teenage years, which were briefly explored in the first Santangelo novel, Chances (1981).
Main characters
Gino Santangelo – first appears in Chances
Lucky Santangelo – first appears in Chances
Olympia Stanislopoulos – first appears in Chances
Costa Zennocotti – first appears in Chances
Carrie Berkley – first appears in Chances
Steven Berkley – first appears in Chances
Lennie Golden – first appears in Lucky
Brigette Stanislopoulos – first appears in Lucky
Alex Woods – first appears in Vendetta: Lucky's Revenge
Family members
Paulo Santangelo, d. 1939, married to:
Mira, married until 1910
Vera, married until 1939
Gino Santangelo, 1905-2015 son of Paulo and Mira Santangelo, married to:
Cindy, married 1934-1939 her death
Maria Grazione, married 1949-1955 murdered.
Susan Martino, married 1979–1983
Paige Wheeler, married 1985–2015
Steven Berkely, b. 1939, illegitimate son of Gino Santangelo and Carrie Berkely, married to:
Zizi, married 1968–1971
Mary Lou Morley, married 1984–1988
Lina, married
Lucky Santangelo, b. 1950 daughter of Gino Santangelo and Maria Grazione, married to:
Craven Richmond, b. 1948, married 1966–1970
Dimitri Stanislopoulos, married 1979–1984
Roberto "Bobby" Stanislopoulos Santangelo, b.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Santangelo novels” as novel by Jackie Collins. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as novel by Jackie Collins. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7762262. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2013, 1981, 1939 and 1910.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Santangelo novels”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Santangelo novels primary sources, Santangelo novels archive and Santangelo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Santangelo novels”?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Santangelo novels” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.