The Rolling Bootlegs

The first light novel of Baccano! is The Rolling Bootlegs.

It was published in February of 2003 and is 315 pages long.

ISBN 4840222785

ISBN 978-4840222785

Synopsis
A Japanese photographer visits New York City in 2002 and meets a bespectacled immortal who introduces himself as the contaiuolo of the Martillo Family. In New York City during 1930, a man succeeds in recreating the elixir for the immortal alchemist Szilard Quates, only to be attacked by young thug Dallas Genoard. Although young Camorrista Firo Prochainezo rescues the man, the man later loses the box containing the only two bottles of the elixir to Dallas. Dallas then accidentally leaves the bottles with the three mafiosi Gandor brothers. Szilard captures Dallas, makes him an incomplete immortal and has him retrieve the elixir. Meanwhile, thieves Isaac Dian and Miria Harvent plan to rob the Martillo Family. While investigating their hideout, they end up attending a party commemorating Firo's promotion within the Martillo. Dallas kills four Gandor men and reclaims the elixir. Isaac and Miria leave the party, and planning to steal from the Gandor instead, scout out the Gandor headquarters. There, they encounter Dallas and steal the box. Mistaking the elixir for alcohol, they give the bottles to the Martillo. Szilard discovers this and attacks the Martillo, killing every executive except for the immortal Maiza Avaro and Firo, who escapes. At the same time, Dallas attempts to convince the Gandor brothers, Luck, Berga, and Keith, that Firo killed their men, but the brothers were attending the party with Firo at the time of the murders. However, Dallas kills the three and Firo, and escapes. Szilard is relieved to find none of the elixir is missing, but he soon learns that Firo switched the elixir with regular alcohol and distributed the elixir at the party, inadvertently bestowing immortality on himself, the Martillo executives, Isaac and Miria and the three Gandor brothers. Szilard is betrayed by his homunculus Ennis, who tells Firo how to kill Szilard. The Gandors catch Dallas and cement him to a barrel, which they sink in the Hudson River as punishment for killing their men.

The immortal who tells the photographer this story is not in fact Maiza, but Firo.

Chapters

 * One day ago ~In Alveare~
 * A few days later, or a few hours ago ~Train Station~
 * A few minutes ago ~On Road~
 * Immediately before ~Gandor Family~
 * Epilogue 1
 * Prologue
 * The First Day
 * At Night
 * The Second Day
 * Epilogue 2

Cultural References

 * The title of the volume is a reference to the band The Rolling Stones.