In 1955 he got an offer he couldn't refuse: the publication of his first novel, "The Dark Arena"
In his first two novels, "The Dark Arena" (1955) and "The Fortunate Pilgrim" 
... to the extent that he once refused a publishing house's offer because the... [DOC] [TLE] Articles about Mario Puzo - latimes [PAR] Now, at age 75, he returns with another skillfully crafted piece of commercial 
fiction, "The ...