John Carbone

Billed as a re-invention of the mafia thriller, I see this novel as more of a homage to 'The Sopranos' with a big nod to 'Goodfellas'.
It's told through the eyes of a teenage hoodlum who really does want to be in construction, but gets drawn in to his Uncle Tony's grand drug dealing plans. Thus it's like the relationship between Tony Soprano and his nephew Christopher, but set in the 1970s.
That's not to say that the book isn't a good read, because it is gripping all the way through. Also as in the Sopranos, there's the love-hate relationship with Marco and his crew, you hate what they do, but you want them to get through it and disappear into the sunset. The only false note is that Marco's girl Julia is too good to be true, and never questions his involvement, but this is a minor quibble in a well-plotted thriller.… (més)