Gift copy! This is one of the best of the Abe Lieberman mysteries. The plot is complex but it is not difficult to follow. The novel opens with a 20+ pp. heist scene in which two criminals return to the scene of an earlier stick-up: a strip mall jewelry store. This anniversary' heist leads to a succession of actions which wend their way through the course of the novel. Hanrahan is attempting to hurry up his marriage to Iris (despite his promise to Woo to wait a year); Abe is planning his grandson's bar mitzvah; Abe and Bess's house needs a new roof; some punks are putatively involved in the murder of a small businessman who is in hock to a loan shark to the tune of $40K. And Abe is still worrying about his cholesterol and about the temple's request that he call Senator Joe Lieberman and ask him to come to Chicago for a temple fundraiser. This is further complicated by the fact that both Abe and his partner Bill Hanrahan are libertarians.
We visit Maish's deli, hear a word or two from the Alter Cockers, see El Perro in action and, in general, hit all of the notes associated with the Abe Lieberman series. The heist characters are straight out of Elmore Leonard's best playbook and we get to visit some interesting locales and neighborhoods in the windy city. The cameo appearance by Senator Joe Lieberman is fun and we are there for Hanrahan's wedding to Iris, complete with last-minute presents from Mr. Woo and El Perro.
While this book comes in the late/middle of the series it can be read as an independent novel. Those coming to the series for the first time will wish to return again and again. The series demonstrates the manner in which the personal lives of the ensemble cast can blend with crime stories in a very satisfying manner.
We visit Maish's deli, hear a word or two from the Alter Cockers, see El Perro in action and, in general, hit all of the notes associated with the Abe Lieberman series. The heist characters are straight out of Elmore Leonard's best playbook and we get to visit some interesting locales and neighborhoods in the windy city. The cameo appearance by Senator Joe Lieberman is fun and we are there for Hanrahan's wedding to Iris, complete with last-minute presents from Mr. Woo and El Perro.
While this book comes in the late/middle of the series it can be read as an independent novel. Those coming to the series for the first time will wish to return again and again. The series demonstrates the manner in which the personal lives of the ensemble cast can blend with crime stories in a very satisfying manner.
