THE RACKETS
Thomas Kelly, THE RACKETSThomas KellyA blue-tinted review in adult Forecasts indicates a book that we believe is of exceptional interest to our readers but that hasn't received a starred or boxed review.
THE RACKETS Thomas Kelly . Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $24 (384p) ISBN 0-374-17720-1 Written by a former construction worker and Teamster who worked his way through Fordham and Harvard to become "director of advance," a chief aide and troubleshooter for the mayor of New York City, this rugged, straight-shooting novel (following Kelly's well-reviewed debut, Payback ) is
shaped by intimate firsthand knowledge. Jimmy Dolan, the Director of Advance for the Republican mayor of New York, is fired after his hotheaded exchange with Frankie Keefe—the Mafia-connected president of the local Teamsters who is running for reelection against Jimmy's father, Mike—makes front-page headlines. Overnight a political pariah, Jimmy seeks refuge among his old friends in a formerly Irish neighborhood on the northern tip of Manhattan. Reunited with his old girlfriend Tara O'Neil, now an NYPD cop, and Liam Brady, an ex-paratrooper construction worker with an active commerce in illegal arms, Jimmy ends up back in construction. On the job, he witnesses the cold-blooded assassination of his father, who is becoming too much of a threat to Keefe. Vowing to avenge the death, Jimmy decides to run in his father's place. His own life—and his friends' lives—are soon threatened in what is revealed to be an uneven battle: Keefe is an informer, under government protection. Fighting deceit and betrayal, Jimmy prevails against all odds in this damning indictment of the clandestine interplay between big government and the criminal underground. Despite minor lapses into overlong, melodramatic introspection, the suspense holds to the end, and the novel draws readers deep into a gritty, wholly convincing world of late-20th-century union halls and construction sites. (June)
Forecast: The chips are stacked in Kelly's favor here. His unusual history should attract plenty of attention, and a feature film of
Payback, adapted by David Mamet, is on its way. This is a strong second effort, and a jump in sales may safely be expected.
closeDetailsReviewed on: 04/16/2001
Genre: Fiction
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-58788-551-8
MP3 CD - 978-1-59600-544-0
MP3 CD - 978-1-59600-543-3
Paperback - 374 pages - 978-0-452-28326-8
A blue-tinted review in adult Forecasts indicates a book that we believe is of exceptional interest to our readers but that hasn't received a starred or boxed review.
Written by a former construction worker and Teamster who worked his way through Fordham and Harvard to become "director of advance," a chief aide and troubleshooter for the mayor of New York City, this rugged, straight-shooting novel (following Kelly's well-reviewed debut,
Reviewed on: 04/16/2001
Genre: Fiction
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-58788-551-8
MP3 CD - 978-1-59600-544-0
MP3 CD - 978-1-59600-543-3
Paperback - 374 pages - 978-0-452-28326-8
