Lowdown

In the first chapter of this worthy, character-driven crime novel from Schneider (Repercussions), 58-year-old Jimmy Piccini, who was a rising figure in the Brooklyn Mafia, is released from prison, where he spent 25 years for arranging the killing of a rival mob boss. The second chapter introduces Milena Cossutta, another Brooklyn native, who as a young woman is attracted to handsome, wealthy Vincent DeNunzio, a made man in the Ruggeiro crime family, who seems to offer her the security she needs. Alternating flashbacks depict Jimmy’s early career as a gangster and Milena’s marriage to Vincent, which soon deteriorates as she becomes an emotional prisoner of her vicious husband. Then Jimmy and Milena meet and fall in love. Once Jimmy goes to prison and Milena winds up on the run in Sicily thanks to Vincent’s treachery, their lives won’t intersect again until decades later. Schneider avoids pathos in this affecting tale of two star-crossed lovers as he paints a vivid picture of a crime family’s values, rules, and pecking order. (Nov.)