Sweeney on the Rocks

Ted Sweeney, the protagonist of this fine crime novel from Jones (A Bloom of Bones), has been living a peaceful life in Rockjaw, Mont., having given up his former identity of New York City gangster Cosimo Aniello when he entered the Witness Protection Program. But when he finds a dead mobster in his house, he knows that someone is on to him, and when another body turns up in the tiny town, along with his very-much-alive ex-girlfriend, he knows he’ll have to go back to New York to finish his business. Sweeney’s present-day story intertwines with flashbacks to his childhood, in which an older cousin draws him into working with the mob. Jones does a nice job of showing Sweeney’s ambivalence toward the more violent side of criminal life, while only hinting at the specifics of his adult criminal history, allowing him to remain a heroic lead. The third act contains a few too many coincidences, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise convincing tale. Readers will hope to see more of Sweeney. (Apr.)