Killers

In bestseller Carr's hard-hitting sequel to 2012's Hard Knocks, Clay Westridge, a casino company executive, and his cohorts have spent $2 million lobbying the Massachusetts legislature to pass a bill that would legalize gambling establishments in the state. Westridge fears that a surge in gangland violence%E2%80%94a nephew of mob boss Salvatore "Sally" Curto's wife is gunned down, and later a car bomb takes out Curto's top hit man, Hole in the Head%E2%80%94will imperil the bill's passage. The killings lead Curto to assign his number two man, Bench McCarthy, to find out who's behind them. Meanwhile, Westridge offers broke, seedy Boston PI Jack Reilly a hefty sum to reach out to McCarthy and assist the thug in his investigation. Such authors as Jeremiah Healy and Steve Ulfelder have handled the Boston crime scene better in their novels, but fans of Carr's two nonfiction books, The Brothers Bulger and Hitman, will find plenty to like. Agent: Joel Gotler, Joel Gotler and Associates. (Sept.)