Gangsters Don’t Die

Goldberg concludes his Gangsterland trilogy in style, following up 2017’s Gangster Nation with a mesmerizing comic noir that’s fully accessible to series newcomers. After killing several FBI agents in 1998 Chicago, mobster Sal Cupertine hid in the back of a meat truck and reemerged in Las Vegas, where he assumed the identity of Rabbi David Cohen. In time, Sal grew into the role, providing genuine succor to his congregation and finding some satisfaction in doing so. But by 2002, the walls are closing in on him. Hospitalized after being assaulted—an attack that’s undone the plastic surgery he’s used to conceal his true identity—Sal is targeted by Matthew Drew, a former FBI agent who’s been framed for murders in Portland, Ore., and Peaches Pocotillo, a Native American gang lord who’s looking to take over Sal’s operations. Drawing his foes out to the desert, Sal prepares for a final showdown that will either end his life or free him for good. Goldberg keeps readers guessing whether Sal will again outsmart his foes and injects humor throughout (“The problem with being on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, Matthew Drew realized, was the lack of dining options”) to keep the proceedings from growing too grim. This is a stellar end to one of the most inventive crime series in recent memory. Agent: Jennie Dunham, Dunham Literary. (Sept.)