Tommy Red

This taut, compulsively readable tale of mob life in and around New York City, Stella's first novel since 2012's Rough Riders, has the smack of authenticity on every page. Being a made man just isn't what it used to be. Everyone is in line to squeal to the Feds, and the Feds can't be trusted. Baltimore-based Irish-American hit man Tommy Red Dalton knows the risks, but he takes on a new contract anyway; he's more worried that his ex-wife has told their daughters that he's a hit man, which he denies. Like an all-access documentary, the story portrays a large cast of Mafia members with plenty of detail about their home lives as well as their doubts and thoughts. One betrayal follows another as the violence grows ("So far the score was two dumbski wiseguys dead, and one on the run"). Stella serves up a tasty goombah stew with a splash of Guinness, and no one can make this recipe simmer better than he does. (Apr.)