King of New York: A New Mafia Tale

Iandoli (God Save the Queens) stumbles with this limp saga of a mafia heir’s quest for revenge. Jimmy Martello lacks grit, but his math skills have made him a “human calculator” for the New York City crime family run by his father, Italo Martello Jr. For Jimmy’s 25th birthday, Italo and his cohorts throw an extravagant party, complete with Jimmy’s induction into “the business.” When the festivities are in full swing, hit men infiltrate the party, killing Jimmy’s father and grandfather. Jimmy manages to wound one of the attackers before fleeing to safety. Suddenly, he’s top dog, and he soon learns that his uncle, Salvatore, has been released from prison with hopes of taking over New York City’s drug trade. Coming to believe Salvatore ordered the hit, Jimmy swears revenge, and attempts to make allegiances with other crime bosses who can teach him to become a killer. Though the novel is set in the present, Iandoli’s depiction of the mafia is dated and unconvincing, rarely rising above cliché. Mario Puzo this is not. (May)