Bones of Brooklyn

In 2016’s Debasements of Brooklyn, Gold introduced Howard “Windows” Fenster, a Brooklyn gangster who finds solace in the world of books and sex with his girlfriend, Ariel Hirsch. In this diverting sequel, Howie and Ariel dream of getting out of Brooklyn and traveling abroad, but violent, foul-mouthed Pauli Bones needs Howie’s services and won’t let him escape. In particular, Pauli wants Howie to kill a Russian gangster he has a vendetta against, Ivan Rachmaninoff. Since Pauli spared Howie’s life in the previous book, Howie knows he owes Pauli one. He also knows that he would never kill Ivan, whom he likes, but if he disobeys Pauli, he’s signing his own death sentence. Unable to turn Pauli down, Howie agrees to go along. After this meeting, Howie goes home to Ariel’s Manhattan apartment, where Ariel is clearly worried. “Killers are hunting us,” she declares. Howie’s internal references to such iconic literary works as Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, and Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire provide a humorous if dissonant contrast with the cruel, crude main action. The suspense rises as Howie’s fate hangs in the balance. Fans of quirky, offbeat crime fiction will be rewarded. [em](June) [/em]