Review: An auspicious first effort from this author; a surprisingly emotional crime drama
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 2, 2014
As usual I received this title free for the purposes of review.  This time it was directly from the author in an email and usually that's a pretty bad sign.  In this case I was pleasantly surprised.So, this a story largely about the mob.  People are putting out hits on each other and there's a fair amount of violence and profanity but the striking thing about this book is that it has a surprising element of family and devotion.  I can't go into much detail for fear of spoilers but somehow in the middle of all this violence and bloodshed there's a scared little boy who's really the center of everyone's attention.  It is a rare event when Mobsters somehow intersect with Social Services but this is one of those rare times.On the positive side, the story, as I described above is truly unique.  To be tragically cliche this is crime drama.... with a heart, and not a disembodied heart left bloody and still warm on someone's pillow.  The author's depiction of the plight of this young man is at once tragic and heart-rending.  It doesn't take long for you to care deeply about what happens to Coffey's characters.The only negative I would point out is that at times some of the plot points seem rather iffy.  The ones that spring most readily to mind involve certain chemical reactions that I don't think work quite the way they are portrayed in the book.  Also a few financial transactions that take place seem like they might arouse a lot more notice from the authories.  That said, most of the bits are pretty easily glossed over.In summary, one of the better crime dramas to show up on my virtual doorstep in... well, ever.  Coffey's book offers us not only the usual dramatic crime thriller but also a look into a dark underworld where kids shuffle sadly from home to home.  There's a lot of sadness and heart to be found in this book so it crosses the boundaries between family and crime drama very well.  An auspicious first effort from this author.