Family Matters (Jackson Steeg Mysteries)
In this debut tale of a suspended cop battling the bottle and other forces of darkness in Hell's Kitchen, Berkowitz proves a talented plotter who knows how to deliver a crackling crime narrative. Jackson Steeg is attempting to dry out during month two of a six-month forced vacation from the NYPD for attacking a colleague who beat up one of his informants. But when a drugged-out heiress turns up dead in the apartment below his, Steeg finds himself drawn into the case. The pull proves irresistible when he discovers the young woman's mother also died under mysterious circumstances--and Steeg's detective father led the investigation. Steeg will remind many readers of early Matt Scudder. But in addition to channeling Lawrence Block, Berkowitz also pays homage to James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels by importing a supernaturally evil villain straight out of Louisiana's Angola prison. The tonal clash between Block's hard-nosed sensibility and Burke's gothic vibe almost derails the story, but Berkowitz manages to bring everything together in a strong, troubling climax that whets the appetite for another round with Steeg.Frank SennettCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved