A hard-hitting, tour-de force tale of the mob and the man who makes sure their rules are the only rules, by the American master of crime George V Higgins.
Jackie Cogan is an enforcer for the New England mob. When a high-stakes card game is heisted by unknown hoodlums, Cogan is called in to 'handle' the problem. Moving expertly and ruthlessly among a variety of criminal hacks, hangers-on and bigger-time crooks - a classic cast of misfits animated by Higgins s hilarious, cracklingly authentic dialogue - Cogan gets to the root of the problem and, with five consecutive shots from a Smith and Wesson thirty-eight Police Special, restores order to his corner of the Boston underworld.
Combining his remarkable wit and a singular ability to show criminal life as it is lived, George V Higgins builds an incredible story of crime to an unforgettable climax.