ALL IN THE FAMILY: LOU BERNEY'S CROOKS

Crime fiction is often used to explore family dynamics. David Goodis' anti-heroes were often haunted by their families, Ross Mcdonald's PI Lew Archer had cases that took him into some of the darkest family trees, and of course there was the look at the first and second generation Corleone immigrant family. Lou Berney delivers a fresh take on kin and crime with Crooks.

The novel is split into seven books. with the first two setting up the Mercurios. It all starts when Vegas low level mob hustler Buddy Mercurio's heart is stolen when his eyes eyes meet with dress shop girl Lillian as she steals a client's wallet. The two marry and have a passel of kids. Ray, the oldest and largest plays the role of muscle. Jeremy, a handsome charmer, becomes Mother's favorite. Alice, the smartest, intimidates Lillian. The mob mysteriously asks them to take in Tallulah, an American Indian, when she's a baby. Born much later, is Paul, nicknamed Piggy, who struggles to belong.

When Buddy crosses his bosses in the seventies, the Mercurios flee to Oklahoma City, He soon sets up a disco and makes it a family affair, They uses Jeremy in commercials to promote the club with him demonstrating dance moves. Even in their their youth, Ray proves intimidating enough to work the door, and Alice smart enough to work both sets of books. The siblings also work their own scores that Mom and Dad either look the other way at or downright approve off. When Buddy's partners discover his skimming, it all falls apart and the siblings go their separate ways as they reach adulthood.

That's when the other five books kick in. with a story dealing with each of them, spanning three decades. Nathan heads out to L.A. in the eighties and finds his calling as a gigolo, getting into trouble with the powerful son of a mark. Tallulah, the wild one, finds herself in post communist Russia connecting with an orphan who could change her life if those after the girl allow them to live. Ray, working in Vegas as an enforcer, tries to take over his bosses club after he guns him down. Alice, trying to go strait as a lawyer, gets involved in helping one of her partners who is being blackmailed. The last story dealing with Piggy ties everything together. Siblings appear in each others stories often more as hindrance than help.

The book examines nature versus nature and the way family shapes us. Each Mercurio deals with their upbringing in their story, whether running from it or depending on it, Ray and Taillular prove to be the most interesting cases. Ray, always viewed as dim muscle by most including himself, negotiates that belief as he plots to carve out his little kingdom. Tallulah, the adopted one, embraces being a Mercurio, even though it may lead to disillusion. All are marked by family history, making them survivors in one form or another.

Berney applies a sharp but subtle craftsmanship to what something a book like this needs. Each story disarmingly adds to the mosaic and epic as he keeps you in the moment. He's more interested in the intimacy the reader has with the characters than the sweep of time. The multi-story idea also shows off the talent he has in crime fictions many subgenres.

Crooks demonstrates Lou Berne's ability to create characters we can engage with in fiction that we would avoid in reality. He has Elmore Leonard's winking empathy though his humor that allows us to connect with this questionable family. The Mercurios are dysfunctional, dishonest, and disreputable. We wouldn't want them any other way.