I should probably start this review off with an Oops: I thought this was a crime thriller. As in, the kind of story where the police or other law enforcement hunt down the ‘bad guys’ and hopefully all the ‘good guys’ live happily ever after. Instead, it turned out to be what I’d call ‘gangster fic’ where there are literally no good guys. Everyone’s involved in organized crime one way or another, and though there are definite sides, with the Russo crime family apparently glorying in bloodshed and violence and the rest just wanting to get along, I can’t quite get past the idea that it’s all blood money that’s being fought over.
I don’t like Breaking Bad or How To Get Away With Murder much either, because I can’t find anyone to root for. With everyone motivated by self-interest, I just want the lot of them gone. The one ‘innocent’ in the whole mess, Alice Rose, the 16-year-old daughter of one gangster, is portrayed as utterly naive, a sort of Madonna-like figure until she discovers she’s been wronged, at which point she becomes an impractically fearless avenging angel.
All I can say is that some people might like this sort of fiction but I really just disliked everyone involved, no matter which side they were supposed to be on. I can’t give it any more than two stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.