(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“…Jimmy is from the old days…They really were family when he was young; now there’s not the same trust. Some things like that, they never come back once they’re gone. All five families are the same. Less trust, less power, less money. He came up at the end of a golden age.”
Fifty-eight-year-old Jimmy Piccini has just been released from prison after serving twenty-five years for numerous felonies including racketeering, tax evasion, and the worse, conspiracy to commit murder.
He does have a place to stay, but still, how will he get by? Going straight will be difficult. There’s not much that the Ruggiero family can do for him now. The FBI is smarter and better equipped than before and there are fewer corrupt cops in Brooklyn. This means that mob profit margins have gone way down.
He knows who snitched on him for the murder of a Philadelphia crime boss. In fact, he’s been seen around town. Will he try to kill Jimmy to ensure his own protection? Jimmy is a different person now than when he went in. He doesn’t care to be rich or have a lot of women. He only wants to be happy and free.
However, the biggest blow is when he discovers the obituary of the love of his life, Melina.
The story isn’t just about Jimmy, where we flashback between life before, during and after prison. It also centers around Melina, the wife of another mobster who Jimmy fell in love with. The story goes back and forth between different periods of her life and her and Jimmy’s life together.
Lowdown relies on its deeply flawed characters, and the reader becomes invested in their lives. It also uses the physical and cultural settings of Brooklyn and Sicily to enhance the story.
This novel could have gone in so many different directions, and you’ll never guess which way it finally does go. I’ll just say that it has a satisfying conclusion.
Those who read character-driven crime novels, with a strong plot will enjoy Lowdown. After it all, it has revenge, lust, forbidden love and most of all, hope.
