Brooklyn Crime Novel

More about the book

In 1978, two 14-year-old boys engage in dubious art by cutting quarters with a hacksaw. A child buying ice cream witnesses a daylight shooting in 1979, while nearby, another kid is caught shoplifting an adult magazine. A Black teenager and his white friends confront a rival Italian gang over street hockey rights, and in 1977, a white kid damages a Cuban man’s car with a baseball. The streets of Brooklyn see changing faces, yet the patterns endure: sex, boredom, friendship, violence, and countless daily crimes, both minor and significant. However, the real drama unfolds behind closed doors among parents, cops, renovators, and landlords—those who shape the neighborhood's identity and demographics. Over the decades, buildings rise and communities clash, with the past haunting the present. Perspectives shift, turning perpetrators into victims and vice versa. Written with vibrant energy and sharp wit, this narrative offers a breathtaking exploration of a quarter of a city and its humanity, interrogating how we craft stories to grapple with our remorse for the world we've created.