Crooks

This crime novel was outside my usual wheelhouse and I'm glad I took a chance on it! If you’re a Mercurio, crime is in your blood. In 1961, patriarch Ray and matriarch Lillian fell in love in Vegas—at the scene of a crime. They marry and have five children who they bring up in the family business. Across fifty years, in Oklahoma City, Vegas, Hollywood, and even Moscow, we see how each child is shaped by their criminal upbringing and then comes to struggle against it. Don’t get me wrong: this noir-ish literary suspense is plenty gruesome in parts—but it reads as unexpectedly lighthearted and tender, with ample moments of welcome humor, and I was surprised by how hard I was rooting for these characters by the end.