Richard Marinick, Boyos

Boyos

Richard Marinick

Justin Charles, Sep 2004, $24.95, 336 pp.

ISBN: 1932112324

In the Southie side of Boston, Jack "Wacko" Curran and his even crazier brother Kevin earn a living working for mob boss Marty Fallon by mostly selling drugs to neighborhood dealers, but also perform other duties as assigned. After gaining needed experience on the job, Wacko decides it is time that the siblings become self-employed or do a hostile takeover. To bankroll his venture, Wacko plans an armored car heist.

Meanwhile, Marty has not become a mob chieftain by sitting idly by as his underlings gain the skills until they branch out or try to replace him. Instead, he knows when trouble is brewing and believes the Curran brothers are the current duo to put on ice. Fallon knows about the upcoming robbery and turns to his pals in the FBI to put away the latest pretenders to his Southie crime kingdom, but if the Feds fail him, war is imminent with no one sure which side the cops might be on.

This is an interesting look at the criminal mind from an insider's perspective (the author is a former Southie mobster) that grips the reader from the moment they realize how dangerous Wacko and Kevin are. The storyline moves forward at rapid pace while insuring fans have a deep look at the ambitious Wacko and to a lesser degree sly king of the mountain Marty and drug-crazed, loony Kevin. None of the key protagonists are likable or admirable, but these BOYOS will fascinate readers as few characters do.

Harriet Klausner