Crooks by Lou Berney

 I love the characters Lou Berney creates. They are always conflicted and put in challenging situations. The book Crooks is no different. This is a story about a crime family that spans four decades and very different life choices. 

Buddy and Lilian Mercurios are minor mob members who flee Las Vegas with their five children and hide out in Oklahoma City. Even when their disco club becomes a profitable business, Buddy and Lilian can't leave behind the con-artist ways that put them at odds with each other and their children.

Flash forward in time. The Mercurios children are adults and trying to make their own way. Some try to shed their crime family ways, while others embrace it. Each takes a different path, but is bound by blood and a shared past that shaped them. 

This is a generational story with richly drawn characters and focuses on how the five children cope with their past. All are influenced by their parents, even as they try to become individuals who strive for their own place in the world. It is interesting to see how each child turns out and in which direction they go. This is a family not soon forgotten. Beautifully written and fast-paced, the Mercurios family is memorable, and the book is hard to put down. 

5/5 stars.

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