I received this book free from Minotaur books through the Goodreads giveaway program. This book is written from the viewpoint of two criminals in the Philadelphia world of organized crime, Anton Bielakowski and his protege, Sonny Bonhardt. Bielakowski is head of the Polish organized crime faction, which stays in Port Richmond. It does not encroach on any other group's territory, and fiercely defends its own. The Italians decide to move on the Poles and the ensuing struggle is like watching a chess game. It turns out that one player is hugely outclassed, in a hard, gritty game of move and counter move. While the book blurb compares it to George V. Higgins' books, it is written in plain English and not dialect. I never finished The Friends of Eddie Coyle because of the dialect and lagging plot.

I read this book in three days. It was a fast, easy read. The plot moved along briskly and never lagged. The author is a former Philadelphia criminal defense attorney.

This book is a solid 4 out of 5 stars. If you were a Sopranos fan, you will like this book. ( )