Tragic

June 24, 2013
Roger “Butch” Karp takes on organized crime masquerading as union politics in bestseller Tanenbaum’s overly ambitious 25th thriller featuring the New York County DA (after 2012’s Bad Faith). Recently deceased union leader Leo Corcione left two prospective heirs: ruthless Charlie Vitteli and upstanding Vince Carlotta. Vitteli’s thugs, led by brutal Joey Barros, set out to prove that the nice guy finishes last—by putting a bullet through Carlotta’s head. Karp works to pin Vitteli to the crime, but when Karp’s wife, ADA Marlene Campi, provides crucial testimony, the personal connection threatens to discredit both them and the case. Tanenbaum, himself a criminal lawyer, supplies fluid, authentic dialogue, but overlong courtroom cross-examinations drag down narrative momentum. On the plus side, the expansive cast of characters includes intriguing portrayals of the petty lowlifes who are both agents and victims of Vitteli’s machinations. Constant allusions to Macbeth freight the book with grandiose expectations that are never met. Agent: Bob Diforio.

July 1, 2013

The 25th volume (after Bad Faith) in Tanenbaum's series of legal thrillers chronicling the lives and careers of Butch Karp and his wife, Marlene Ciampi, opens at a performance of Macbeth in New York's Central Park, setting the stage for the crime drama that is about to unfold. A mob hit on labor union leader Vince Carlotta, though plotted by corrupt union members, is carried out by a gang of young thugs hired for the task, some of whom quickly find themselves--like Macbeth--haunted by guilt. It is the broad range of characters Tanenbaum presents to his readers that will draw them into the tale while Karp and Ciampi's tenacity in solving the case and bringing the true culprits to justice maintains its momentum. Many will also enjoy the various Shakespearean allusions--including a modern-day trio of witches--that arise throughout. VERDICT Not to be missed by Tanenbaum fans; recommend to readers of true crime and crime fiction alike.--Nancy McNicol, Hamden P.L., CT

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