Crooks

About the book

"Lou Berney's Crooks stands with some of the finest crime novels ever written." - Don Winslow, #1 Internationally bestselling author

"Apanoramic, cross-generational look at a unique family pursuing their individual visions of the American dream.’ - Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author

From award-winning author Lou Berney comes an electrifying new novel that follows a uniquely American crime family on an unforgettable journey across four decades.

You’ve never met a family like the Mercurios.

They say the American dream is going farther in life than your parents ever did. But how does that work if your parents are criminals?

For Buddy, a low-level mob wise guy, and Lillian, a charming pickpocket, the criminal underworld is the only life they’ve ever known. When they’re forced to flee the glittering Babylon of Las Vegas, they end up opening a club in Oklahoma City-a town that quickly feels like a gold mine of fresh marks and easy new money. Along for the ride are their five children, all of them raised into the family business of crime-until the day comes when they each have a chance to make their own way in the world, even if they can never completely escape the family’s long, dark shadow.

Jeremy, the family’s Golden Boy, will throw himself into the glittering excesses of a drug-fueled Hollywood in the roaring 1980s.

Tallulah, the daredevil, will find herself in the deadly Wild West of post-communist Moscow.

Ray, the dope, the dumb muscle since he was a kid, wants nothing more than to put down his gun, but following orders is all he’s ever known.

Alice, the genius who renounced her life of crime long ago, now sees her white-shoe law firm being blackmailed and must tap into old skills to save both the company and her own life.

And Piggy, a civilian always on the outside looking in on his crime family, desperate to be part of the gang.

Crooks is an epic novel about a truly unforgettable family– each Mercurio has to grapple, in their own way, with the family''s powerful criminal legacy.

Praise for this book:

"Dark Ride is Lou Berney at his best. This story...is both thrilling and heartbreaking but ultimately life affirming." - S A Cosby

"Vivid, ingenious, compassionate - a tour de force." - Joseph Finder

"Darkly funny, wildly stylish, and full of heart, Lou Berney's CROOKS is a tour de force, a decades-spanning epic of the most charming, eccentric family you could hope to meet. Every setting dazzles, every sentence crackles, and every character steals the scene. What a fantastic, voice-driven triumph. I am in awe!" - Angie Kim

"[Crooks] somehow manages to be both wildly entertaining and deeply moving...It's a tender, shrewd, and often darkly funny portrait of a family bound by love, lies, and larceny. With his signature warmth and precision, Berney explores what it means to belong - to a country, a family, and a legacy you didn't choose." - Jean Kwok

"I love these messy rogues and their incompetent capers, I love the richly disparate settings and pitch-perfect eras, I love the ebb-and-flow pacing and the lightning bolts of humor." - Chris Pavone

"Crooks is a smart and funny crime novel with a big, big heart. The characters are so easy to love, and Lou Berney's writing is alive with wit and warmth and joy. He's such a gifted stylist and a terrific storyteller. I've read all of his books and this is my new favorite. I would recommend Crooks to just about anyone. Don't miss it!" - Jason Rekulak

"A truly stunning masterpiece of crime fiction. Lou Berney's Crooks stands with some of the finest crime novels ever written which is no surprise since it comes from one of the greatest literary crime novelists in the world. A fascinating family crime cocktail with elements of Goodfellas, Boogie Nights, and The Godfather all brilliantly mixed together in one unforgettable novel." - Don Winslow