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by Lou Berney
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–forty years of peril as each Mercurio has to grapple, in their own way, with the family's powerful criminal legacy.
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award 2026
Here is an interesting award recognizing distinguished fiction that tells American stories in a uniquely American voice, one that reflects Mark Twain's incisive curiosity and humanity. Celebrating its tenth year. Longlist 2026 Are You Happy?: Stories — Lori Ostlund Atavists: Stories — Lydia Mille...
-Anne_Glasgow
"The tone is lighter than in Berney's previous books, but the episodic structure and focus on character over action charms. Fans of Elmore Leonard will eat this up." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Another original from the prolific Berney." —Kirkus Reviews
"Lou Berney is always good, but this book is dazzling: a panoramic, cross-generational look at a unique family pursuing their individual visions of the American dream. I wanted to spend more time with every one of these characters, and not just to make sure they weren't looting my bank account. Vivid, ingenious, compassionate — a tour de force." —Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Oligarch's Daughter
"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, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Pictures
This information about Crooks was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lou Berney is the multiple award–winning author of November Road, The Long and Faraway Gone, Double Barrel Bluff, Dark Ride, as well as Gutshot Straight and Whiplash River. His short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. He lives in Oklahoma City.
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