Sugar Pop Moon
John Florio
Seventh Street Books/Prometheus, Jul 9 2013, $15.95
ISBN: 9781616147952
In 1930 Manhattan, Jimmy McCullough hires Jersey “Snowball” Leo to work at his mob-owned speakeasy Pour House because no one forgets seeing an albino; except perhaps his mother who deserted him (and his dad) when he was a baby. Snowball buys top quality booze for the bar, but the booze proves to be fake Sugar Pop Moon.
Knowing he will be blamed by his violent employers, Snowball searches for the missing seller to get back the money; but fails to find him while struggling through misadventures in Philadelphia at the same time someone stalks him. Snowball concludes he needs help. He turns to his pop, a former boxing champ who never hides his scorn of his offspring especially for working at a mob establishment. Father and son pursue the moonshine distributer
This is an exciting coming of age Prohibition Era noir. The cast is very strong, but obviously this is Snowball’s tale as he (and his father) tries to save his life while finding out revelations about himself and his family. Readers will enjoy this solid historical crime thriller and want a matured Snowball to return.
Harriet Klausner
Follow The Clue 
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