Taylor Street is a worthy setting, equal to the book’s thrilling plot line, where the gritty neighborhood comes alive with colorful characters, whether it’s Beans’s Uncle Skinny, neighborhood bookie Willy the Wiz (replete with black Stacy Adams wingtips), or Pete the Bum, a “bona fide hobo” with serious street cred. Palmer paints the labyrinthine ecosystem of cops, thieves, their all-too-human aspirations and dreams, and their collaborations—said and unsaid, overt and covert—in a realistic manner, and he smartly avoids styling the protagonists as idealistic heroes. Each is a thorough professional, as proud of their skills and exploits as any other on the “right” side of the law.
The brisk pace and mounting tension towards the end will keep readers on the edge of their seats, and once Step’s true intentions are exposed, the stakes grow exponentially higher—with actual lives hanging in the balance. The final resolution adds depth and nuance to the thriller, setting the stage for the next in the series, as Beans and his crew are tasked with avenging a childhood friend’s abuse at the hands of his physical therapist. This is a gripping read with unforgettable characters.
Takeaway: A gang of good-hearted thieves takes on 1980s Chicago.
Comparable Titles: S. A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland, Grace D. Li’s Portrait of a Thief.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
"Action-packed ... a masterful job of capturing the neighborhood and the ear ... reminiscent of Elmore Leonard or Richard Price, this is an engrossing, compassionate, and sometimes humorous tale. ... Highly recommended."
