by Eugene Izzi
Robert "Catfeet" Millard, Chicago's best burglar, wants to retire. He's in love, has a new baby and the chance of a legitimate job. Trouble is, Catfeet owes mob boss Darrin Favore a debt that was not paid during Millard's 28-month prison term.
So what's a cat burglar to do? Out-scam the seam artists with a master prowl, risking everyone's life and taking his chances on a never-see-day-light jail sentence.
Izzi takes the time-honored tale of one man against the mob and body-slams it to the mat, tossing in enough true-to-form, wise-guy dialogue to make George V. Higgins turn red, spoken by the meanest cadre of characters this side of Elmore Leonard.
Reading an Izzi novel is like following a road map through Mob America. He clearly understands the places he writes about. His Chicago is a dark city of prowlers, hit men and old gangsters, all looking for fast money and easy women. Izzi understands them as easily as he draws breath, and with eight novels in four years he has emerged among the front-runners in his field. (Bantam, $19)
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