Book Review: BUTTON MAN by Andrew Gross

BUTTON MAN by Andrew Gross  (Minotaur Books, September 2018)  Hardcover, 384 pages.  ISBN: 125017998X / 9781250179982

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

Morris, Sol, and Harry Rabinowitz grew up poor but happy in a tiny flat on the Lower East Side, until the death of their father thrust them into having to fend for themselves and support their large family. 

 

Morris apprenticed himself at twelve years old to a garment cutter in a clothing factory; Sol headed to college and became an accountant; and Harry, the youngest, fell in with a gang as a teenager and can’t escape. 

 

Morris steadily climbs through the ranks at the factory until he’s running the place and buys out the owner, and Sol comes to work with him. But Harry can’t be lured away from the glamour, the power, and the money that comes from working for mobster Louis Buchalter, an old bully from the neighborhood. And when Louis sets his sights on the unions that staff the garment makers’ factories, a fatal showdown is inevitable, and puts brother against brother.

 

This new novel is equal parts historical thriller, rich with the detail of a vibrant New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, and family saga, based in part on Andrew Gross’s family history, and will cement his reputation as today’s most atmospheric and original historical thriller writer.

 

My review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

     This is the first book I've read by Andrew Gross, and I intend to seek out more. I picked this up at the library after reading a favorable review/interview in Mystery Scene magazine. His storytelling sense is keen, and this was a hard one to put down.

      Based in part on his grandfather's real world experiences in the early garment industry of NYC, this is historical fiction that is extremely compelling. The characters are richly developed, and will have you worrying about them as they face multiple conflicts. 

 

     Three Jewish brothers grow up poor in New York's rough Lower East Side and have to begin their working careers early to support their family. Two of three become successful and go into business as coat manufacturers, enjoy success and get the attention of organized crime families who prey on local businesses through union organization and protection schemes. 

 

     It's violent and gritty, and a great reading experience.