Editor’s note: I chose this book while looking for fiction, a crime story in the bestseller section. What I found was so much more. It takes a few chapters to get used to Whitehead’s writing style (perhaps why he’s won two Pulitzer Prizes) but applying such literary skill to a quirky 1960s crime saga is delightful. Lead character Ray Carney is a bit like Walter White in Breaking Bad (good guy going bad) and following his life in three parts is fun.

Favorite Quote:

“What made you want to sell couches?”, Pepper asked, poking at his food.

Carney replies: “I’m an entrepreneur.”

“‘Entrepreneur?’ Pepper said the last part like manure. ‘That’s just a hustler who pays taxes.’”