Bone in the Throat - Hardcover

There is one thing in the world that Tony Pagano cares about passionately--learning to make great, food under the guidance of a great, if drug-addicted, chef. But it is not as easy as that--the FBI are never convinced that being part of a crime family means only being their relation, nor is Tony's uncle Salvatore "Sally Wig" Patera. It was Sally Wig who got Tony his current job, and even a favoured nephew owes the odd favour back--when Sally and his pals borrow Tony's kitchen to kill and dismember an enemy, they ruin the chef's best knife and Tony's peace of mind. What makes A Bone in the Throat such an effective gangland thriller is that its hero is as much at an angle to the universe as the posturing bullies he is trying to avoid; he cares about family loyalty, of course he does, but his ultimate obsessive loyalty is to great cuisine. Snappy dialogue and convincing outbreaks of quite horrid violence make this an intelligent thriller of Brooklyn and New York skullduggery; it is Tony and his yearning to be free to cook that makes it memorable. --Roz Kaveney

Gangster fiction to feast on. * * Independent * * Raw and cooking. Rare and well-done. -- AA Gill A superb tale of violence and backbiting set in the seething testosterone-heavy company of a crew of New York cooks, and simply towers head, shoulders and upper torso above everything else. * * GQ * * A recipe for a very good read. * * Sunday Telegraph * * Sharp, funny . . . if it's gangster rap you want to read then Bourdain is your man. * * Express * * Crime fiction at its tastiest. * * Sunday Herald * *