We work together, we live together but we die alone
My thanks to Emma and Leopold for having me in this tour. The Bowery Slugger is published in paperback and ebook formats by Sobriety Press on 21st March 2020.
Bookxpert Rating: 3.7/5
BOOK BLURB
Alex lived through the war, but will he survive the peace?
Jewish gang member, Alex comes back from the Great War almost destroyed by the horrors he has seen. When he is plucked from certain death by an old friend, he commits to making so much money he’ll never know that agony again. But the route to the top is fraught with danger and every time he helps one of his powerful friends like Al Capone, he acquires more enemies who want to see him dead. When organised crime financier, Arnold Rothstein dies, the turmoil caused by his loss sets in train a chain of events which means Alex must once more fight for his life. How far would you go to attain your American dream?
The second book in the Alex Cohen series is a violent historical novel, which tears through the Prohibition years of the Jewish New York mob. Leopold Borstinski’s gripping crime noir pierces the heart of every reader like a bullet from Alex’s sniper rifle.
REVIEW
Our favorite Alex Cohen is back from the World War II. He thought he was going to save fellow Jews, but he didn’t see as much as a single Jew. He came back a decorated sniper on the verge of death, depressed, haunted by memories of the war, and ashamed of himself. Sarah became his constant companion, and Alex re-entered the hoodlum world, climbing higher and higher up the ladder, getting invited to dinners by the bosses of the bosses. He has pulled off even more daring tasks than he did in ‘The Bowery Slugger’, book 1 of this series.
This book felt very much like the first, except Alex seemed changed. He was more mature, did less brawn work and more brain work. The gangster inside him was still intact, he remained loyal as ever, and kept his word always. But he was also the person who had been through a war, who cared enough about his family and co-workers to go to any lengths to protect them. I will reiterate what I stated in my review of ‘The Bowery Slugger’- ‘Alex’s character is very well made up by Borstinski.’ This story is his and his alone.
I also loved the amount of research Bortinski has put into Jewish gangs in Manhattan and Chicago, US, around the time of the World War II. We really never see this part of the war or these cities. When people talk of World War II, it’s all Europe; when they talk of Manhattan and Chicago, it’s all glamour (although Chicago gangs do have a reputation, nobody goes this much into detail).
The only grouse I have is that Alex seems to be doing a lot of the same stuff all the time, going on a hit-job or getting vendetta to gain someone else’s trust. The second book had more variety than the first, and Alex did come up with different and ingenious plans to get out of trouble. Be warned, this book has quite a lot of violence.
Get ‘East Side Hustler’ now on:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Nook
About the Author:
Leopold Borstinski is an independent author whose past careers have included financial journalism, business management of financial software companies, consulting and product sales and marketing, as well as teaching.
There is nothing he likes better so he does as much nothing as he possibly can. He has travelled extensively in Europe and the US and has visited Asia on several occasions. Leopold holds a Philosophy degree and tries not to drop it too often. He lives near London and is married with one wife, one child and no pets.
Connect with him here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/borstinski
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeoBorstinski
Website: http://www.leopoldborstinski.com/
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B071ZZXZMR?_encoding=UTF8&redirectedFromKindleDbs=tr
ue&ref=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000&rfkd=1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Thanks so much x
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Most welcome Emma😇
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