Debasements of Brooklyn

Howie Fenster, big and mean-looking, is a Mob enforcer. He meets the lovely, bookish Ariel, who’s thrilled by this walk on the wild side, until she stumbles upon the goon’s reading list and discovers he’s a closet intellectual. A stunningly conceived and executed battle scene almost blends crime-story action with literary introspection. It’s good fun for those who enjoy irony and who like to see genre conventions take a beating. —Booklist