This pulpy comedy-mystery mashup is sure to keep you laughing until the case is solved.
Michael Penn is a writer and reporter of some renown and his current story about a powerful New York City family is going to be a doozy. Socialites April and June LeBlanc are twins with a relationship more complex than most. April is a responsible young woman with a mind for business and an eye on politics. Outside of her dubious taste in men, she is the perfect heir to the family candy business. June is a limelight-loving dancer at Radio City Music Hall, the more affable sister who has always gone her own way. The only thing these sisters seem to share beyond their DNA is an intensely competitive spirit. So it’s no surprise that when somebody wants June dead, suspicion falls on April. Besides this twisted sister dynamic, a medley of mobsters, jilted lovers, political figures, celebrities, and gruff homicide detective Gene Beckman stand between Michael Penn and the facts of the case. Whether chasing an interview with Paolo Pepperoni of The Pepperoni Pizza Palace or tracking the stock price of a Wall Street-listed gang of hitmen, Penn is neck-deep in dangerous leads and will do whatever he has to do to uncover the killer. But as Penn swims through elite LeBlanc family circles and a dark sea of mafia sharks, the most likely suspects end up six feet under while the perpetrator evades detection.
Nearly hardboiled, Ladies From Long Island is a slapstick crime novel characterized by droll dialogue and a bright 1970s aesthetic. The mayhem includes lies, murder, intrigue, and politics, though the narrative never becomes insipidly political. Gerry Burke has painted a setting so vivid, you might forget you’re in the throes of a slick whodunit. You can feel the burn of cigarette smoke in your throat and hear the clatter and dings of mechanical typewriters in the background as the investigation moves throughout the city. The period parlance, retro social mores, and mafia culture make for a highly entertaining trip back in time, though not a journey for the sensitive of heart. It can be cringey to hear a mafia hitman referred to as rigatoni royalty, yet it certainly reflects the culture of the day. Twisted turns bookend the chapters while non-stop wordplay makes it difficult not to admire the plentiful puns, riddles, quips, and catchphrases. Unless you suffer from a broken funny bone, Burke’s mawkish humor will land like a cheeky grandfather’s favorite family folk story: lighthearted, indelicate, messy, and lovable. All the comfort and levity of a cozy paired with the fast-talking charm of a crime noir novel, this pulpy comedy-mystery mashup is sure to keep you laughing until the case is solved.
