Publisher's Weekly Review
By turn surreal, tragic, and darkly funny, the 12 stories in this exquisite collection from Goldberg (Gangster Nation) hold up a mirror to the unique landscape of Southern California's Inland Empire. In the astonishing title story, set in 1962, the body of a child is found on the shore of the Salton Sea. The Korean War vet hired to run security for the oil company that's developing a resort community along the body of water is forced to confront the Chicago-based mobsters who are backing it. In the slyly amusing "Professor Rainmaker," a professor of hydrology at Cal State Fullerton invents a new kind of sprinkler system, and starts a profitable side hustle cultivating marijuana, while "The Spare" fills in the memorable backstory of how Vegas hit man--turned--rabbi Sal Cupertine's parents fled west from Chicago. A waitress whose adopted daughter has gone missing dutifully drives several hours to visit her incarcerated husband in the unforgettable character study, "Pilgrims." With a cast of low-rent mobsters, drifters, and hardscrabble working stiffs, Goldberg does a brilliant job of revealing the underbelly of the area, past and present. These spare slices of literary noir are the work of a master storyteller. Agent: Jennie Dunham, Dunham Literary. (Feb.)
Kirkus Review
Hapless mobsters, corrupt cops, and other fated losers play out the string in interconnected stories by the author of Gangsterland (2014). The Low Desert is a term used to describe California deserts below 2,000 feet in altitude. The people in these tales, set mostly in and around Palm Springs, include a former black ops "goon" who finds joy and possible romance in burning down a mini-mall; a cocktail waitress at an Indian casino searching for her adopted 18-year-old Russian daughter, whose fate is revealed in another story; and a hydrology instructor at Cal State Fullerton who becomes a marijuana dealer after inventing an advanced sprinkler system he hopes to sell to a Mexican cartel. Several characters have ties to Chicago's Cupertine crime family, including Sal Cupertine, the legendary hit man reborn as Las Vegas rabbi David Cohen in Gangsterland, and prolific young killer Dark Billy Cupertine (five hits before the age of 17), who has trouble "work[ing] out the geometry" of getting his hands around a victim's exceptionally fat throat. These are stories Elmore Leonard would love--not just because the razor-sharp Goldberg wastes no words in cutting to the heart of his stories, but also because he highlights the humanity and inner lives of even his most bent characters. "There's nothing that says this life has to be lived waiting for the next shame," waxes one character. In a universe where someone referring to severed body parts can say, "In my experience, hands are pretty durable," that's saying something. A thoroughly enjoyable collection by a bona fide original. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Here's a collection of character-driven crime stories from the author of Gangsterland (2014) and its sequel, Gangster Nation (2017). Although the stories are set in different time periods and feature different characters, they are linked by their theme: organized crime. Some offer character studies of gangsters: Shane is in the pill-reselling business, with a plan to change his life, while Billy is a Mob enforcer who just wants to retire. Other pieces work from a gangland premise: an oil-company security chief finds the body of a dead child and uncovers a dark secret. Fans of Goldberg's previous books will recognize the surname of the protagonist of one of these stories, but mostly these are brand-new characters; although it's a subject the author has written about before, he explores new angles here. Like Mario Puzo, Goldberg understands that the way to write about organized crime is to write about the people who live in that world. Yes, they are criminals, but most of them aren't villains. A sterling collection that showcases the author's gifts as a storyteller.
