In for a Pound

I enjoyed Boyos, but Marinick met and exeeded the challenge of his second novel. I was impressed enough I felt obligated to write something here! the prose is very clear and blunt. In Boyos there were some time jumps in the storyline that sometimes distracted me but not in this work. Wacko and his crew are nasty pieces of work, 'they wake up playing hardball everyday' I think is the quote. There are several opposing forces at work through the book and it is very clever how Marinick brings them all together at the end.

In the insular world of South Boston, there can often be a very fine line between the good guys and the bad guys. This is a neighborhood where assorted cops, politicians, lawyers, gangsters and thugs may have known each other since kindergarten and will almost certainly cross paths later in life. It can be difficult to explain this to outsiders, but Rick Marninick absolutely nails it with "In For a Pound". In an very well written and descriptive novel, Marinick gives you an up-close look at the Southie underworld and shows just how easily the worlds of criminals and law enforcement can become intertwined. As a guy who has lived both sides of the life, Marinick's credibility and knowledge base are beyond question, and it shows in his writing. A thoroughly enjoyable book that pulls you right into Southie - the good side and the bad.

Capturing the true grit of Boston's neighborhoods and criminal underbelly has long been attempted but rarely accomplished. No doubt Goerge V. Higgins' "Friends of Eddie Coyle" was masterful. Higgins life experiences as a DA and crime reporter afforded him authentic points of reference. Well now comes Richard Marinick with his own set of credentials and experience. Marinick is a rare exception, someone who started as one of the good guys, took a wrong turn and in a stand up fashion came back again. His ability to portray South Boston's blue collar essence is brilliant. Southie has always been an insular town. "In For a Pound" gets it right. Rick, I can't wait for the movie. Now if only you could find another Robert Mitchum.

As in his debut "Boyos", Rick Marinick's "In for a Pound" is a tight story couched in razor-sharp realistic dialogue. Marinick has honed his style in this latest effort, with vividly descriptive scenes, vascillating between explicit brutal violence and beautifully poetic prose. This story is written by someone who has clearly been there, and many autobiographical details emerge throughout. For anyone interested in Boston crime noir, or just a great read in general, "In for a Pound" is a must.

As a writer, reading Rick's narrative is nothing short of humbling. His ability to bring home the bacon in portraying scenic background, introspection, mood, etc., is nothing short of masterful. Add to that his pitch perfect street/Southie dialogue and the long wait between his novels (his debut, Boyos, was/remains brilliant) proves patience is indeed a virtue. Marinick doesn't disappoint in this wonderfully sculpted tale of an ex-cop/ex-con's trials and tribulations trying to do the right thing. For those still hooked (as I am) on Marinick's Boyos mystique, In for a Pound maintains the spicy Southie flavor with Jack "Wacko" Curran (Boyos) and a host of other Southie characters (to include lawyers, politicos and a beauty PI our protagonist McCauley is falling for) that keep the flow of Marinick's street symphony moving at just the right tempo. Things still get rough on the ever gentrifying streets of South Boston and it's a beautiful thing to have Marinick's characters around to remind us--and how! Simply put, Rick Marinick is the heir to George V. Higgins and In for a Pound is to Boyos what The Digger's Game was to The Friends of Eddie Coyle.