The Crime of the Century & Other Misdemeanors

John Godey also wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, O Ye Jigs & Juleps, and Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. He displays in all his books a masterful art of storytelling and an affectionate awareness of setting. The time and setting for this book are the early 1920's in the upper reaches of Manhattan - exchangeable with incredible ease for the time and setting of every reader's own childhood and instantly evoking comparable experiences. The name of the childhood gang was the Nagel Avenue Gang, a name they gave themselves. They were a gang of kids - simple, masculine, innocently territorial, the golden age of spanking. Godey recalls in "The Crime of the Century and Other Misdemeanors" a joyous and timeless urban boyhood spiced with fraternal combat, neighborhood adventuring - and swift parental retribution when best intentions and innocent exuberance so often went awry. This is the kind of book you enjoy visiting and wish for more at the end.