I bought this hardback on Amazon and got it on Fr 4/10/20. I had just seen the film, 'KILLING THEM SOFTLY' starring Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins. In fact I ordered the book during the film.
This is probably the worst book (Acceptable- just old binding and pages) that I've bought used, but I'm lucky that I got it because some of the copies were going for two or three hundred bucks a pop.
PREMISE:
A small time mobster runs an after hours gambling club. He notices the large amounts of cash at his operation and decides to rob it himself thinking that no one would think that the owner would be behind the robbery. It might have worked, but he shot his mouth off about it.
A while later another crook decides that this would be a perfect place to rob because everyone would think that the owner of the club would believe that he was trying it again.
Johnny 'The Squirrel' Amato, Russell- junkie dog walker, and Frankie- small time hood are the guys that try it a second time.
Jackie Cogan is the mafia enforcer and he is sent to make things right. His liaison is the man that is controlling the enforcer. In the movie these conversations (between Pitt and Jenkins) are the best part of the movie.
***The book is the direct opposite of a kind of book like David Baldacci. His books are novels built around 'power charged' plot driven story-lines. George V. Higgins writes from the characters' points of view. Pages are devoted just to musings and meandering discussions between the characters. Plot is very much secondary to these thoughtful posturings. It forces the reader to kind of 'read between the lines'.
From Wikipedia:
"PLOT:
Markie Trattman is the proprietor of a criminal poker ring operating in a New England neighborhood. He decides to orchestrate an inside job by paying two men to rob his poker room; although he later openly admits his involvement to various criminal figures, he suffers no retaliation. In the fall of 1974, a man named Johnny "Squirrel" Amato plans to rob Markie's next poker game, anticipating the mafia will blame Markie for the heist. He enlists Frankie, a former business associate, and Russell, an unstable heroin addict, to perform the robbery. Upon completing the crime, Russell travels to Florida.
"The driver", an emissary for the mafia, converses with a hitman named Jackie Cogan. Jackie has figured out who robbed the game, but even though he understands Markie was uninvolved, he believes Markie should be murdered in order to restore confidence amongst the local mobsters. After murdering Markie, Jackie meets with Mitch, another professional hitman, to prepare for the assassinations of Russell, Frankie, and Squirrel. Jackie becomes frustrated with Mitch's flagrant lechery and alcoholism, and convinces Driver to arrange Mitch's arrest.
Russell is arrested on a drug possession charge; meanwhile, Jackie confronts Frankie and agrees to spare him his life, on the condition he reveal Squirrel's whereabouts. Jackie murders Squirrel before murdering Frankie; he then meets with Driver to collect his fee. Driver refuses to pay Jackie in full, and Jackie demands his payment.
CHARACTERS:
Jackie Cogan, an enforcer/hitman for the New England mob. He is married and keeps his mob activities separate to his personal life, although his wife is aware of his work. His boss is Dillon who returns from The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
Frankie, a low level thug, just out of prison where he met his partner Russell.
Russel, an unstable, heroin addict thug, who robs liquor stores and clinics. He has a side gig stealing and breeding dogs. He was in prison 10 years prior to the novel.
Johnny 'Squirrel' Amato, a local mobster who employs Frankie and Russell to knock over the card game.
"The driver", a mysterious man who informs Cogan of his tasks that the mob have set."
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