Book Review | Of crookedness, conscience and a spoofy tour of Harlem

Proud furniture-store owner and former fence Ray Carney is on the straight and narrow, and he feels good. City like this, it behooves you to embrace the fucking contradictions.” All this crookedness and violence aside, we see Carney as a good guy who at least tries to be clean. We learn that he’s a caring family man who grew his legitimate business through the proceeds of his illegitimate criminal business to give his wife Elizabeth the life she was accustomed to. Carney returns the favour by tolerating her enthusiastic campaign support for her snooty old childhood friend Alexander Oakes who is running for office. Crook Manifesto lives up to its name — you enjoy it more so for its dark, trenchant wit and the colourful, sometimes spoofy tour of Harlem.