BREAKAGE

A man allows his job as a bookie to affect the lives of his daughter and granddaughter in Harding’s novel.

Donnie “The Book” Chariot is a genius with numbers. His affinity for calculating probability has made him a legendary bookie covering the action on horse-race betting. Unfortunately, Donnie has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and he cannot determine the likelihood of a given outcome as easily as he once could. When his clients start complaining that they are losing money as a result of his bad picks, Donnie tries to enlist the help of his daughter, Donna—who shares a similar gift for mathematics—to help him in his work. Initially, due to their strained relationship, Donna refuses, only capitulating after her own daughter, Alexis, is kidnapped. Later, another pair of goons home in on Alexis’ kidnapping—this escalates the situation, leading to Donna's inadvertently teaming up with her father’s henchmen, Frank and Nicky, in a race to get her daughter back. Though the numbers and the degree of detail pertaining to gambling on horses may be a bit niche for some readers, the author’s tale has no shortage of thrills and drama to balance the more obscure material out. The strongest sections of the narrative are the rawer moments between characters, including Donna’s attempts to discuss her horrific childhood memories with her father (“You should have let all this lunacy go a long time ago. Tried being a husband or, I don’t know, maybe something real exotic, like a dad”). Similarly, Nicky’s feelings for Donna add depth to his character, elevating him above the level of some anonymous gangster underling. Harding’s prose is accessible and fast-paced though not particularly descriptive. There are a few too many characters, many of whom have very similar names, which can be confusing and make the story feel a bit cluttered at times. Aside from this minor flaw, the narrative is a well-crafted offering for lovers of crime thrillers and is a unique take on the typical gangster tale.

An action-packed tale of organized crime and familial ties.