This was really hard for me to read.

People are of course getting killed left & right all the time in these books, but the execution-style killings of the employees at May's pizza place really got to me, especially when Steve Maroulis won't put his head down because he knows what's going to happen to him. His terror & then Vance Walter's screaming for his dad - good grief. Totally chilled me. And as the mother of a young, short dude who likes to run ahead on the sidewalk no matter how hard I try to keep him walking near me or holding my hand, I had to set the book down for a bit after Jimmy's death. I'm not ashamed to say that cried when Bernie Walters is reminiscing with Dimitri about the time that Vance got stuck in the river on the sinking boat & cried out, "Daddy!" and Bernie had to stop telling the story for a minute & I swear I'm even tearing up a little bit just writing about it. It's painful enough as a parent to look back at times when I possibly failed my kid. How on earth can anyone ever have the strength to do so when they've outlived their child? I can't even let myself think about it.

But in any case, before I get all sniffly & this dissolves into some weepy mom action, let me just say that this is a great book. I like this Dimitri a lot better than the coke-addled guy in The Sweet Forever & Nick Stefanos pretty much = the man. I absolutely loved the crowd at the Spot & I'd like to see a novel about the lot of them. I can't really believe that

James beating up Maria's husband

would work out as rosily in real life as it's implied here, but why not go ahead & write a book about them & prove me wrong, George? Now I'm gonna go hug my kid.