by Gordon Korman
I have enjoyed reading books by this author before (for our elementary school library) so I decided to give this one a try even thought it's not for kids. The premise was intriguing.... a straight-arrow teenager whose father is head of the New York mafia manages to avoid getting involved in the family "business" and enjoys a fairly normal, traditional family life (two loving parents, typical older brother, home in the suburbs), but things get complicated when he falls in love with the daughter of the FBI agent who has been investigating his father for many years.
Korman's writing is fun and the story is very entertaining; part mystery, part love-story, part comedy. Now for the "buts." There is some violence....nothing extreme or graphic, but as you might expect there are a few instances of mob members doing what they do.... the events don't "happen" in the story but they are mentioned. There is some mild language, but very little. The most uncomfortable parts for me were the (mostly subtle) sexual references, including a scene where our 17-year-old hero narrowly escapes an awkward situation with a call-girl hired by his older brother. But Vince is a good kid, and he does the right thing.... throughout the whole book.
Recommended for 16 years and up
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