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BOYOS By Richard Marinick
Ernest Hemingway advised all would-be writers to write what they know. Richard Marinick took that advice, consciously or no, when he wrote Boyos. Marinick served eleven years in a Massachusetts state prison for leading an armored car holdup. Prior to that he was a Massachusetts State Police officer. When it comes to writing about crime, he’s familiar with both sides of the tracks. A “boyo” is Irish slang for a gangster. Boyos is the story of two Irish-American brothers, earners for the Irish mob in South Boston. Jack “Wacko” Curran and his brother Kevin are into a little bit of everything, from dealing cocaine and loan-sharking to stealing diamonds. In Southie, they’re as tough as they come, but even they have to pay mob boss Marty Fallon a percentage of everything they make. The Currans are tired of forking over tribute money to Fallon, especially since they’re the ones taking all the risks, so when Wacko gets a plan together to knock over an armored car for a big score, paying the boss isn’t part of the plan. You might imagine Fallon sees things differently. A review of Boyos from Penthouse magazine claims: “Jack ‘Wacko’ Curran is an existential street samurai...” I guess it’s a good thing people buy Penthouse for pictures of naked women and not for its book reviews, as this quote is a pathetic attempt by a reviewer to sound hip. Although I’m sure the author was happy with any positive review of his work, this characterization of the protagonist is complete crap. There is nothing remotely “existential” about Wacko Curran; nor does he possess anything resembling a code of honor. He’s a thug, plain and simple, with nothing but contempt for “citizens”, the typical nine-to-fivers who work a real job and pay their taxes. Wacko is distinguished from other thugs because he’s smarter and more ambitious than they are. His loyalty extends only as far as his brother; everyone else is an exploitable—and disposable—resource. The Currans have little in the way of redeeming qualities, and yet, like Alex in Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, they have an indefinable something that forces the reader to identify—and possibly even sympathize—with their character. While there is nothing particularly original about the plot of Boyos, Marinick’s storytelling is first-rate. Fast-paced and filled with vivid characters and visceral, authentic language, Boyos is an unflinchingly brutal picture of street life in South Boston. It’s also one of the best crime novels I have read in a long time. Marinick displays an intimate knowledge of Boston and the surrounding towns and plumbs the depths of thug life with detail few writers can approach. Boyos fixes him securely in the company of genre greats such as Robert B. Parker and Ed McBain, impressive company considering this is only his first novel. You should buy it.
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