Tough Luck [Paperback]

Mickey Prada is a poor kid trying to make good. Working in a fish market while saving for college, he also takes care of his Alzheimer's-ridden Dad. Things are going pretty well for Mickey until a slick-looking mobster walks into the fish shop. Angelo Santoro starts talking football and betting with Mickey. Before long, Mickey's placing 'good faith' bets for Angelo. And Angelo keeps losing. Now Mickey's in the hole to his bookie and Angelo won't make good on his debt.

In order to get out of hock, his lifelong friend Chris proposes a house burglary with a few of their buddies. It'll be easy money, what with the homeowners on vacation. And Mickey will surely be able to pay off the bookie and maybe pick up some nice trinkets for his new girlfriend. It all sounds so simple. But nothing goes quite as you might expect -- and none of the well-drawn characters will ever be the same after _this_ caper.

Starr writes with exquisite attention to detail. The jargon of the early eighties... the fashion... the culture... all are snapshots wrapped around the realistic foibles of each character. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of Starr's books. It's easily some of the best noir fiction going.

Mickey's plans are dashed the day he agrees to place a bet as a favor for customer Angelo Santoro, who claims he's connected to a New York Crime family. When Angelo's team loses, Mickey finds himself on the hook for $55. Refusing to pay until he has a chance to recoup his losses, Angelo bullies Mickey into placing additional losing bets that increase the debt to over $2000. Under pressure from his bookie, and seeing no way to earn the money legitimately, Mickey accompanies his best friend on a burglary. When that plan goes awry, Mickey's life takes a startling turn for the worse.

Unlike Starr's previous novels, set in modern times and featuring yuppie protagonists, Tough Luck takes place in 1984, focusing on a member of the lower class. Told in plain, straightforward prose, the story is compelling enough, but doesn't hold up very well upon subsequent reflection.
Although Mickey starts out as a sympathetic character, readers begin to feel contempt for him as he makes one irrational decision after another, steadily adding to his problems. Starr's decision to set the book in 1984 is questionable, as it adds nothing to the story's overall impact. He makes another tactical error in his search for a twist ending, effectively squandering any goodwill readers might still harbor for Mickey, leaving his audience with a bad taste in their mouths at story's end. In the end, Tough Luck constitutes good, competent work, but nothing approaching the quality of previous Starr offerings like Cold Caller, Nothing Personal, and Hard Feelings.