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Machine
A political thriller set in 1980's Brooklyn.
Paperback
First published December 1, 1985
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November 13, 2025
I’m glad I stumbled across this gem, a story about machine politics told with a Brooklyn accent. Following in the footsteps of his famous older brother, Pete Hamil, Denis became a columnist for the New York Daily News and learned the ins and outs of New York politics. When he turned novelist, Denis brought that expertise to “Machine.”
This is the story of Be Be Gonzago, boss of the Brooklyn political machine, and his son, Joseph, who, at first, despises everything his father stood for. But unlike Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, Be Be is a street-wise benevolent boss who greases the wheels of bureaucracy with political favors. While Be Be had high hopes for his son’s political future, Joseph became a campus radical, publicly demonizing his father.
After Be Be is murdered, Joseph returns home and learns that his dad was not so bad after all. Yet powerful political forces are at work to overturn the Brooklyn political organization. Joseph’s chief nemesis is Assemblyman Sidney Weingarten. Complicating matters, Sidney’s daughter, Gloria, and Joseph are romantically involved. Joseph assumes the mantle of Brooklyn machine and has to fight dirty politics with cunning political in-fighting that he learned from Be Be.
This is a story of a son who slowly matures and comes to appreciate his father’s wisdom. Hamill gives a saga of spellbinding political intrigue.
This is the story of Be Be Gonzago, boss of the Brooklyn political machine, and his son, Joseph, who, at first, despises everything his father stood for. But unlike Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, Be Be is a street-wise benevolent boss who greases the wheels of bureaucracy with political favors. While Be Be had high hopes for his son’s political future, Joseph became a campus radical, publicly demonizing his father.
After Be Be is murdered, Joseph returns home and learns that his dad was not so bad after all. Yet powerful political forces are at work to overturn the Brooklyn political organization. Joseph’s chief nemesis is Assemblyman Sidney Weingarten. Complicating matters, Sidney’s daughter, Gloria, and Joseph are romantically involved. Joseph assumes the mantle of Brooklyn machine and has to fight dirty politics with cunning political in-fighting that he learned from Be Be.
This is a story of a son who slowly matures and comes to appreciate his father’s wisdom. Hamill gives a saga of spellbinding political intrigue.
Displaying 1 of 1 review