Family Business

by Vincent Patrick

The men of Brooklyn's McMullen family follow Grandpa Jesse, some reluctantly, into one last criminal scam--involving genetic engineering--that will set them all up for life

Genres: Crime

281 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1985

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

After starting a bunch of dull books, I couldn't find anything I was interested in until I remembered how I grabbed this off BookBub a while ago. As a fan of the movie, I was worried this would feel like a novelization considering Patrick wrote both. It is and it isn't and that became the most interesting thing as I knew what would happen at every turn. The biggest change here is the Adam of this novel is a bit of a punk and a lot less sympathetic I appreciate how Patrick adapted and improved this aspect for the movie. I found myself thinking this was Vito's story and was OK with that since it was more fleshed out. Even though there weren't surprises, this was a fun read and hopefully reignite my dormant desire to read.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vincent Patrick's first novel, The Pope of Greenwich Village, is one of my very favorite books. I really believe that it should have a reputation as one of the best crime novels of the last forty years. His second novel Family Business is not quite as good, but a lot of the greatness evident in his debut still shines through here.

Centering mainly on fathers and sons this time instead of cousins, the familial bonds are a notch stronger. Jessie McMullen is a career criminal who can still hold his own in a bar fight as a senior citizen. His son Vito has been living for the most part on the straight and narrow as a meat distributor for the last twenty years after spending some time in prison as a young man. Vito's son Adam is a very intelligent MIT dropout who has spent the last five years away from home in various spots around the world, keeping afloat by selling drugs.

Adam returns home with a score in mind that he wants his father and grandfather in on. His grandfather, very proud of his grandson for the idea, agrees without hesitation. His father Vito takes a bit more convincing. The book gets interesting when Vito must decide what to do when he's offered the score. When his son tells him that they plan to do the job with or without him, Vito decides it would be best for everyone if he were there to help out and protect his son if need be. The score is stealing some kind of scientific concoctions and formulas related to the advancement of fertilizer-free agriculture (yawn), and Adam's former acquaintance from MIT is willing to pay a million dollars for it. The score appears to be an easy in-and-out operation, but as a thief knows, nothing ever goes as planned.

The book isn't engrossing all the way through, but great characters, many funny moments, and a very strong final third make it another strong effort from Patrick. I'd also recommend the underrated late '80s film adaptation with Dustin Hoffman, Sean Connery, and Matthew Broderick.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the inspiration for the movie of the same name, starring Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick. It is funny, sad, exciting and a fast read. It chronicles a young man's plan to enter the family business - burglary - in order to impress his grandfather and against the wishes of his parents.

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow 2/3 ending saved it.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, character driven, old-school crime caper book told in a deeply loving series of New York accents. A beautiful follow-up to The Pope of Greenwich Village,

[Rory Costello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sophomore jinx. Some funny scenes and good characterization, but simply not a patch on "The Pope of Greenwich Village".

[James Conder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, nice characterization. So much better than the movie that was based on it.