Way Past Legal

by Norman Green

Fans of Elmore Leonard and Richard Price will find a new favourite in Norman Green for the first time in mass market. Manny's latest score left him with more money than he's ever dreamed of, but with money comes danger–from his partner, Rosey, who might get greedy, and from the Russian mobsters they stole it from. Worse, if he's busted again, he'll go back to prison for life, leaving his motherless five–year–old son, Nicky, still trapped in the foster care system. With the kind of guts born of panic and desperation, Manny grabs his son and heads for the wilds of Maine. When he discovers that the bad guys are on his trail, his impulse is, as usual, to run. But the people he's met in Maine–including the local police chief–have become unlikely friends and an unlikely surrogate family to his boy. Now they're all in danger, and it's because of him. Does Manny have what it takes to change his street–tough ways and become a real father to Nicky? And does he dare settle into a new life, putting at stake the safety of everyone he has come to love? Norman Green presents a gripping portrait of a man trying to break out of the stranglehold of a life of crime and create a future for himself and his son.

Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Norman Green reports this about himself: "I have always been careful, as Mark Twain advised, not to let schooling interfere with my education. Too careful, maybe. I have been, at various times, a truck driver, a construction worker, a project engineer, a factory rep, and a plant engineer, but never, until now, a writer." He lives in Emerson, New Jersey, with his wife.

Series:
* Alessandra Al Martillo Mystery

Reviews

[Davionta Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way Past Legal tells a story of a recovering ex convict, Manny, who is trying to start a new life with his son who was placed in an orphanage. Way Past Legal is a great book ofr up in coming parents and or kids who does not have a mother or father. I would recommend this book to everyone. It sends out a great message.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

On average this book took me longer then normal to read. It was slow at times and it didn't really capture my interest. I had to force my way through at times. I got sick of the swearing, I felt it was a bit overboard and forced. The ending was good enough, pretty predicable but I liked it enough.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about an ex-con who is trying to escape his life of crime (with the $2 million he stole) and take his son (who is in foster care) with him. When his car brakes down in rural Maine, he learns a lot about relationships, his son, and himself.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most original premise in the world, but delivered with all the tension and twists you'd expect from a summer action novel.

[Suevw · Rating 4 out of 5]

not for sure when I read this but it sure stayed with me and have been watching for another of his!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one - an offbeat hero (criminal trying to turn good guy) and lots of action. It's a sort of heart-warming thriller. Sounds funny but it works.

[Douglas Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

First sentence - "Time, a guy once told me, ain't nothing but one goddam thing after another."

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the plot was perhaps a bit on the thin side the characters, first person voice, and Maine seacoast locales made this another enjoyable read by this author.