Alena’s Reviews > Cool Machine > Status Update

He had never understood how the Christian could hate the Jew, or the Jew the Muslim, or whatever combination. It was all a scam; they competed over who had pulled off the better con. Bragging rights for that honor had its place of course; the body count over the century seemed excessive, however.

All that lost lore. The secret history of 1001 rip offs, full moon robberies, and blacktop hijackings. Extortion plays, botched heists, and longshot scores. ... Now that Carney was retired he saw how crazy those days had been. Like a former rummy remembering the legendary benders of yore with incredulity. And shame. And weird pride.

What would a good man do in this situation? He wasn't sure he'd ever met one, and if he had, he had not been paying attention.

Up in the lobby, they had both kinds of white people - the ones who flinch when they see you and the ones who look right through you.

There had always been those who lived at the edge of things, in recesses of parks, on the hard floors of vacant buildings. Their numbers had multiplied when Carney wasn't looking. They came here, casualties of prosperity above.

He'd always blamed other people for dragging him into their messes, but all bullshit aside he chose the chaos himself. Deep down, he loved the chaos as much as the next crooked soul.