“Mr. Gross’s direct style is full of sentiment but never maudlin and well-suited to scenes of violent action. Button Man has plenty of zip-and lots of moxie, too.” -Wall Street Journal “This is a big, heartfelt handshake of a book, with all the street-scrambling energy that distinguishes the best fiction of Jeffrey Archer and Mario Puzo.” -USA Today Following up The One Man and The Saboteur, …
Following up The One Man and The Saboteur, Gross’s next historical thriller brings to life the drama of the birth of organized crime in 1930s New York City from the tale of one family.
After a string of New York Times bestselling suburban thrillers, Andrew Gross has reinvented himself as a writer of historical thrillers. In his latest novel, Button Man, he delivers a stirring story of a Jewish family brought together in the dawn of the women’s garment business and torn apart by the birth of organized crime in New York City in the 1930s.
Morris, Sol, and Harry Rabishevsky grew up poor and rough in a tiny flat on the Lower East Side, until the death of their father thrust them into having to fend for themselves and support their large family. Morris, the youngest, dropped out of school at twelve years old and apprenticed himself to a garment cutter in a clothing factory; Sol headed to accounting school; but Harry, scarred by a family tragedy, fell in with a gang of thugs as a teenager. Morris steadily climbs through the ranks at the factory until at twenty-one he finally goes out on his own, convincing Sol to come work with him. But Harry can’t be lured away from the glamour, the power, and the money that come from his association with Louis Buchalter, whom Morris has battled with since his youth and who has risen to become the most ruthless mobster in New York. And when Buchalter sets his sights on the unions that staff the garment makers’ factories, a fatal showdown is inevitable, pitting brother against brother.
This new novel is equal parts historical thriller, rich with the detail of a vibrant New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, and family saga, based on Andrew Gross’s own family story and on the history of the era, complete with appearances by real-life characters like mobsters Louis Lepke and Dutch Schultz and special prosecutor Thomas Dewey, and cements Gross’s reputation as today’s most atmospheric and original historical thriller writer.
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Button Man is a compelling, fast paced historical thriller that paints a rich portrait of the rise of organized crime in 1930’s America. Fans of Boardwalk Empire and Dennis Lehane will love it.
Button Man is a riveting piece of historical fiction, mixed with family saga, exposing the Jewish mob of the 1930’s who preyed on the garment industry and the brave few who stood up against them. This book is a heart-stopper. I loved, LOVED it
This is one of the best books I’ve read. Great characters with a great story.
Button Man is one of Gross’ many wonderful books. This book was a page-turner so be prepared to stay up late.
usually love his books. this one i just liked. others gave it a very high recommendation. . i just thought it was ok
Fabulous Book
Gripping story of an honest Jewish businessman besieged by gangsterdom in early 20th century lower Manhattan
Not a fan of organized crime novels but I am an Andrew Gross fan. Another fine piece of work. Story a Jewish immigrant family trying to get a piece of the American dream. Suspenseful and tragic. It’s a story of family, loyalty, forgiveness and fateful decisions.
I have read all of Andrew Gross books and this is an excellent addition to his books. His first books were action thrillers. His last three books have been historical fiction and Andrew has proven in all three that he can definitely write this type of book.
Enjoyed this book and could not put it down.
A great read by the author of The One Man, which was also a terrific read. The Button Man is historical fiction about the mob’s ‘ownership’ of the garment industry. Interspersed with many real characters as they interact with the fictional Raab family, it is informative & riveting.
An interesting historical fiction about the early years of New York and the garment district. Though I enjoyed traveling the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan parts of the story fell flat for me. The sons of the Rabishevsky family are thrown into a tailspin with the loss of their father. The brother’s stories about survival after the passing of their father is what drives this book. Morris’s story is the prevalent story line and his aim to build something from nothing carries throughout the book. Morris may be the youngest but his moxie as he creates a business in the garment district will speak to you. Class difference and the struggle to be on top despite criminal entwining and a brother who prefers the criminal element to family business with his brothers keeps the novel’s pace.
The garment industry of 1920s and 30s New York city is the setting for this suspenseful family story of three brothers working their way out of the tragedies and poverty of their Jewish Lower East Side boyhoods. The story centers around Morris, the scrappiest of the three, whose confrontations with bullying boys of his neighborhood grows into more deadly encounters with them as notorious members of Murder Incorporated.
The strength of this suspenseful novel lies in its dark humor and characterizations of the brothers. Unfortunately their mother, Morris’s wife Ruthie and his sisters are not as well drawn and serve the story more as archetypical objects of affection. The dialogue is spot-on, if overwritten. The sometimes gritty, sometimes swanky settings of Button Man bring a tumultuous time and place to brimming life.