Rye Writes – Ira Berkowitz Loves a Good Crime

– By Allen Clark –

Ira Berkowitz is living two lives. Weekday afternoons (except Wednesdays), he helps run the front desk at the Rye Y. Other times, he is building a good case for becoming a highly regarded mystery writer.

His first novel, “Family Matters”, was published in hardcover in early 2006 to critical acclaim, including winning The Washington Irving Adult Book Award, given by the Westchester Library Association in recognition of high quality fiction and nonfiction books written by authors who live in Westchester.

His second novel, “Old Flame”, in bookstores starting this month, is a Random House/Crown Three Rivers Press soft-cover imprint. The prepublication reviews have been consistently positive:

“‘Old Flame’” is a tightly written, deftly plotted gem of crime fiction.”
– Booklist

“Berkowitz keeps the dialogue rough, the action fast, and the characterization sharp.”

– Publishers Weekly

Like Berkowitz's first book, “Old Flame” is propelled by a brass-knuckles story line and dialogue. And like his first book, it’s critically tied up with family — past and present.

The first novel introduced readers to Steeg (his first name is only used by relatives or very close friends, of which there are only one or two). An ex-cop, he can't resist inserting himself into dangerous, illegal events brewing in Hell's Kitchen, where he has spent his life, and up against some pretty unsavory characters.
Steeg's motivation for doing this is that he was a good cop, surrounded by not-so-good cops and certainly not-good criminals, but also because of his old bad habits. While he has been on the wagon for some time (although continually tempted), he has always had a loose-cannon temper and an even looser mouth.

As Berkowitz explained, Steeg finds that he can do things as an ex-cop he couldn't do when he was a cop. As a cop, speaking his mind at the wrong times, to the wrong people, or taking a swing at anyone who got in his way, only got him in trouble. But now, untethered by police department rules, Steeg finds his new freedom quite appealing.

In “Old Flame”, Steeg gets sucked into a maze of assorted characters, including his ex-wife, her new husband (soon to be a corpse), her mother and father (never Steeg's favorites), Steeg's mob-chief and decidedly psychotic brother, a no-good childhood buddy who is now deep in debt to a vicious Israeli mobster, and so on. The deeper he gets pulled in, with no real idea of where he might exit, the more Steeg bumps into family concerns and conflicted interests.

“Old Flame” actually is Berkowitz's third novel in what he envisions as an extended series of Jackson Steeg mysteries. He discarded his original second novel, tentatively called “Double Down”, because on review he was dissatisfied. It helped that he had also been working on “Old Flame”, so that he could proceed relatively quickly.

Berkowitz had another challenge, and that was to find a new agent and publisher, one that he could count on to give his new book the promotion it needed. He is thrilled with his new arrangement and is already at work on “Sinners' Ball”, which he hopes will be published later this year.

He has no plans to change the venue. Hell's Kitchen is core to Steeg's persona and to the corruption and crime story lines that Berkowitz sees developing. What is remarkable, though, is that Berkowitz is not from Hell's Kitchen nor does he do a great deal of research on the area as he constructs his books.

Dialogue is at the heart of these books. Berkowitz uses little narrative. He prefers to let mood, environment and plot develop though his characters. “When I let them do it, it comes alive,” he said.

Berkowitz related a recent anecdote, testimony to how he captures the world of crime. He was in an Italian restaurant in White Plains (La Manda), which he frequents and mentions by name in both books. When the owner asked him to meet someone, Berkowitz walked over and was introduced to a large gentleman who looked as if he might well be out of one of his novels. It turned out the man was a retired Westchester police officer and a fan. He proceeded to tell Berkowitz how true his ear was for the dialogue and how well he'd set up the players and the conflict. His final words were music to the author's ears: “You nailed it!”

The Rye Free Reading Room will host a reading and book signing by Ira Berkowitz, Saturday, January 31, from 2 to 4 p.m. Copies are also available at Arcade Books.