Family Matters (Jackson Steeg Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Ira Berkowitz (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jackson Steeg Mysteries | Publication Date: April 24, 2006

Jackson Steeg is a disgraced cop at loose ends in Hell's Kitchen, when a dead hooker shows up on his doorstep. Family matters is New York noir at its finest.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In this debut tale of a suspended cop battling the bottle and other forces of darkness in Hell's Kitchen, Berkowitz proves a talented plotter who knows how to deliver a crackling crime narrative. Jackson Steeg is attempting to dry out during month two of a six-month forced vacation from the NYPD for attacking a colleague who beat up one of his informants. But when a drugged-out heiress turns up dead in the apartment below his, Steeg finds himself drawn into the case. The pull proves irresistible when he discovers the young woman's mother also died under mysterious circumstances--and Steeg's detective father led the investigation. Steeg will remind many readers of early Matt Scudder. But in addition to channeling Lawrence Block, Berkowitz also pays homage to James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels by importing a supernaturally evil villain straight out of Louisiana's Angola prison. The tonal clash between Block's hard-nosed sensibility and Burke's gothic vibe almost derails the story, but Berkowitz manages to bring everything together in a strong, troubling climax that whets the appetite for another round with Steeg. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Berkowitz nails Hell's Kitchen . . . an impressive debut". -- Jason Starr, author of Twisted City

"Ira Berkowitz brings Hell's Kitchen to vivid life. His hero, Jackson Steeg, is just right for this gritty, doomed neighborhood." -- Peter Spiegelman, author of Black Maps and Death's Little Helpers

"Unique spin on the classic recipe for New York noir". -- Reed Farrel Coleman, author of The James Deans

Don't miss Family Matters by Ira Berkowitz - Carole Memmott -- USA TODAY Summer Mystery Critic's Pick, May 25, 2006

Family secrets, disappointments and choices are at the crux of Family Matters, the exciting debut novel from Ira Berkowitz. -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 6, 2006

Gritty debut... promising noir. -- Publishers Weekly, April 17,2006

This is a superb work by an author who has oodles of talent. -- Harriet Klausner, April 10,2006

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Justin, Charles & Co. (April 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932112448
• ISBN-13: 978-1932112443
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ira Berkowitz was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Writing fiction was the furthest thing from his mind.

He attended New York University, fully expecting to attend Medical School upon graduation. Instead, he wound up in law school. After enduring two years studying torts, contracts, corporate, real estate, and other legal matters - try curling up with the laws of riparian rights on a cold winter night - he decided there had to be a more interesting way to earn a living. And, with only one more year to go, he quit. Now he was really at odds and ends. No career. No job. And no prospects.

Enter his wife - then fiancee - the very wise, Phyllis.

How about advertising, she suggested. He patiently explained he had absolutely no artistic ability, wasn't trained in snappy headline writing, and had never taken a business or marketing course. A career as an ice-road trucker would make more sense. But the more he thought about it, the more alluring her suggestion. Client lunches with Captains of Industry. TV commercial shoots at exotic locations. Expense account. The mad, Mad Avenue whirl! And a big salary to boot! So he went for it, and managed to land a job paying a hundred dollars a week. And found that he loved the business. Thirty years later he retired and realized how lucky he was. There wasn't a day he didn't enjoy going to work.


After several months of doing absolutely nothing and hating it, Ira's wife asked how he planned to keep busy. With a blank stare for a response she suggested he try writing fiction. Once again he patiently explained that he had never taken a creative writing course - and didn't plan to. And, he reminded her, marketing plans were the only pieces of fiction he had ever written. She reminded him of the "advertising" conversation they had had thirty years earlier. It did the trick.

Ira's first effort at fiction garnered fifty rejections. But a few were encouraging, so he kept at it. His second effort, Family Matters, the first book in the Jackson Steeg Mystery Series, was published in 2006 and won the Washington Irving Award for literary merit. And he repeated with Old Flame, published in 2008. Sinners' Ball, the third book in the series will be published, December 2009.

Ira is writing full time and considers himself lucky. There isn't a day he doesn't look forward to going to work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic and riveting NY crime-noir, August 1, 2006

By 

Adam Cohen (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Family Matters (Jackson Steeg Mysteries) (Hardcover)

On the surface, Det. Jackson Steeg is like most crime novel protagonists-- rebellious, world-weary and unrelenting. But soon after "Family Matters" takes off, we see there's a history to Steeg's life that resonates as true-- that he is such a richly detailed character, you cannot ignore his dillemna. Steeg must solve the murder of a young rich woman in a seedy part of Manhattan (Steeg's own apartment building!). And true-to-life, Steeg begins to discover that a city of several million is actually not that big at all, and seldom are there coincidences linking people together, including himself. I enjoyed the speed and depth to this story. Ira Berkowitz wisely weaves a twisted plot through a twisted city and exposes the darkness and corruption that simmers below the surface of post-Giuliani NYC. As a mystery, the plot is surprising and fast-paced (never feeling absurd or forced as is common in the genre). I've read a great deal of mystery/pulp crime novels, and this one is among the very best. I highly recommend this novel.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!, March 28, 2006

By 

Dr. Beth Kaplan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family Matters (Jackson Steeg Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Ira Berkowitz has brought New York noir to life.
Family Matters captures the essence of old New York at its grittiest and finest. Wonderfully written New York noir that combines a riveting narrative with full character development that includes all walks of life in the Big City. A must read!!! - Beth Kaplan, M.D.(New York City)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Family Matters by Ira Berkowitz, August 4, 2007

By 

Patrick A. Zottoli - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Family Matters (Jackson Steeg Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Berkowitz has really nailed Hell's Kitchen. You can smell the smells, hear the noise, even feel the damp coldness. I couldn't put this book down. Although short in length, it is long on story line, and generously sprikled with humor and wisecracks. You will laugh out loud, and also be very engrossed in the story. I highly recommend this book. It is not your run of the mill murder mystery