By Michael J. Cooper

Picaresque

Christian Taylor was born into a family of grifters and cheats, con artists working the fringes of society. It’s all he knows. Untutored but with modest principles inherited, perhaps, from his unknown father, he makes his way through childhood and adolescence pushing the envelope, teasing the corners, playing the odds but never quite crossing the line. Then Big Manny offers a position to Christian and his friend Jerod, a place in the Organization. Reluctantly Christian accepts and so starts his trip up the ladder. Look-out, delivery man, capo–his climb is fueled by native intelligence, high energy, street smarts and sociable personality. With Jerod as his enforcer and his ex-hooker girlfriend Marcella as his business manager, he accumulates power and position on both sides of the law. Then Big Manny falls, cuffed and stuffed by a crusading mayor. Power abhors a vacuum and Christian is not one to let others run his game. Through quick maneuvering, calling in favors and the heavy hand of Jerod he takes over at the top. This is a portrayal of various episodes in the life of a made man, a rogue, and the influences and events that fueled his success. Nothing is his but what he takes, what he gets he works for. Whether success or failure, it’s achieved on his terms and by his hand.