World Gone By: A Novel

World Gone By is the third and final installment that began in post World War I Boston and told the tale of the Coughlin clan, and the tumultuous events threatening to tear them apart. Joe Coughlin is a supporting character initially, but in the following two books he emerges as main character. Joe has become a powerful gangster in Florida. We find Joe in Tampa keeping a low profile as an advisor to his best friend and crime boss, Dino Bartolo. The country is still in the throes of World War II, and Joe has been straddling the fence of the upperworld and the underworld in his endeavors. He hasn’t recovered from the tragic events of the preceding book, but maintains a stoic facade to keep his mind on business and raising his son. A fracture in the local underworld is posing a grave threat to money making ventures. Joe is pulled into a vortex of paranoia and intrigue while seeking answers as to who wants him dead and who is pulling the strings in a power grab. The story is well-paced, and the characters are versatile and well written. There are tragic characters and emotional story telling. I loved it!