The Devil's Knee — Irving Shulman

The Devil's Knee points to a not-too-distant future when morality may be a matter of individual strength, and when the least human psychopaths may be the nation's most prominent leaders.The Devil's Knee: In the eighteen years that have passed since they were last seen, Larry Tunafish Tunig and Simon Bull Bronstien have left their criminal careers behind and have been living the quiet life in Mexico City. Bull, overcome by remorse for past misdeeds, has sought solace in religion, changing his name back to Simon, growing a beard and attending daily services at the local synagogue. But the mob won't leave them alone. Larry and Simon are recalled from Mexico and moved into a Beverly Hills mansion, where Larry is to preside as the fourth husband of Joyce Adams, once a Las Vegas whore, now the widow of the mob's big boss. Larry's assignment: to keep cops and reporters from snooping around. But how do you stay inconspicuous when your new stepdaughter is becoming one of the nation's leading rock stars, your pacifist buddy has attacked and maimed an anti-Semitic orator in the street, and a contingent of tommy-gun wielding mobsters has just prevented three drug-crazed hippies from blowing up your house?