World's End — James Conaway

"World''s End (first published by William Morrow) is about love, corruption, and retribution in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina swept much of that world away. Nostalgically bittersweet, intricately plotted, it works on several levels -- as a family saga, a political thriller, and a kind of generational noir. A compelling literary experience, and a complement to the author''s novel The Big Easy.New York Daily News: ""If tight melodrama laced with sex, power grabs and corruption is your dish, you''ll devour World''s End with the relish of a hungry mule in a cornfield...a spellbinder.""Kirkus: ""This Louisiana tale, with its Mafia crime barons pitted against corrupt-government barons, expertly lifts numerous Puzo-ian scenes and motifs - tit-for-tat violence, family honor - while adding some strong local colorations and cinematic effects... there''s enough action and avarice down among the bayous to make this a solid, never crass or tasteless, commercial entry.""Philadelphia Inquirer: ""The teaser on the jacket flap says that James Conaway''s new novel ''will remind some readers of ''All the King''s Men'' and others of ''The Godfather''... The good news is that it''s an astonishingly successful hybrid.""New Orleans Times-Picayune: ""... fascinating and absorbing... one of those rare you-can''t-put-it-down books."""