Due to the fact that no only don’t we know much about Billy the Kid, but also that he died very young, it’s difficult to fill a whole book about him.

The story itself is very violent, sometimes brutal and mostly all the way through. The characters are well written, from the mob boss who is trying to keep his small fiefdom together, to the young guys with no parental guidance in sight trying to make a name for themselves, to the protagonist Bill the Kid, trying to find some peace in his crazy world.

An unusual entry in the series since it is narrated by a French-Canadian woman and not James Bond

I, of course, could never relate to rich Asian immigrants, but still found the basic truths to be the same about every family.

The author weaves in true events with his story. The tragic case of the St. Louis, German transatlantic liner with 288 passengers escaping certain death

The story is, of course, dated and some of it seem downright laughable or cringe worthy if not keeping in mind the attitudes at the times towards women and minorities.

The author wrote a profound book which captures the helplessness against a great tragedy, but also the profound human relationships which can occur from such a tragedy.

Mr. Sjursen also shares his own personal views about the war, professional soldering, the ugly business of managing an occupation and the even uglier politics of inserting yourself in the middle of a sectarian civil war.

The author managed to combine comedy, drama, romance, mystery, religion (Judaism) and a healthy dose of NYC culture in the narrative, yet somehow stay focused on a loose p

The beautiful design alone of this book is worth a look for any bibliophile, even if you might not enjoy the story.