The Wolves Of Fairmount Park by Dennis Tafoya

This book chronicles the events that surround a drive by shooting that traumatizes two families and where collateral damages purges a portion of the Philadelphia drug scene.

Dennis Tafoya writes a complicated mystery. You may figure out the who but the why may escape you. He maintains your interest by providing in depth characterizations. Be prepared for some un-likeable characters. Cop cultural clashes with junkie culture and family values. Chris Black, muscle for hire, was both one of the saddest and yet eventually redeemable personalities in the book.

The insular nature of a chunk of urban society was well illustrated by Tafoya. It may be a little hard to believe unless you have urban friends. Years and years ago we took a Philadelphia friend to a Bucks County Inn for dinner. The terrific dinner didn’t hold a candle to his reaction to being so far out in the country. The lack of street lights, street signs and stop lights was only surpassed by his amazement that there were real cows just standing around in fields.

This author did an excellent job capturing the dismaying aspects of both the drug culture and the insular urban despair. The moving frustration of cops, overwhelmed by insurmountable problems, was movingly poignant.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Dennis Tafoya

Web Site: http://dennistafoya.blogspot.com/