Brighton Beach Badlands

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The rapid collapse of the Soviet system offered the powerful and dangerous Josef Urikovich and his brother Uri the opportunity to spread the existing Russian criminal network to America. Their headquarters was in Brighton Beach, the area of southeast Brooklyn bordering Coney Island in New York City which unofficially was known as the home base of the Russian Mafia. It was a closed world inhospitable to outsiders. Uri developed a close relationship with Russell Boyd when they both served with the American military forces in Afghanistan. Boyd's profession as a Major League Baseball player with the New Jersey Greys fit uniquely into a plan developed by the brothers to compete with the well-established traditional mafia in America. A unique reward was Boyds's recompense for his participation. A love affair was an unexpected dividend. Terrorist threats within the United States became the bargaining chip between the Russians and the Federal Bureau of Investigation which further aided the newcomers in their quest to become a significant criminal force in America. In his fourth novel, Bill Kennedy has taken his signature approach to adding a fictional flavor to current events to form a thoroughly enjoyable reading adventure.