Jimmy the Barber is a sixty-five-year-old Coast Guard retiree giving mediocre haircuts in the mundane town of Bishop’s Cove, Michigan. His life is uninspired, centered around his creaky barbershop, church, his old bull, and the hope that maybe, just maybe, he’s finally found the love of his life after 65 years of being a bachelor. But things are about to get even more exciting in this sleepy town.
When Chicago mob boss, Vincent Lucchesi decides to expand his criminal empire into rural Michigan, all he wants is a low-key, profitable operation that won’t attract the Feds: clean on paper, dirty underneath. To keep things running smoothly, he sends his enforcers, Danny and Joey, to Bishop’s Cove. Sounds simple enough: keep the cash rolling in, preserve the peace, and blend in.
But Bishop’s Cove has a way of complicating things. Between a slippery local con artist and a crooked car dealer with a taste for quick cash, Danny and Joey’s “simple” assignment rapidly becomes anything but. Before long, money goes missing, and people start snooping around and asking questions.
When the mob’s stolen cash ends up in his hands, Jimmy’s simple life flips over. Suddenly, he’s dodging gangsters, FBI agents, and half the town’s gossip mill, while trying to keep his relationship with Estelle from collapsing under the madness. It’s only a matter of time before the FBI swoops into Bishop’s Cove. But when they do, what should have been a career-making bust turns into a full-blown fiasco that leaves agents humiliated, the mob furious, and the entire town in chaos.
Packed with sharp wit, eccentric characters, and perfectly timed chaos, POPATOP – A Tale Of Disorganized Crime is a darkly funny, sharply drawn crime novel about ordinary people caught in extraordinary stupidity. The plot is both original and refreshingly unpredictable. Tinney’s skillful use of the small-town setting adds a layer of charm and complexity to the story. Bishop’s Cove, with its eccentric residents and curious happenings, serves as the perfect backdrop for the escalating farce. The characters are irresistibly endearing and vivid, particularly Jimmy, whose reluctance to embrace the wild world around him makes him a relatable and compelling everyman hero. The tension between Jimmy’s mundane existence and the high-stakes chaos surrounding him fuels the novel’s satirical themes of greed and the unexpected power of ordinary people to shift the course of events, even in a world dominated by crime and corruption. POPATOP will appeal to fans of Carl Hiaasen’s Skin Tight and Elmore Leonard’s Get Shorty or simply readers who love their crime stories smart, fast, and packed with satire.
