CAUGHT STEALING

It took little more than a decade or so for teen baseball star Hank Thompson to become "Sailor," an alcoholic bartender in lower Manhattan. Paul's Place, the bar where he works, is as seedy as the neighborhood that surrounds it. But this is the life Hank has embraced. Then things begin to go downhill when he agrees to care for his neighbors' cat. Narrating in the first person, reader Christian Conn becomes Hank and completely captures the tone and texture of this novel's people and places. From melancholy mom to crooked cop, Conn's narration projects the problems of Hank and his friends. However, this outstanding work is not for everyone. Liberally laced with street talk, the story could be too much for some. T.J.M. ••• © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]