In a disparate pairing, two women in their 60s—the widow of a Mafia captain and an ex-porn star—join forces in some of the funniest and deadliest scenes in fiction.

Larkin, the Brooklyn widow, believes she has killed her neighbor when she threw an ashtray at him to fend off his advances.  As she flees to safety, she encounters instead a maelstrom of violence with a mounting body count.

Wolfstein, whose porn films are still treasured by the cognoscenti, is now a con artist, who has been fleecing aging widowers, accumulating a hefty bankroll.  When she reaches out to aid the distraught widow, she signs on for more adventure than she bargained for.

Boyle has a pitch-perfect ear for the Brooklyn dialect, and the novel is full of spot-on descriptions.  He takes the reader on an unforgettable, wild ride.