The Narrowback by Michael Ledwidge. (Warner Books, £9.99 in UK)

A tough thriller this, set in the mean streets of New York. And for a change the gangsters are not Italian but Irish, with the main character, Tom Farrell, an Irish-American, or Narrowback, from the Hell's Kitchen area of the Bronx. Beginning with the classic scenario of the robbery that goes wrong, the narrative descends into a maelstrom of violence and sudden death, with Farrell endeavouring to stay ahead of a posse of pursuers that includes a unit of the IRA, Albanian thugs, and the FBI. Author Ledwidge knows his territory of Manhattan - although he is not so good on the Old Sod, placing Kerry as a neighbouring county to Sligo and mentioning a drink called Putcheen - and he has written a fast-paced and engrossing novel. It reminds me a little of the Parker series of books by Richard Stark, and that is high praise.