Jackson Steeg
Created by Ira Berkowitz

Hell's Kitchen is hell.

Ex-NYPD homicide cop and life-long resident JACKSON STEEG isn't a private eye, per se, but he sure ain't no amateur sleuth.

His life, as they say, is complicated. He's the guardian for a mouthy 13-year old girl, his brother's a local mobster, his ex-partner is a lesbian with issues and his father's a cop himself. Add in that Jackson's a recovering alcoholic (at least theoretically) and Gulf War vet, and he's still smarting from a bitter divorce, and you jusy know life ain't exactly a bowl of cherries for Mr. Steeg.

When we first meet him, in 2006's Family Matters, he's just been suspended from the department for six months for slugging a colleague who beat up one of his informants. With nothing but time and potential sobriety on his hands, he gets drawn into investigating the murder of a drugged-out heiress in the apartment below his. It was an auspicious debut, garning plenty of praise, and in 2008, Steeg returned in Old Flame, even more battered and bruised, and once again forced by circumstances to become involved, albeit reluctantly, in a murder investigation -- this time the murder of his ex-wife's new hubby. And so it goes.

You can feel the street level grit on your teeth -- there's no doubt Berkowitz (and Jackson) know their turf, and know how to make it come alive. Keep your eye on this series.

UNDER OATH

  • "Steeg will remind many readers of early Matt Scudder. But in addition to channeling Lawrence Block, Berkowitz also pays homage to James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels... The tonal clash between Block's hard-nosed sensibility and Burke's gothic vibe almost derails the story, but Berkowitz manages to bring everything together in a strong, troubling climax that whets the appetite for another round with Steeg."
    -- Frank Sennett, American Library Association on Family Matters
  • "Berkowitz nails Hell's Kitchen . . . an impressive debut".
    -- Jason Starr on Family Matters
  • "Berkowitz keeps the dialogue rough, the action fast and the characterization thin but sharp as Jake steers his way through the myriad traps thrown in his way."
    -- Publisher's Weekly on Old Flame
  • “A mean, lean piece of noir full of tough talk, hard men, and harder women. It's a tense walk down a dark alley, a heart-pounding chase on the gritty streets of New York that ends with punch in the jaw. Ira Berkowitz flicks his cigarette ash at the noir greats and dares them to do it better."
    -- Lisa Unger

NOVELS

SHORT STORIES

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.

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