Restoration

Murder, the Mob, and a 1964 1/2 Mustang set the stage for this debut crime novel

Dominic DiPietro paints cars in his brother's auto body shop in Hamilton by day. By night, he moonlights chopping cars for a brutal Romanian mobster, Bela Nastasi. Painting wrecked cars is easy for Dominic, but his true passion lies in classic cars. So when a friend discovers a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang at the bottom of Hamilton Harbour, Dominic can't believe his luck.

Dominic gathers together a team to help restore the car, including Andy, a talented female mechanic. But Dominic's attempt to uncover the original owner of the car brings up unwanted information. Turns out the car belonged to an ex-mob stoolie and Hamilton jeweller, Roberto Constantine, who was murdered shortly after the car was released.

Roberto's surviving brother, Sal, is running for mayor. But he, like everyone else, seems to have a vested interest in seeing this Mustang disappear just like it did in 1964. What was once sent to Hamilton Harbour to die has now been reborn, but at what threat to Dominic?

With its compelling portrait of the Steel City and the murky world of mobsters, local politicians, cops, excons, and ordinary people trying to make a go of their lives in the early 1990s, Restoration marks the debut of a fine new crime fiction writer.