Her name is Nanny, and she’s the most cutthroat woman in New York. Prim, slender, and dangerously English, she’s responsible for the care of Lewis Ganucci, a spoiled brat whose father just happens to control the city’s largest crime syndicate. Working on Mr. Ganucci’s sprawling Westchester estate is a dream . . . until Lewis disappears.
Mr. Ganucci is vacationing in Capri, and Nanny sees no reason to inform him that she lost his boy. The kidnappers want $50,000, and if she can scrape it together before the boss gets back, she has a shot at staying alive. She recruits a mid-level enforcer, Benny Napkins, to help her get the cash and save the boss’s son, kicking off a chain of events so outrageous and delightful that Nanny will die laughing—if she doesn’t get whacked first.
An uproarious story of kidnapping, extortion, and cold-blooded murder, this is Ed McBain at his best. If you love Damon Runyon or a great Robert De Niro comedy, you’ll enjoy this entertaining romp about a mobster on a rampage.