Mark LaFarge has more marital problems than Tony Soprano. Unlike Tony, however, LaFarge's life is complicated by the fact that his wife doesn't know he's a crook. She enjoys living the good life but doesn't understand the odd hours that LaFarge keeps. LaFarge's problems worsen after he agrees to perform a hit for a client he doesn't know, and they become quite unmanageable when the client's father becomes upset with his son's choice of hit men. Meanwhile, a lady cop seeking to salvage her career is after LaFarge ... but that's the least of his problems.

Gritty should be Howard Chaykin's middle name. As always, his writing is tough, smart, and entertaining. The conclusion turns the story into a wild conspiracy theory, the sort of thing on which Chaykin thrives. It's out there, but it's fun. The entire story is fun. Gritty fun.

The art suits the story. Yeah, it's gritty. LaFarge has to be the hairiest, lumpiest crook ever to star in a graphic novel. He's a character I'd like to see again.