This is a shorter of MacDonald’s works, it seems, and it combines two of his themes: business and crime.
In it, the oldest brother of a family runs a business empire built on a Florida highway at an interchange. Businesses include a truck stop, a hotel, a motel, a couple restaurants, and a strip mall. His father, who bought all the land, has retired and lives on a hill overlooking his family work. The whole clan, including the numbers-mad but indecisive brother, the alert sister, and the playboy youngest son, work in the group. The book touches on the affairs and marriages of the characters and culminates in a robbery that goes awry.
A good bit of reading, combining a slice of life vignette with the planning, commission, and aftermath of the crime.
And the ending is mostly upbeat, too, which is better than The Only Girl in the Game.
