Striver, The

A young and ambitious New York gangster; two dedicated New York detectives. The city just isn’t big enough for them all . . .

Teddy Winuk has it all going on. He’s young, ambitious, dedicated, ruthless and blessed with enough energy to fuel a crew twice the size of the one he’s assembled. Teddy has a game plan, too, a marketing strategy worthy of the financier he once aspired to be. New York City is home to more than three million immigrants from all over the world. Naturally, a small percentage is in need of the drugs and the loans he’s prepared to supply. All he needs to do is reach out to them through a network of junior partners drawn from those very communities.

Yes, Teddy Winuk is on his way up, yet like all entrepreneurs, there are hurdles to overcome. Two especially, in Teddy’s case. First, the John Pianetta crime family and the tax they impose on the profits of ambitious criminals like Teddy. Second, a pair of New York detectives named Boots Littlewood and Crazy Jill Kelly. Funny thing about Jill and Boots. They just won’t give up.