Despite meaning to reread this ever since I first read it, this is my first reread. While it’s very clearly related to Red Team Blues, it’s remarkable how different this book is. Rather than a tight thriller, this feels more like a meandering story that has a clear throughline but skips from event to event as more than a decade goes by. There’s a fun framing device that makes this work, though.

The throughline of the book is clear, though, and not just in terms of plot. From the beginning to the end, it asks questions about what counts as crime and who gets punished. Doctorow’s Radicalized is an interesting read in the wake of the UnitedHealthcare murder, but this one is also worth visiting in that context. (I note, though, that I’m pleased that the revenge story aspects of The Bezzle are decidedly and intentionally nonviolent).

I think I might like this one even better than Red Team Blues (and not just because my name appears in an acknowledgments section for writing a review like this).