Ira Berkowitz (born October 8, 1939, in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York) is an American writer of

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

. His Jackson Steeg Mystery Series novels are set in

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

. Berkowitz's

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

''Family Matters'', published in 2006, won the Washington Irving Award for Literary Merit, and was a ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' Top Ten Summer Read selection. He followed up with his second Washington Irving Award for his novel
''Old Flame''
published in 2008. The third novel in the Jackson Steeg series, ''Sinners' Ball'' published in December 2009, won the Shamus Award for Best Original Paperback Crime Fiction Novel of 2009.

Biography

Ira Berkowitz's path to writing fiction took thirty years to complete. Growing up in Brooklyn, Berkowitz dreamed of a career in medicine or law. But advertising beckoned. When he retired, he began to write. His first attempt at a novel garnered fifty rejections. A few were encouraging. So, he kept at it. Berkowitz's novels explore the themes of family,

loyalty Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

, and asymmetrical

justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

– an all too familiar condition where the cards are stacked against the weak. His novels are set in Hell's Kitchen, a

gentrifying Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has been us ...

neighborhood with a bloody, sordid past. It is as much a major character in the series as Jackson Steeg, an alcoholic ex-

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

Homicide Detective. Although he mourns the changes in the neighborhood he loves, Steeg knows a simple truth: No matter how much sheen and glitz is slathered on Hell's Kitchen, crime will always thrive in its cracks and crevasses. Berkowitz lives with his wife in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

Novels

*200
''Family Matters''
*200
''Old Flame''
*200
''Sinners’ Ball''

Major characters

*Jackson Steeg Ex-NYPD Homicide Detective.Graduate of Most Precious Blood parochial school, *Dave Steeg Jackson's brother. Controls the Hell's Kitchen Rackets, *Anthony Steeg Dave's son. Attended Dartmouth, *Luce Guidry Steeg's former partner. The only person who uses his first name, *Dominic Steeg Retired NYPD Homicide Detective. Father of Jackson and Dave, *DeeDee Santos Steeg's favorite kid, *Justin Hapner DeeDee's boyfriend, *Ginny Doyle Steeg's ex-wife, *Allie Lebow Steeg's new flame. Advertising copywriter, *Nick D'Amico Mobster. Owns Feeney's, Steeg's favorite hangout, *Zev Barak Russian mobster. Known as The Golem, *Kenny Apple Mobster. Refuses to kill on the Sabbath, *Hell's Kitchen Steeg's neighborhood,

Honors and awards

Washington Irving Award For Literary Merit �
''Family Matters''''Old Flame''
Shamus Award. Best Original Paperback Crime Fiction Novel of 2009 �
Ball''
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References

External links

Ira Berkowitz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkowitz, Ira 1939 births 21st-century American novelists American crime fiction writers American male novelists Living people Writers from Brooklyn People from Westchester County, New York Shamus Award winners 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state)