Lush Life is a really, really good crime procedural that could have been better. It’s got a lot going for it: no one does dialog better than Richard Price, and the beautifully flawed characters all ring true - Eric, the would-be actor/restaurant manager; Matty, the hard-boiled detective; Tristan, the projects kid turned triggerman - they all come together in a gritty East Side stew seasoned with Price’s wry prose. But it’s slow. Very slow… and I never found myself caring a whole lot about any of the characters, or even having a clue about their motivation. Fish swim in a New York sea, a mugging goes bad, who knows why? All in all, it was an enjoyable, thoughtful read, but I think it could have benefitted from a little more tightening up in the editing process.