the book chronicles the life of the gangster jack 'legs' diamond. it is told from the perspective of jack's lawyer, marcus gormen. marcus becomes involved with "legs" diamond was to seek excitement out of his boring life, and the best way to do this was by immortalizing a highly popular gangster. through gormen's eyes, kennedy is able to elicit sympathy for the criminal, transposing this sympathy into the context of america during the 1920s and 30s: excess, collapse, destitution, and analysis of right and wrong, good and evil.