Bing Crosby's Last Song

This is a moving novel about an aging lawyer and Pittsburgh native, Daly "Right" Racklin, who struggles to understand and live up to the legacy of his late father Boyce Racklin, a champion of the underdog and fellow Pittsburgh attorney. The first page of the novel paints a pretty bleak picture, as Daly is told by his doctor his heart is failing and that nothing can be done to extend his life beyond a year. Daly proceeds to try and get his life in order, all the while continuing to give of himself to family, friends, and relatives of deceased buddies who always seem to take advantage of his kindness and betray him. All of this takes place during the turbulent summer of 1968, after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King. Daly comes off as almost Saint-like, especially early in the novel, where he exudes a sense of calm patience when the world seems to come apart around him. He cares for a family that steals from him, because he knew their deceased father and knew he would've done the same had Daly died young and left a widow with children. Daly carries on a friendship with a blind divorcee, Jessie, and then gets involved in an unlikely, whirlwind romance with a mystical woman (Gloria Scone) that he meets at a wake. All the while, Daly is frequently visited by visions of Pretty Boy Floyd, and we learn one of the most vivid memories of his childhood was a visit to the grass field where Floyd was gunned down. Overall, I thought this was a very moving novel, with the characters of Daly and Jessie drawn exceptionally well. The scenes in Oakland (a working class Pittsburgh neighborhood) pubs were excellent, as bartenders reminisced with Daly about his working class hero dad, the original "Right" Racklin. The author notes that it was difficult for Daly to live up the reputation of a good father. I also loved the road trip by Daly and his friends to NYC, to attend the funeral of RFK. Some of the plot twists seemed a little forced, ( I thought the whole Gloria Scone interlude was a little abrupt and unrealistic, and detracted from the novel), but overall it was an engaging read and a moving glimpse at a time and place that is infrequently visited.