Let's make this birthday one to remember.

85 years old (Born on November 13, 1939)

Happy Birthday, George V. Higgins! May your special day be filled with fewer criminal masterminds than Eddie Coyle's social circle and more delightful surprises than a twist from “Cogan's Trade.” Keep charming us all with that uniquely gritty yet captivating prose—we promise we'll stay out of trouble...for now.

And here's celebrating every witty line you gave readers at the Wall Street Journal and Boston Globe—they say crime doesn't pay, but thankfully writing about it does! Your words never age; they remain classic sneak attacks on boredom everywhere. Enjoy another year of narrative mischief, brilliance, and maybe even some cake without evidence left behind!