Joshua Abrahams covers crime, cops and courts for the St. Louis Post. An instant message alert informs him about the murder of someone, a young priest in Brooklyn, New York, he believes might be the twin brother from whom he was separated at birth. When he arrives in Brooklyn to see what he can learn about the dead priest he enters a world of organized religion, organized crime and a beautiful, but potentially dangerous woman.

The players Josh encounters include a crime family boss, a Roman Catholic Bishop, a young, ambitious hoodlum, a sleazy investment advisor/money launderer, a mysterious older woman, and his own nervous editor. As events unfold, Josh gains the favor of a beautiful young woman, who provides linkage between the criminal underground and the religious hierarchy in New York City.

The Family Jewels explores different notions of family, a nexus between church and crime, and how an adopted Jewish kid from St. Louis can find love with a tough, streetwise Italian girl connected by birth and history with a dangerous New York crime family.