Safe House (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) Book

Vachss' hero Burke is as much an urban terrorist as a professional criminal, dedicated to smashing away at the world of sexual abuse and making a profit in the process; he and his dedicated crew of driven men and women are not entirely like any other characters in crime fiction...In Safe House, Burke is persuaded by two of his lovers to involve himself in the affairs of a woman whose Nazi ex-boyfriend wants to snatch their child and disappear into the Master Race underground--things are not that simple, because the unpleasant Lothar is playing a complicated game in which he has powerful protectors. Vachss writes with a crystalline intensity that at times almost becomes too much to believe in or bear; at his best, he captures the high adrenaline of people on the street and on the edge as well as far more distinguished writers. The touches of Hollywood and of melodrama here are part of his attempt to make us see that these things matter; Vachss is a passionate crusader whose thrillers are a fierce argument for righteous vigilantism as well as an impressively, and worryingly, enjoyable read. --Roz KaveneyRead More