Shella

by Andrew Vachss

From the author of the acclaimed Burke private-eye series comes an ambitious and chilling novel that shows us not only what evil is, but where it comes from. For Shella is nothing less than a tour of evil's spawning ground, conducted by one of its natural predators.

He is called "Ghost" because he is so nondescript as to be invisible and because he slays with such reflexive ease that he might be one of the dead. Once he traveled with a woman who was called "Shella" -- because those who had treated her as a horrendously ill-used child had tried to make her come out of her shell. Now Shella has vanished in a wilderness of strip clubs and peep shows, and Ghost is looking for her, guided by a killer's instinct and the recognition that can only exist between two people who have been damaged past the point of no return. The result is Andrew Vachss's most compelling work to date, the thriller reimagined as a bleak romance of the damned.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Noir, Thriller, Dark, Mystery Thriller

225 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 1993

About the author

Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for “aggressive-violent” youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a “children’s book for adults.” His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, the New York Times, and many other forums. A native New Yorker, he now divides his time between the city of his birth and the Pacific Northwest.

The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is
www.vachss.com. That site and this page are managed by volunteers. To contact Mr. Vachss directly, use the "email us" function of vachss.com.

Reviews

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The first time I killed someone I was scared. Not scared to be doing it. I did it because I was scared. Shella told me it was like that for her the first time she had sex. I Was fifteen that first time. Shella was nine."

Yeah that's the opening paragraph to this incredible piece of remorseless noir.

For those of you already in the know about Andrew Vachss it might not come as a surprise, however I hadn't read any before now and even that paragraph being the main focus of the cover art of this edition didn't prepare me for the reality of the content.

At its heart this is a beautiful love story about two damaged little fuckers, Ghost has been seperated from Shella and is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Told entirely in the first person his journey through the bowels of American society portrayed in such a way as to make the filth and grime of his surroundings and the legions of the disenfranchised seem perfectly natural. Vachss doesn't use these locales and these people as other authors do, as the freaks to give meaning to the relatively normal life led by the protagonist and reader, but simply shows you the truth of the situation without judgement.

Truth and reality are two words that constantly came to mind as I devoured this book, the content might be shocking and violent and somewhat removed from the reality of my life but the style of Vachss leaves you certain that this could happen and most likely is happening at this very moment somehwere not too far from here.

The stripped bare of all non essentials nature of Ghost as a protagonist is a reflection of the approach towards the noir genre of the author, the plot goes where it needs to go with no red herrings, no macguffins and most definitely no frills. When I think about noir as a genre three words generally spring to mind; bleak, brutal and bloody, and Vachss pulls no punches with all three.

So where does the beautiful love story fit in to this dark tale? Ghost is clearly devoted to Shella, it's not just the plot of the book, she's his raison d'etre. We get glimpses of them as a couple through flashbacks and memories and whilst they never lived a Brady-like lifestyle the affection they felt for each other is apparent from their actions in these often poignant scenes. The juxtaposition of their relationship with each other and the rest of the world results in a major conflict in the way you as the reader see these people. It's no longer easy to write them off as evil, as mongrels of society.

The only thing stopping me from giving this book full marks is the middle section which involves a plot to kill a racist leader. It's very well written and works as a device to display exactly who Ghost is and what he's willing to go through for Shella BUT it just didn't feel right for me. The first section is a brilliant and powerful introduction to the story and the world of these two people that I felt like I could read for hundreds more pages and the second section felt like an attempt to pigeonhole the narrative in to a traditional story structure. I got the impression that Vachss had the opening in mind and the ending already written and just picked a random idea that allowed him to make a statement about racist behaviour for the middle.

Now to find one of his Burke novels.

[TK421 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always interesting to see the seedy side of life from those that live it. And when pulp fiction turns its gaze to the darker characters to take the reigns and tell thier stories, it makes for great reading and a bunch of fun.

This story revolves around Ghost, a mysterious man that is willing to do anything to find Shella, possibly the only person who ever saw beneath his veneer of cruelty and coldness. Through his story, the reader is given a great firsthand account of why evil happens, from its birth as a neglected child shipped from home to home or orphanage to orphange, to its maturation as the youth that turns into the man that no longer feels. Or, if he does feel, it is nothing that most of us have ever, or will ever, experience.

A truly dark tale that requires a stout constitution.

(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book's dedication to Iceberg Slim is the first tip off--this is a gritty, dark tale. John "Ghost" Smith, the narrator/protagonist, is an assassin for hire who enjoys watching nature programs on TV. He befriends, loses, and then searches for Shella, a worldly prostitute. Both are damaged humans, what helps make their tale intriguing enough. If you like your crime fiction raw, then this should be a good read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something hauntingly beautiful about this novel. Ghost is a menace, a man who feels nothing most of the time but is hunting Shella. He goes through a lot to find her and the payoff is abrupt but satisfying in a weird way.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really dark, but easily the best Andrew Vachss novel I've read so far. For some reason the Burke series, at least the ones I've read, have never really clicked with me. "Shella" is something different, darker. (So much so that I also added it to my Horror shelf.) It's a 200 plus page distillation of every creepy concern (child abuse, prostitution, perversion, fascists, etc.) Vachss has ever addressed in his other novels, but stripped of Burke's goofy over-the-top voice, and poured into an autistic-like killing machine known only as "John" or "Ghost." It's not so much that John likes what he does, it's just that he's good at it. Really good. Given the dark world he resides in, opportunities arise. Tradeoffs for work done are beneficial in a momentary way, but John is also fine just watching tv with the sound off. The "Shella" of the title is another damaged soul, a dancer who refuses to go into prostitution, at least not in the regular sense. John feels a strong loyalty or even attraction to her. Shella is also probably the weakest part of the novel, and there were times I wondered if she was even real, a necessary figment of John's own damaged imagination. But she is real as it turns out, and finding her is the constant thread that runs though the novel. I really liked the way Vachss closed the John-Shella circle. In between the Shella bookends, John is used by others for missions of account settling and vengeance. In these post-Charlottesville days, the relevance of John's undercover work at a White Power compound, and the creatures there, seems prescient.

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

.??? 90s: this is vachss best work. kind of twisted romance of exactly how far man will go for his woman, ultraviolent, hyperealistic, perceptive/horrific vision of part of modern us life we readers do not want to think about. characters are extreme, paranoia endless, violence inevitable, but this is what works in this nightmare dark world...

[Thomas Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far my favorite book by Andrew Vachss. I'm almost sorry I started with this novel, because after it, the "Burke" novels (basically everything else Vachss has written) just can't match it's power (though they are good, if a bit repetitive.)

Vachss is a really interesting guy, and not your average author. Here is his description from Wikipedia:

Andrew Henry Vachss (born 1942) is an American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths.[1] He is also a founder and national advisory board member of PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.[2]

Also, he looks like a 70's detective and has an eye patch, and lots of pit bulls!

I notice I keep reviewing really grim books since I got on Goodreads. And this novel is as grim as it gets. But the compelling pacing and language can't be argued with. I've got the book right here, and I totally agree with this blurb on the back from the Village Voice: "A noir archetype as bare as unfinished furniture. The plot... has been sanded down into a taut monofilament"

Just thinking about the conclusion is giving me chills. This book is so ferocious, you feel tough just for reading it. It takes some fortitude.

... Now I'm laughing at myself.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vachss writing is spare and brutally to the point, the man doesn't waste a word. The world he writes about is bleak, devastating and brutal. In Shella he delves into the world of a young boy abandoned, living with fear and the constant threat of abuse, who grew up to be a cold-hearted, brutal killer for hire known as Ghost. Only Shella, a street toughened dancer, ever saw beneath the hard shell. They are separated when Ghost is thrown in jail. When he's released his only goal is to find Shella.

This is an interesting look into the life of a killer. How cold-heartedly it happens out of necessity and survival. The book is bleak and disturbing. This was a difficult to put down book but I don't think it's one I'd like to revisit again.

[Stephen J. Golds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to think this is a sequel novel to The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

A dark and disturbing story about a “wallflower”, socially inept murderer, hitman searching for his ex girlfriend stripper.

Some points of this novel were trying too hard to be gritty so it came across as corny. However, I liked the novel a lot because it took an old idea and gave it a new well written perspective.

[Karmologyclinic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been stalking Sara Gran's all time favorite books list on Goodreads and going through them slowly, because that's something I do, mmmkay? If I like someone's writing and I can find out what the author reads, then I want to read that too.
It was time for Shella.
Shella is haunting. Shella is a brilliant book with excellent writing. If you like rays of light going into the darkness, there's none here. You are inside the head of a psychopath. It's a very uncomfortable but an exciting and privileged ride. Well, at least if you have the same approach to books and stories as I do, in that you read something to get a slice of life from someone else's head, whether you agree or not, it's the experience that matters.
It needs a lot of mastery in writing, to not let the psychopath theme become a gimmick and a constant explanation of itself. Most of the books and films that attempt the psychopath theme, disappoint me at some point. Andrew Vachss has the prose to deliver chills. The intertwined love story, its narration and the brilliant conclusion added a lot to this book. It isn't a Natural Born Killers type love story, it's one that matters. It's the little things that matter and I always appreciate a writer that appreciates the little things.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. Pretty good. Raw, very noir, minimalist — not one of these bloated, pretentious tomes — sort of a (very) dark Barry Gifford��. Worth reading more of him

[Dietmar Leibecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark. Darker. Shella.

[Julia Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently discovered Andrew Vachss's noir thriller Shella and started reading it with really no expectations other than that it sounded like my kind of read. By the time I closed the book I was half way through it. I finished it in the next sit. And wow...this book is the bomb! The writing style got it's hooks into my immediately. It's lean. It's mean. It's dirty.

Shella is the story of John Smith aptly nicknamed Ghost, a depraved cast-off grown up tough in in the system, who makes his living killing people. After doing 3 years in prison for manslaughter, he gets out and begins searching for his dancer girlfriend Shella, who sometimes works as a dominatrix and runs a scam ripping off tricks. Ghost's single objective is to find Shella and be be reunited with the only person in the world he feels any emotion for. It becomes his obsession. Everything else in his life doesn't matter. He has no family, no friends, no dreams, desires, or needs, other than Shella. And he's willing to travel down some pretty dark roads and eliminate anyone he has to in order to get to her. Shella is a deliciously grim and tragic love story between two equally damaged souls written in the style of the best classic noirs.

Originally published in 1994, it has since been rereleased with several different covers. It also looks like it's set for release on audio book later this year. If you get the chance, pick it up. Highly recommended.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shella by Andrew Vachss (Alfred A. Knopf 1993) (Fiction - Mystery) is a stand-alone novel from the author of the acclaimed "Burke" series. It is written in the same genre as Vachss'other work: Noir with a capital "N." Shella tells the story of "Ghost," who is a denizen of the underbelly that Andrew Vachss knows so well. Shella is the girl that Ghost left behind when he went in to serve his latest stretch in the penitentiary; the current novel is the story of Ghost's search for Shella after he is released. Circuitous and meandering come to mind when searching for adjectives to describe Shella. The trip to the white power camp is worth the price of admission to Vachss' world. My rating: 7/10, finished 2/18/14.

[Daniel Polansky]

A nameless super-killer tracks down his single love, kills a lot of people in the process. Enormously readable but kind of repetitive. I mostly liked the pared down noir narrative but sometimes felt like it was an excuse for lazy world-building. He does have a talent for depicting nastiness, however, and there are some pretty sharp throw away lines.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Vachss is one of those writers whose books I wish I enjoyed more. I should like Manhattan crime tales that dive so deep into the city’s underbelly BUT, given Vachss history as a prosecutor, they inevitably deal with sex abuse involving minors. And I just don’t have the stomach.

This was recommended by a fan after Vachss’ recent passing. It is quite good, utilizing his talents in a great way. The third act dragged a little too long but it’s still a quality meditative crime tale with a solid ending.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vachss has to be one of (if not THE) most consistently dark and intense writers of crime thrillers I've ever read, so I was expecting some grim stuff in the pages of this book but I was still surprised at how truly traumatic things got in this relatively short novel. Obviously the Burke novels often get pretty fucked up but they still have some levity to them, mostly in the form of comic-book feeling stuff like complex DIY gadgetry and an obsession with martial arts and of course Burke's "family", who are like a gritty crime Superfriends. There's also sections in those books where you can tell Vachss just wanted to have fun, like the horse racing scenes.

Well, there's none of that stuff in this book. It's an extremely straight-ahead and brutal story of a dude named Ghost who kills people with his bare hands for a living. It's mentioned and heavily implied that Ghost had a terrible childhood, and as a result he's a remorseless sociopath, doomed to wander the world without any kind of genuine human connection--until he meets Shella. Because this is an Andrew Vachss novel Shella is even more fucked up than Ghost with an even worse childhood. It's a match truly made in heaven. And also because this is an Andrew Vachss novel, things go wrong pretty early on in this budding romance for the ages.

A prostitution-mugging racket the two live off of goes really, really bad one night and Ghost goes to jail for three years. When he gets out he obviously has only one thing on his mind--Shella. The novel is about Ghost's struggle to find his lost love. Unfortunately, the greasy underworld Shella haunts and the fact that the only commodity Ghost has to offer is his ease with murder combine to make it a nightmarish journey. Literally every character in this book is impossible to relate to or entirely unlikable. Violence, depravity and sex are wanton and I have no absolutely no idea how the hell I somehow ended up kind of rooting for Ghost and hoping for a happy ending. Obviously nothing even vaguely fucking resembling a happy ending goes down, so yeah. Not wholly surprising but the sheer horror of the ending did get to me.

I did like that Vachss made a considerable effort in illustrating how these kinds of broken people with no empathy and violent tendencies are made, not born--and then always gravitate towards and add to the weird, horrible worlds that like minds have already created. One thing that did kinda bother me about Ghost was that pretty much all of the murders he commits are pretty easily morally justifiable--one's an abusive pimp, another's an unabashedly hateful racist, etc. I think it would have been ultimately more chilling and effective for some of his victims to be truly innocent people. It just makes no sense for someone as empty inside and completely disconnected for humanity to have such a strong and familiar moral compass...but then again, Vachss is the lawyer guy with all the experience and whatnot so take from that what you will. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't like, hoping for Ghost to take out a vanful of nuns or anything, but Vachss was clearly going for a strongly realistic thing here and it didn't ring wholly true.

I think this was basically Vachss going as far as he could to the dark side and seeing what he could do there. Like I said, the fun sections and unnecessary asides of the otherwise black-as-night Burke novels are completely whittled away here, and the prose reflects that. The sections are short and terse and the momentum never lets up--this is easily a one-sitting novel. The language is also more clipped and although Ghost can sometimes kinda sound like Burke he does eventually find his own voice. So in total it's kind of hard to easily rate this book. It's really good, and has an admirably unyielding honesty and directness. But it's also not a lot of fun, and I try to squeeze at least a little of that out of the books I read.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because this is Vachss, the book is filled with adults who were abused children. The first paragraph:

The first time I killed someone, I was scared. Not scared to be doing it – I did it because I was scared.
Shella told me it was like that for her the first time she had sex.
I was fifteen that first time. Shella was nine.

I am not sure what to call it if each “chapter” is marked by a diamond or a club or a spade and many chapters are only a few short paragraphs. Maybe a book for a guy with a short attention span? I am trying to imagine a woman reading Andrew Vachss and having a hard time. But I look at the reviews for this book and find quite a few women giving high ratings.

This is yet another Vachss book with the title being the name of a woman. But this is not part of the Burke series. The hero (well, he does kill bad guys) has no name that we ever find out. He is called Ghost by another character; he says that is OK with him but Ghost is not his name. Early in the book someone asks our protagonist, “Who should I say is looking for him?” He responds by crushing a bar glass with his bare hand with no apparent damage other than to the glass and saying, “Tell him it’s me.” He also on occasion goes by the name John Smith.

Mr. NoName is Burke gone overboard. He kills routinely and others contact him to kill to order. He kills with his hands rather than a gun. Shella was published mid-Burke series so is not a precursor or addendum. He is just Burke on steroids, a man with super strength who kills with his hands. Like Burke he orders rum and Coke but only drinks the Coke.

I think I would not have become an incipient Vachss fan if this was the first of his books that I read. There is a story line but page after page it is sex and violence for the first quarter of the book. This is the story about what an assassin does as he tries to reconnect with the title character Shella who was his girlfriend before he was sentenced to prison. What he does mostly is kill.

I am going to give this an “it was OK” two stars. I have recently been trying to read more authors who write with significant violence after a lifetime leaning toward brain rather than brawn. Vachss is as violent as I have managed and is plenty violent for me. I have read several books in the Burke series and expect to read more. I have found those books to be much more interesting than Shella.

Another of my trial author for violence is Karin Slaughter.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me a while ago when I was looking for something scary to read. Yep. It was scary and pretty realistic too, I think. It has pretty much every real- life scary thing you can think of: neo-nazi’s, horribly abused sex-trade workers, scary hit men, prison rapes, murders of every sort, gangsters, well you name it- Shella’s got it.
Ghost (we never know his real name) is a talented (and severely troubled) hit man that grew up hard in the system. First in an orphanage and later in juvenile detention centres and prisons where he learned to kill or be killed which is where he came by his trade. Ghost hooks up with Shella, an exotic dancer with a mysterious but presumably horrible past and they love each other as well as they know how considering their pasts. When Ghost goes to jail Shella disappears and upon his release, Ghost sets out to find Shella. In order to find Shella, Ghost becomes indebted to people that can help him and has to ‘work’ in exchange for information.
Vacchs writing is in-your-face brutal and straight forward, his characters are believable and well written. My only complaint is that sometimes Vacchs seemed so into his characters, that he forgets the reader is not quite as familiar with them and leaves some things unsaid- which was a bit confusing. Unless that was Vacchs intention and the characters were so damaged, with such a void in their lives that there was really very little reason internal dialogue. Even though Ghost was no hero (he is a hit man) he had a conscience, and really was decent, all things considered. I felt sad for the characters in this book, it’s really not for the squeamish and the brutal realism is quite sad. Having said that, I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed Shella, it’s not the kind of book you ‘enjoy’, but I’ll certainly read another.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read SHELLA is May 2010 (thanks Goodreads for assisting my reader memory) and my 2014 re-read pretty much leaves me feeling the same as back then. SHELLA is a satisfying read, if, perhaps not everyone's poison.

A tale of three stanzas intertwined by an overlapping theme of violence, heartache, and pain, SHELLA forecasts storm clouds and doesn't fail to deliver a downpour.

Probably one of the best noir's I've read, SHELLA, seemingly delivers on all fronts yet for some reason I can't give it 5 stars. I think this is due to the quite separate courses the plot forks - firstly in the dark and seedy clubs of the adult industry - strippers, prostitutes, pimps and beat downs, then on to the white supremacy inner circle as 'Ghost' becomes right hand to a racist movement, all for the purpose of chasing down Shella, a woman he hasn't known since before his incarceration.

SHELLA is standard Vachss - it wont win hearts but it will darken them and that's just the way I like my noir.

Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This engrossing little story is told in first person by the central character, who goes by either Ghost or John, a professional contract killer who is an oddly sympathetic character. He is in love with Shella, a woman who at times has worked as an exotic dancer/prostitute/dominatrix, who has disappeared while Ghost/John was in prison, and the story is all about his search for her. Both characters, it is implied, have endured such horrendous abuse that they are not normal; Shella describes Ghost/John as having a brain made up of all scar tissue, and, because of that, he can not feel things. Not true, though, because he feels for her. For such a short book, I came to like the characters but it is often a depressing story, as Ghost/John searches in the most likely places he'll find Shella: strip joints, brothels, and dungeons. He also agrees to a stint in a white supremacist camp so he can do some 'work' for a man who promises to find Shella. A lot of sordid details in this spare, but very well written novel.

[Guy Salvidge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shella is a crime novel featuring a disturbed (and disturbing) protagonist. He goes by the name of Ghost sometimes and he is really good at killing people with his bare hands. I reckon he kills twenty people in this book. Our narrator has also had a bad upbringing (he's been in institutions) so we begin to understand the nature of his ailment. But he's still a cold-blooded killer. His motivation is that he wants to get back to Shella (his girlfriend from before he was incarcerated) and people keep getting him to kill people so that they'll give him information. I found this fairly contrived. The writing in this book is also extremely flat and lacking affect, but that's in keeping with the narrator and his 'lack of music'. Not sure if I'll be running off to buy another Vachss novel straight away, but I'd be curious to discover whether they are all like this.

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

i can't believe people actually like this book! it just went on and on about absolutely nothing. which is pretty sad considering the book cover is pretty nice and all.

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a Burke novel, but a pretty good stand alone that Vachss wrote, I'm guessing to take a break from Burke.

[Stefani]

Pulled this off the library shelf knowing nothing about it, read in three hours, now want to go take a shower. 🤢

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Andrew Vachss! WOW!

I sat down yesterday and couldn't put the book down. I read half. Today I finished it! It was gritty, action packed and was go, go, go. This novel is not for the lighthearted. There were screens in there, I had to move onto the next sentence as I couldn't stomach it.

After I read the first paragraph, I knew I was in for a ride:

"The first time I killed someone, I was scared. Not scared to be doing it-I did it because I was scared. Shella told me it was like that for her the first time she had sex. I was fifteen that first time. Shella was nine."

His name could be John Smith, but I doubt it. He goes by the name of Ghost and he is the product of a system gone wrong. He grew up in orphanages and juvenile prisons with no stability, no love, no trust, no education and he had to outsmart the bullies to defend himself. In the end, it made him hard and unfeeling. He's a cold blooded murderer, a hit man. He kills with his bare hands, not with guns, or with knives. But he also enjoys watching nature shows on TV. Some of his murders are for the good, taking out seedy people who harm and belittle others like pimps. He has no friends, and no family. The only one who has ever understood him or he's felt anything for is Shella. Stella is a runaway dancer. She's as messed up as he is.

Ghost goes to prison for 3 years for manslaughter and Shella disappears. So when he gets out he's on the hunt for her, but he can't find her. He ends up helping others by doing hits in exchange for their help in finding her. On his journey of trying to be with her again (it's a love story in the end, as messed up as that is) he goes to the topless bars, and pornography and prostitution. He ends up going undercover in a neo-Nazi enclave where the leader takes him under his wing....he'll do anything and everything to find Shella.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator, a skillful US assassin becomes separated from his love, Shella, then goes looking for her. He's lucky, says little, feels little to nothing, is ignorant of the world and uninterested in learning. He's good at waiting and good at listening.

A mafia gang fails to find her then tries to kill him, but an 'Indian' (i.e. Native American) group does find her and behaves honourably. There is plenty of money around, though the narrator has few needs, and the principal currency is murder. At the last he finds Shella dying presumably of AIDS, she asks for euthanasia and he breaks her neck. This is sad, because all the previous victims have somehow helped the narrator on his journey: her murder renders the others almost pointless.

The style is simple and concise, like the narrator's speech, clear and careful, with no mistakes. Its simplified grammar apparently reflects that of a section of the US underworld. I have no idea how realistic the scenes are, but suspect characature. A deformed man hacks the US prison database in seconds; and the 'Indians' are invariably stealthy, close to nature, wise and honest.

One moment I liked was the narrator's lie "I knew it then – I'd never see Shella" when he seemed trapped. Unlike E M Forster in Howard's End (whose narrator also lied), the the story was compelling end nearby.

[John Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what I was hoping it would be. Right from the first paragraph, it gets rolling right out the gate. Trust me, just read the first paragraph, I dare you to put the book down.

There's this guy Ghost, which is already awesome. Scrappy fighter, super dark backstory, doesn't talk much. In a word, badass. There's a girl named Shella who goes missing and he has to find her. That's the plot. But the characters you meet along the way, and the situations this guy gets himself in? It's some seriously cool stuff.

Andrew Vachss has a way of writing that even flashbacks are super fun and interesting and the pace is always lightning quick. William Strunk would approve. You get a sense of who these characters are without getting bogged down in long-winded passages about their background and beliefs. Just a few sentences here and there, some key moments from their lives. Steller stuff. Even though everyone in this book is messed up in one way or another, you get it.

By the way, the ending reveal is pretty crazy, that's all I'll say. Pretty dark. There's some stuff with abuse and all that kinda thing, so it can get pretty intense. But hey, its a good book if you like your noir dark. But noir means dark I think, so it'd be like noir noir. Noir x2. Whatever. Who cares? It's good.

[Scott Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. That's some intense stuff in there. In a good way, but damn.
This book will be hard for some people to read. There's abuse, not only sexual, but emotional, but it's done in an amazing way. Vachss is fantastic at touching on difficult material in a manner that works for the story but doesn't portray disturbing scenarios just for the sake of shock value. I've known several survivors, and the personality traits we find in the dancers and sex workers of Shella are eerily on-point.

Vachss has an unusual writing style. I personally found it quite engaging and fast-paced. It may not be for everyone, though, but you'll know within a few pages if it is. The story is fascinating, the protagonist is flawed yet understandable in his odd quest. The twists and turns are written by someone who truly knows the scenes he is depicting, and for me, at least, that was a real plus to the novel.

I'll not delve into the story itself, suffice to say I only rate books I like, and this one was excellent all the way to the final page. I ordered a few more of his books as soon as I finished, and from what I hear they're even better. Looking forward to finding out.