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The City Trilogy #1
The Vaults
In a dystopian 1930's America, a chilling series of events leads three men down a path to uncover their city's darkest secret.
At the height of the most corrupt administration in the City's history, a mysterious duplicate file is discovered deep within the Vaults---a cavernous hall containing all of the municipal criminal justice records of the last seventy years. From here, the story follows: Arthur Puskis, the Vault's sole, hermit-like archivist with an almost mystical faith in a system to which he has devoted his life; Frank Frings, a high-profile investigative journalist with a self-medicating reefer habit; and Ethan Poole, a socialist private eye with a penchant for blackmail.
All three men will undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City---calling into question whether their most basic beliefs can be maintained in a climate of overwhelming corruption and conspiracy.307 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2010
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About the author
Toby Ball
6 books81 followersToby Ball has worked at a magazine, taught high school, worked at several non-profits, done community organizing, and now works at a university research center. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
June 6, 2016
THE VAULTS is pure class. Toby Ball has conjured a fully-evoked world in his nameless city that, for all its 1930s trappings, retains that surreal and timeless atmosphere of Gotham, Brave New World, and 1984. Behind the many thrills loom the larger targets of Mr. Ball’s novel—the archiving of human depravity in the information age and the legacy of crime in the collective consciousness. A provocative and dazzling debut.
July 27, 2016
An entertaining read which was dark this was my first book by Toby Ball & he takes you on a journey into the darkest places. 3 stars
October 1, 2010
This is a spooky period thriller set in "The City," a 1930s metropolis dominated by Red Henry, a corrupt former prizefighter who bullies his foes with the money of powerful business connections, the use of a secret police unit called the Anti Subversion Unit, and his own menacing physical presence.
As the novel opens, Arthur Puskis, the archivist in the Vaults, an underground library of files about the city's criminal history, discovers a strange anomaly in the files that only he maintains: a duplicate file for the same criminal, mostly identical except for two different pictures of the man in question. So begins inquiries that will uncover the Navajo Project, a shady plot involving certain criminals, their victims, and their families.
The story alternates between the views of Puskis, a sleazy but rugged private detective named Ethan Poole, and a reefer-smoking investigative journalist named Frank Frings. In short but atmospheric chapters, the three uncover different pieces of the conspiracy while also becoming wrapped up in the struggles between the labor union, a group of Polish businessman that Mayor Henry is wooing, Henry's creepy bunch of ASU thugs, and dynamite-throwing anarchists.
I thought this was excellent. The pacing and suspense are strong, the characters are vivid and cinematic, and the plot unspools with great skill. Perhaps the end is not quite as strong as the rest, but it was still satisfying. I particularly liked the Puskis chapters. As a librarian, I was fascinated by his hermitlike existence in The Vaults, and his devotion to the organization and sanctity of their contents. In one subplot, Mayor Henry wants to convert the paper vaults to an early, flawed computer system, supposedly as an upgrade, but secretly to whitewash content that could reveal some of his evil doings. There are fascinating parallels here to the switch to digital archives.
This police state and its vaults are set in history, but have a timeless feel. This isn't just the story of these particular events, but a moody meditation on monopoly-dominated totalitarian states and the crimes they commit against human identity. Ball has made a first-rate debut.
As the novel opens, Arthur Puskis, the archivist in the Vaults, an underground library of files about the city's criminal history, discovers a strange anomaly in the files that only he maintains: a duplicate file for the same criminal, mostly identical except for two different pictures of the man in question. So begins inquiries that will uncover the Navajo Project, a shady plot involving certain criminals, their victims, and their families.
The story alternates between the views of Puskis, a sleazy but rugged private detective named Ethan Poole, and a reefer-smoking investigative journalist named Frank Frings. In short but atmospheric chapters, the three uncover different pieces of the conspiracy while also becoming wrapped up in the struggles between the labor union, a group of Polish businessman that Mayor Henry is wooing, Henry's creepy bunch of ASU thugs, and dynamite-throwing anarchists.
I thought this was excellent. The pacing and suspense are strong, the characters are vivid and cinematic, and the plot unspools with great skill. Perhaps the end is not quite as strong as the rest, but it was still satisfying. I particularly liked the Puskis chapters. As a librarian, I was fascinated by his hermitlike existence in The Vaults, and his devotion to the organization and sanctity of their contents. In one subplot, Mayor Henry wants to convert the paper vaults to an early, flawed computer system, supposedly as an upgrade, but secretly to whitewash content that could reveal some of his evil doings. There are fascinating parallels here to the switch to digital archives.
This police state and its vaults are set in history, but have a timeless feel. This isn't just the story of these particular events, but a moody meditation on monopoly-dominated totalitarian states and the crimes they commit against human identity. Ball has made a first-rate debut.
March 2, 2011
My favorite thing about this book is the cover – it doesn’t mean I didn’t like the book I just think the cover is fantastic and absolutely draws you into the book’s setting.
A touch above 3 stars - This is a well-written 1930s detective noir story - if fact, you can almost see it as a movie. The writing is exact and the author uses a lot of short chapters which gives the book a terse and visceral feel. However, the characters are stock and one-dimensional and the plot is predictable. The novel’s strongest aspect is the author’s well-developed setting – you can really see and feel The City and The Vaults. But unfortunately the plot fails to excite and the characters fail to develop in any meaningful way.
In my opinion, the book is not extraordinary (as some of the reviews claim) but the writing style is above average and characters / plot are entertaining if not terribly original. If you are looking for a noir crime drama to spend a few days in this is a nice choice.
A touch above 3 stars - This is a well-written 1930s detective noir story - if fact, you can almost see it as a movie. The writing is exact and the author uses a lot of short chapters which gives the book a terse and visceral feel. However, the characters are stock and one-dimensional and the plot is predictable. The novel’s strongest aspect is the author’s well-developed setting – you can really see and feel The City and The Vaults. But unfortunately the plot fails to excite and the characters fail to develop in any meaningful way.
In my opinion, the book is not extraordinary (as some of the reviews claim) but the writing style is above average and characters / plot are entertaining if not terribly original. If you are looking for a noir crime drama to spend a few days in this is a nice choice.
June 22, 2016
The Vaults are an underground record of the city's criminal activities & court records dating back to the city's birth. A duplicate file is found in The Vaults by it's lone archivist. This calls into question the accuracy, authenticity & veracity of the files contained in The Vaults. Three men; the archivist, a pot smoking journalist & private investigator all, for their own reasons, pursue elements related to this discovery & realize that the corruption they had always suspected in local government goes far deeper than they had ever suspected.
I read the description of this novel & thought it looked promising. Well, it is promising. However the promise & potential goes largely unrealized. In it's description the words noir, dystopia & Science Fiction are bandied about. Noir? Sure. If you consider a novel set in 1930, New York, with a Jazz singing femme fatale (kind of) & the occasional reference to fedoras to qualify a story as noir. I don't. The 'atmosphere' one might expect from a book claiming a noir sensibility is completely lacking. Noir (or noire) means black. Not sure there's a classification for light grey, but that's what The Vaults is. The characters are two-dimensional & I found it difficult to maintain interest in the three main characters & their various affiliations.
“Dystopian: describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible.”
Hmmm… OK. I suppose this book qualifies. But Science Fiction? Forget it.
The Vaults is the first of three (so far) novels set in 'The City'. I note the two after the above are rated more highly than the first, so perhaps they are worth looking at.
I read the description of this novel & thought it looked promising. Well, it is promising. However the promise & potential goes largely unrealized. In it's description the words noir, dystopia & Science Fiction are bandied about. Noir? Sure. If you consider a novel set in 1930, New York, with a Jazz singing femme fatale (kind of) & the occasional reference to fedoras to qualify a story as noir. I don't. The 'atmosphere' one might expect from a book claiming a noir sensibility is completely lacking. Noir (or noire) means black. Not sure there's a classification for light grey, but that's what The Vaults is. The characters are two-dimensional & I found it difficult to maintain interest in the three main characters & their various affiliations.
“Dystopian: describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible.”
Hmmm… OK. I suppose this book qualifies. But Science Fiction? Forget it.
The Vaults is the first of three (so far) novels set in 'The City'. I note the two after the above are rated more highly than the first, so perhaps they are worth looking at.
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June 12, 2020I will admit that I have struggled with this review because while I enjoyed The Vaults, it didn’t blow me away and I have spent several weeks trying to put my finger on why. To no avail. Toby Ball is a good writer, with a clear voice and a good attention to to detail but something about the book just didn’t sit well with me.
Perhaps it was the fact that it felt like many of the characters were a little ‘greyscale’. They didn’t come to life for me in a way that made the book feel more vibrant. In fact, the book as a whole had a ‘lazy Sunday afternoon’ feeling that just didn’t sit too well with a mystery, even if it is a dark one. Ball seemed to be aiming for Noir and in many aspects he achieved it perfectly but in others the book sailed passed Noir and carried on going.
Perhaps it’s me, though. This is a novel set in a time when things weren’t so frantic and people couldn’t whip out their iPads or Blackberries and things were done very very differently. Perhaps I’m too much a product of the modern world. That said, I have read and enjoyed many historical novels and, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this one. But it didn’t set me alight.
Lest I be unjust in my review I would like to reiterate that this is a good story with some great writing. It’s just that it won’t be for everyone. If you have more patience than me, it’s probably a good start!
Perhaps it was the fact that it felt like many of the characters were a little ‘greyscale’. They didn’t come to life for me in a way that made the book feel more vibrant. In fact, the book as a whole had a ‘lazy Sunday afternoon’ feeling that just didn’t sit too well with a mystery, even if it is a dark one. Ball seemed to be aiming for Noir and in many aspects he achieved it perfectly but in others the book sailed passed Noir and carried on going.
Perhaps it’s me, though. This is a novel set in a time when things weren’t so frantic and people couldn’t whip out their iPads or Blackberries and things were done very very differently. Perhaps I’m too much a product of the modern world. That said, I have read and enjoyed many historical novels and, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this one. But it didn’t set me alight.
Lest I be unjust in my review I would like to reiterate that this is a good story with some great writing. It’s just that it won’t be for everyone. If you have more patience than me, it’s probably a good start!
May 2, 2011
The Vaults begins with an archivist finding duplicate records in the stacks. One record has clearly been altered, including a different photo of the accused murderer. The archivist takes this matter higher up to City officials, wondering how such a thing could have happened. At the same time, other secrets within the City government begin unraveling.
The novel might be described as noir crime in a dystopian society.
Each short chapter switches character perspectives and I normally like that very much. Maybe it was because I had a lot of other stuff on my mind or maybe it was because I only read a few pages per day, but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight for the first 75 pages or so. I kept having to turn back to previous chapters to reacquaint myself with the characters. However, once everyone was straight in my mind, I quite enjoyed The Vaults.
I could imagine the whole story as a crime adventure movie. I hope that happens.
The novel might be described as noir crime in a dystopian society.
Each short chapter switches character perspectives and I normally like that very much. Maybe it was because I had a lot of other stuff on my mind or maybe it was because I only read a few pages per day, but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight for the first 75 pages or so. I kept having to turn back to previous chapters to reacquaint myself with the characters. However, once everyone was straight in my mind, I quite enjoyed The Vaults.
I could imagine the whole story as a crime adventure movie. I hope that happens.
January 18, 2020
„Arhivele” mi-a amintit de filmele cu mafioţi, unde cel mai influent bărbat se află la comandă, în cazul de faţă un bărbat puternic din punct de vedere fizic, impunător ca şi statut, ce este înconjurat de cei mai fideli oameni ai săi, dar care are în subordine şi „matahale” ce-i execută comenzile. Tot ce se întâmplă într-un anumit loc, are legătură cu acea persoană. Probabil şi datorită subiectului am avut senzaţia că urmăresc un serial, fiecare capitol constituind un episod, iar cu fiecare capitol devenea tot mai intereantă cartea. Am fost surpinsă de complotul poveştii şi abia spre final am început să intuiesc unele acţiuni şi să fac tot mai multe legături. Este un debut interesant, cu o intrigă captivantă, ce te va prinde de la prima până la ultima pagină şi-ţi va alimenta curiozitatea puţin câte puţin. 😉
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November 17, 2018
I might have enjoyed this more if it weren't falsely described as a "dystopia" and "science fiction". It is neither. I kept waiting for something dystopian to happen, but nothing did.
November 22, 2020
This was one of the random books in my TBR pile. Without reading the blurb again I dove in. This is a good read. A lot going on with one main character - elderly Mr Arthur Puskis - an archivist. He is pulled into government deceit and corruption in ways you couldn’t imagine. Other secondary characters have their own chaotic stories that kept me interested as well. 3/5
August 18, 2014
I bought this book because one of the character is an archivist (like me) and it's uncommon in literature. But after a few pages I was annoyed because he is completely caricatural : anti-social, short-sighted, like to spend time in a basement,... I really dislike this character and the image he represents.
For the story, I have to admit it's, for me, disappointing. I thought this book was about a mystery and an investigation made by an archivist, a journalist and a private together. But in fact it's a story about corruption, conspiracy and gangsters and, as a fan of whodunnit, it's not my cup of tea. There are not a real mystery, we almost immediately know what's going on, without suspense. The plot didn't blow me away and I wasn't particularly interested by the characters. A pleasant read, well written, probably great for people who love this kind of story but it's not for me.
For the story, I have to admit it's, for me, disappointing. I thought this book was about a mystery and an investigation made by an archivist, a journalist and a private together. But in fact it's a story about corruption, conspiracy and gangsters and, as a fan of whodunnit, it's not my cup of tea. There are not a real mystery, we almost immediately know what's going on, without suspense. The plot didn't blow me away and I wasn't particularly interested by the characters. A pleasant read, well written, probably great for people who love this kind of story but it's not for me.
January 20, 2023
As a professional archivist this volume illustrates well some key points in archival theory and its social weight. As a professional historian I liked the twists and turns of an alternate but believable existence that isn't so far off from reality, though the intensely local focus didn't draw in too many facets of the time. As a diversionary reader I like it. I liked the very short chapters, almost vignettes, in which the story is told. I liked the way the story was crafted and unfolded disconnectedly before coming together. And I like Puskis' character, though I'm sure I would not if I knew him personally.
February 10, 2014
The book turned out to be far grimmer than I expected. The plot focuses on a conspiracy that the mayor, Red Henry, and his cronies have tried very hard to cover up. Three very different men- Arthur Puskis, archivist of the criminal records of the city, Frank Friggs, rebel reporter and vocal opponent of Red Henry, and Ethan Poole, private eye- unwittingly find themselves uncovering pieces of the story and putting them together. The premise was fascinating, but the writing style was hard to follow at times.
January 9, 2022
The Vaults seemed very familiar to me - something about how the story was set up, the characters, the plot...
A detective wanders into an investigation he's not really prepared for. A powerful man is knee deep in running the city his way. A seemingly mundane operation is making a few people very rich.
Somehow familiar, yet not as compelling as wherever I'd seen it before.
Forget it, Jake, it's not Chinatown.
A detective wanders into an investigation he's not really prepared for. A powerful man is knee deep in running the city his way. A seemingly mundane operation is making a few people very rich.
Somehow familiar, yet not as compelling as wherever I'd seen it before.
Forget it, Jake, it's not Chinatown.
April 15, 2016
competent hardboiled neo-noir. but not as weird as promised by bookriot's list of weird novels. corrupt 1930's city run by corrupt mayor. archivist notices mistakes in files and starts to pull on strings and things start to unravel. there's bombings and union strikes and torch singers and fearless reporters and crazed psychos. if you like black and white noir movies, you'll like this book.
February 26, 2019
This would have been so great if it wasn't chopped into one page chapters and jumping between like four stories every damn chapter. Fucking ruined it for me.
This whole novel was just prime atmospheric. Dark, broody, gothic, and incredibly gangster. This is straight up Gotham here. Red Henry is just, oh damnnnn. I LOVED when he hung a guy out the window by his ankles and barely broke a sweat about it. All the crime, ohhhh I loved it. So damn dark with political corruption, it was so damn fucking sexy. This whole novel felt like it took place on a dark foggy night. I don't think any lights were ever turned on in this book.
Now to the real negatives. The plot was just, not clear. I didn't even know what the fuck was going on or who the characters were till the end tbh. It was just so scrambled. It SUCKS when you have to wait till the characters anti-climatically explain the entire plot to the villain. That just wasn't good writing in my opinion. It had potential but fell massively short.
This is one of those books that I literally had to keep going back because I missed something massive and was like wtf later on. It just did not read well. I would need to re-read it to properly understand wtf just happened in its entirety.
This whole novel was just prime atmospheric. Dark, broody, gothic, and incredibly gangster. This is straight up Gotham here. Red Henry is just, oh damnnnn. I LOVED when he hung a guy out the window by his ankles and barely broke a sweat about it. All the crime, ohhhh I loved it. So damn dark with political corruption, it was so damn fucking sexy. This whole novel felt like it took place on a dark foggy night. I don't think any lights were ever turned on in this book.
Now to the real negatives. The plot was just, not clear. I didn't even know what the fuck was going on or who the characters were till the end tbh. It was just so scrambled. It SUCKS when you have to wait till the characters anti-climatically explain the entire plot to the villain. That just wasn't good writing in my opinion. It had potential but fell massively short.
This is one of those books that I literally had to keep going back because I missed something massive and was like wtf later on. It just did not read well. I would need to re-read it to properly understand wtf just happened in its entirety.
March 1, 2017
This book reminded me of China Miéville's The City & the City. It has the same slightly unreal feel, dark and strange, a world (here it's America of the 1920s) given a slight sidewise push, not enough to count as alternative history, not quite parallel universe or full fantasy, but just right to get that delightful frisson. On this background Toby Ball draws a solid thriller, a conspiracy that begins to unravel from one duplicate file found in otherwise absolutely perfect police record system, the Vaults.
I loved the Vaults, cavernous underground space where police records are stored. I loved the intricate cataloguing system that takes decades to learn, all the descriptions down to tiny details about smells, furniture, paper, ink and the whole ritual of requesting and retrieving the documents. My pedantic, nerdy little self was grinning all the time.
There were enough strange characters, twists and turns to keep me happy all the way to a very satisfactory ending. I see that he has two more books listed here - I will be on the lookout for them.
I loved the Vaults, cavernous underground space where police records are stored. I loved the intricate cataloguing system that takes decades to learn, all the descriptions down to tiny details about smells, furniture, paper, ink and the whole ritual of requesting and retrieving the documents. My pedantic, nerdy little self was grinning all the time.
There were enough strange characters, twists and turns to keep me happy all the way to a very satisfactory ending. I see that he has two more books listed here - I will be on the lookout for them.
January 16, 2024
Wow, what a great book.
For atmosphere, characterization, storyline, complexity, just an overall great read.
It is one of those books that evokes a feeling of tip-of-the-fingers familiarity, you don't quite know the era, but you've heard stories and rumors. Mobsters, corrupt officials, union strikes and strike breakers, nightclub celebrities, disgraced ball players who helped "fix" games.
Really kept me interested and reading.
And then of course, there are the Vaults........
For atmosphere, characterization, storyline, complexity, just an overall great read.
It is one of those books that evokes a feeling of tip-of-the-fingers familiarity, you don't quite know the era, but you've heard stories and rumors. Mobsters, corrupt officials, union strikes and strike breakers, nightclub celebrities, disgraced ball players who helped "fix" games.
Really kept me interested and reading.
And then of course, there are the Vaults........
August 17, 2017
Really good! Supposed to be set in The City (never named, but one could take a few guesses) in the early 1930s - yet has a bit of a science-fiction feel to the writing, sort of like Blade Runner. Not sure why I got that vibe, just did.
I don't want to say anything more as it could ruin the book for others. Just know it's not my usual thing to pick up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't want to say anything more as it could ruin the book for others. Just know it's not my usual thing to pick up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 7, 2017
I was disappointed in The Vaults. The story is there, although with holes and some jumps in logic. The characters are less than what I’ve come to expect, though. Poole and Frings were interchangeable, essentially. I had no way to remember who had done what or had which experience. Puskis made me keep reading, but I haven’t decided if he’s enough to make me move on to the rest of the series.
November 26, 2017
Good book but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. I love Toby Ball as a podcaster and the fact that an archivist is one of the lead characters. However, the generic City and the many strangely named characters just didn't capture my imagination or make me care. I don't think I'll be continuing with the trilogy.
May 5, 2020
This was a fun fast read. Dystopian 1930s American city... Yes. An underground Vault of all the city's police records, organized and kept by a single man dedicated to the records for life.
The story starts with the record keeper finding a duplicate record with a discrepancy. Simultaneously, there is a union organizer, a private detective and a newspaper reporter who are all looking into overlapping clues of corruption at the highest level of the city government and management. One thing triggers another. Bombs are going off, people are kidnapped, missing children sought after, and a very corrupt mayor and his hard men are trying to keep a house of cards in order.
Very enjoyable.
The story starts with the record keeper finding a duplicate record with a discrepancy. Simultaneously, there is a union organizer, a private detective and a newspaper reporter who are all looking into overlapping clues of corruption at the highest level of the city government and management. One thing triggers another. Bombs are going off, people are kidnapped, missing children sought after, and a very corrupt mayor and his hard men are trying to keep a house of cards in order.
Very enjoyable.
October 20, 2017
The short 2-3 page chapters made the book easier to read and kept the plot moving. As a genre I'm not particularly fascinated with, the short chapters kept my attention, as well as the era the book was based in. The language and descriptions of the time era were great.
The ending seemed abrupt; most of the book was constant build up from many character point of views, attempting to tie it all together, only to end quickly without any memorable details.
I absolutely loved Puskis in the descriptions and utter solitude of the character. If the book did not start with his chapter introduction, I may have not continued to read the book. He was a character that I enjoyed reading about. It was good to begin with him and end with him.
The ending seemed abrupt; most of the book was constant build up from many character point of views, attempting to tie it all together, only to end quickly without any memorable details.
I absolutely loved Puskis in the descriptions and utter solitude of the character. If the book did not start with his chapter introduction, I may have not continued to read the book. He was a character that I enjoyed reading about. It was good to begin with him and end with him.
December 20, 2017
I enjoyed the setting and the fast pace. Ending seemed both sudden and incomplete. Overall fun read.
October 22, 2018
4* This one kept me totally engaged. Enjoyed it a lot. Want to find more by this author.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
March 23, 2023
Started this book but couldn’t get into the plot because too many different players doing too many different things. If the author would stay on the main story plot it would be a great read.
July 15, 2024
more like 3.5
fun read!! interesting world building
fun read!! interesting world building
December 9, 2025
quite difficult to get and stay in, because there are a lot of characters and the ton is so neutral it is difficult to care for them.
but the concept is really interesting, as well as the mystery.
but the concept is really interesting, as well as the mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews