Aftershock

April 1, 2013
Prolific author Vachss (Another Life) introduces Dell, a graduate of the French Foreign Legion, in this compelling first in a new thriller series. Now retired from mercenary work, Dell lives with his true love, Dolly, in a small Oregon town where he spends his time taking care of his woman and killing those he considers the scum of society: deer hunters, animal torturers, and anyone who has anything to do with sex crimes against women. Thanks to his military training, he avoids getting caught. When a friend of Dolly’s, high school softball star MaryLou, walks into her school and shoots three students, killing popular athlete Cameron Taft, Dell tries to figure out why MaryLou acted as she did and in the process unearths a shocking smalltown secret. The extended section devoted to MaryLou’s murder trial threatens to tip into polemic territory, but readers will stick with the story, and the series, because the steadfast, relentless Dell, with his uncompromising morality, commands attention.

June 1, 2013

Former French Legion mercenary Dell and his true love, Dolly, a former Doctors Without Borders nurse, have retired to an idyllic Oregon-coast resort town. Dolly's trusting demeanor means their home has become a safe house for local teens who need more nurturing. Then, shockingly, one of her young friends, MaryLou, fatally shoots Cameron, the high school hottie. Dolly begs Dell to do something. MaryLou refuses to use the insanity card, stoically remaining silent until Dell earns her trust. Using stealth, psychological experience, and pure strength--Dell is a trained killer--he unearths a secret society of teen boys and learns that there is a tacit understanding in this little town that boys will be boys and some girls will be destroyed by them. Dell and Dolly will not rest until the evil is eradicated. VERDICT This series debut from best-selling Vachss (Another Life; Blackjack) exhibits his trademark crusading tone as the vigilante hero seeks justice for wronged youth. Razor-edged and compulsively readable, the pages fly by even if the broad strokes leave you wondering later about the details. Sadly, it's topically ("ripped from the headlines") appropriate. [See Prepub Alert, 12/16/12.]

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
In a small Oregon town, MaryLou, the star pitcher for the high-school girls' softball team, brings a pistol to school, kills one boy, wounds two others, and surrenders herself. It seems like an open-and-shut case, but MaryLou has two formidable defenders: Dell, a former mercenary with his own concept of justice, and his wife, Dolly. Rallying around MaryLou, they uncover a pervasive culture of evil that has operated without resistance owing to an incompetent and timid justice establishment. Dell enlists a group of experts who are able to turn the prosecutor's slam-dunk case on its head, even as Dell plots his own street justice against a culture of evil entitlement. Vachss, best known for the very dark Burke series of urban crime and retribution, seems to be embarking on a new series with Dell and Dolly. As in all of his work, Vachss explores the horrific intersection of victims and victimizers, evil and avengers. The setting has moved from urban to small town, but the eternal conflict is as it ever was. As always, Vachss is disquieting but engrossing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)