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Justice, Rage, Retribution & Vachss
Best known for his series about Burke, a career criminal with a uniquely larcenous family, Andrew Vachss has penned a standalone novel sure to win new fans and delight those familiar with his earlier works. Set in the year 1959, Two Trains Running is a complex moral tale of family, violence, love, and atonement. Read our Amazon.com
exclusive interview with Vachss.
Two Trains Running was selected by Amazon.com as their No. 1 Editors' Pick in Mystery & Thrillers for 2005.
Standalone Novels, Comics & Collections by Andrew Vachss
Shella |
The Getaway Man |
Everybody Pays: Stories |
Born Bad: Collected Stories |
Another Chance to Get It Right |
Hard Looks: Adapted Stories |
See all titles by Andrew Vachss.
The Burke Series
Flood |
Strega |
Blue Belle |
Hard Candy |
Blossom |
Sacrifice |
See the entire Burke series.
Book Description
Electrifying, compelling, and ultimately terrifying, Two Trains Running is a galvanizing evocation of that moment in our history when the violent forces that would determine America’s future were just beginning to roil below the surface.
Once a devastated mill town, by 1959 Locke City has established itself as a thriving center of vice tourism. The city is controlled by boss Royal Beaumont, who took it by force many years ago and has held it against all comers since.
Now his domain is being threatened by an invading crime syndicate. But in a town where crime and politics are virtually indivisible, there are other players awaiting their turn onstage. Emmett Till’s lynching has inflamed a nascent black revolutionary movement. A neo-Nazi organization is preparing for race war. Juvenile gangs are locked in a death struggle over useless pieces of “turf.” And some shadowy group is supplying them all with weapons. With an IRA unit and a Mafia family also vying for local supremacy, it’s no surprise that the whole town is under FBI surveillance. But that agency is being watched, too.
Beaumont ups the ante by importing a hired killer, Walker Dett, a master tactician whose trademark is wholesale destruction. But there are a number of wild cards in this game, including Jimmy Procter, an investigative reporter whose tools include stealth, favor-trading, and blackmail, and Sherman Layne, the one clean Locke City cop, whose informants range from an obsessed “watcher” who patrols the edge of the forest, where cars park for only one reason, to the madam of the county’s most expensive bordello. But Layne is guarding a secret of his own, one that could destroy more than his career. Even the most innocent are drawn into the ultimate-stakes game–like Tussy Chambers, the beautiful waitress whose mystically deep connection with Walker Dett might inadvertently ignite the whole combustible mix.
In a stunning departure from his usual territory, Andrew Vachss gives us a masterful novel that is also an epic story of postwar America. Not since Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest has there been as searing a portrait of corruption in a small town. This is Vachss’s most ambitious, innovative, and explosive work yet.
Download Description
“Vachss plows a field famously sowed by Dashiell Hammett and reaps his own kind of red harvest . . . Dark, violent, blood-drenched, page-turning.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“The voice of Vachss: uncompromising, exciting, and fiercely original.”
–George Pelecanos, author of Hard Revolution
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Don't Bother!.......2007-07-08
If you read Vachss for his Burke series, don't bother with this long-winded and ultimately pointless disappointment! I couldn't even finish it (which is EXTREMELY rare for me) - the endless dialogue finally put me to sleep. Really - don't buy it! Save your money for the next Burke novel!
Dark american crime history.......2007-03-26
I had to read Two Trains Running twice, to keep from missing something. The multi-plots and history bits keep you wondering where the story is going, until the end. Then it hits you like a hook to the ribs that you never saw coming. Different from the usual Burke series, but stirs up lots of actual activities that many would like to keep buried.--Doug Setter, author of One Less Victim
Hated it.......2007-02-20
I have been reading Andrew Vachss' books for over a decade and have enjoyed the entire Burke series (although the earlier books were better than the later ones), but Two Trains Running did nothing for me.
I found that the book was just too convoluted and trying too hard to do a James Ellroy in complexity of characters and depth. It just didn't come across well at all.
Sin City.......2007-02-07
OK, so maybe I've just crawled out from under a rock, but I'd never heard of Andrew Vachss. And then I started reading Ken Bruen's bare-knuckled crime fiction, and kept running across Bruen's frequent and reverent references to Vachss. I figured it was time to find out what was impressing the venerable Bruen so much.
I find myself agreeing with Bruen's superlatives. "Two Trains Running" is a remarkable novel that can be enjoyed on several different levels. On the surface, it is a kick-butt pulp crime fiction, a hardboiled and tight-lipped gem reminiscent of Jim Thompson or Raymond Chandler. A level deeper, you've got an authentic slice of late-Eisenhower America that includes the racial tension, gangs, drugs, and corruption not often depicted in the old "Happy Days" nostalgia typically associated with this era that was setting up the mayhem for the turbulent 60s. And then, running through it all is a near supernatural undercurrent that can only be described as weirdness - a surreal tone that reminds one of the brutal and bizarre "Sin City", Frank Miller's comic book nightmare brought to garish life on the big screen.
The story unfolds in Locke City, and decaying mid-America mill town run by wheelchair-bound boss Royal Beaumont and his unmarried sister Cynthia. Unlike most pulp fiction which it mimics - or perhaps parodies - Vachss' "Two Trains" is epic in scope - long and convoluted, with multiple subplots and even more messages to sort through and ponder. Beaumont brings to town Walker Dett, an enigmatic hit man hired to thwart encroachment by an emerging Mafioso. It is soon clear that Dett is not what he seems, but what he is is an entirely different matter. And if you're like me, he will having you guessing right up to the last bloody page.
A couple of words of caution: this is a long and complex novel that should not be read casually or sporatically. Vachss paints this masterpiece with lots of parallel stories and a rich set of characters, told in a staccato shorthand that may have you scratching your head and thumbing back through pages to pick up the thread. It is beautifully blunt and as far from politically correct as you can get, so the more sensitive readers may be offended by frequent use of racial slurs blatant bigotry. But in the end this is a brilliant example of crime fiction smashed together with cutting social commentary, a vivid and intelligent story that will not easily be forgotten. Bravo, Mr. Vachss.
Strike One.......2006-10-19
Worst book I have read this year. Have read a lot of A Vachss but he missed me completely here. Absolute fantasy. Confusing and unbelievable conversations. Walter is absolutely unreal.
Book Description
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason is the debut novel in a hip, sexy, smart and, yes, cozy mystery series with a great hook. Think Sex and the City collides with Murder, She Wrote.
All that writer Cece Caruso really wants to do is complete her biography of mystery legend Erle Stanley Gardner, find a vintage 1970s Ossie Clark gown to add to her collection, and fix the doorknob on her picturesque West Hollywood bungalow. Then a chance visit with a prison inmate who knew Gardner lands her right in the middle of a 40–year–old murder and another case where the blood is still warm. In fact, Cece finds the body. This brings her into irresistible contact with her inner personal sleuth and shows how crime and greed can reverberate through several generations of a single family.
Customer Reviews:
If you like Janet Evanovich...........2007-09-12
Move over Stephanie Plum. Kandel's heroine, Cece, is Italian (in name only) instead of Polish; but she's got big hair, she's tall and her boyfriend is a policeman. Well, if the formula works, why change it? Cece has left New Jersey for West Hollywood and she's prettier than Ms. Plum,and thinner,too. But, like Stephanie, Cece lives on a diet of junk food.
The mystery is solved and the culpable meet their fate all in the space of two pages. Considering the book is 280 pages long, she could have dragged out the climax for a few more pages. Unlike Evanovich, the prose doesn't ring true. Evanovich manages to make the most outlandish characters seem plausible--maybe because she feeds into our dearly-held stereotypes. Kandel always seems to be trying to hard to make her characters loveable eccentrics, but they aren't believable for a minute. Still, I couldn't put the book down.
Pleasantly surprised!.......2007-07-03
My expectations for this book weren't very high for some reason. I thought it would be just another chick-genre mystery with a gimmick and not much to make it stand out. I was surprised to find that not only was the story good, the tie-in with Erle Stanley Gardner seemed extremely well researched and truly a part of the plot, not just something thrown in as a device. In the first chapter I wasn't so sure I was going to appreciate Cece's passion for vintage clothing, but that came across as a genuine part of the story and part of the character as well and wasn't overdone. The writing is good, the locale is really well described and the characters are interesting. I am looking forward to seeing what the author does with Nancy Drew in the next book (Nancy was my first introduction to mystery fiction!).
I Dreamed Of A Better Book.......2007-04-12
I thought this book had promise- I liked the premise, thought the title was cute and the PARADE magazine in the Sunday paper had recommended the follow up book "Not A Girl Detective". However, I really had a hard time getting into this book. I did like the characters and thought the story was good, but the writing did not seem to capture my attention and there just seemed to be something missing. I'd give it two and a half stars to be exact.
Fun.......2006-10-27
A friend gave me this book because I'm a fan of the Perry Mason books and because I live in Ventura (where the book takes place, and where Erle Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason books, practiced law himself).
For some reason I found it annoying at first and put it down. Then one night, desperate for something to read, I picked it up again and thoroughly enjoyed it. Her breezy writing style is entertaining and it's good for the kind of light, pleasant, undisturbing story that is nice to read before bed. The dialogue was witty and the main character spunky and fun to hang out with. The plot got a little thick, but she was canny enough to provide recaps along the way so that one didn't get lost. The character is interested in vintage clothing and I found that an interesting side plot.
Her depiction of Ventura was accurate and insightful.
I would read another book starring this character.
A Fun Read; Ready to Read the Next Volume.......2006-09-17
I've got nothing in common with Cece Caruso except that we're both Italian, but I found this first story about mystery writer biographer Caruso fun and the mystery suitably convoluted. Cece's flip descriptions of her life and loves are lively and amusing, her travels through the California countryside appealing, and she has an interesting assortment of friends. Her clothing obsession and constant descriptions of such are a bit dull to me, but then, hey, everyone collects something; Cece's thing is just clothing. Looking forward to the second book!
Book Description
All that writer Cece Caruso -- a thirty-nine-year-old former beauty queen from New Jersey -- really wants to do is finish her biography of Erle Stanley Gardner so that she can finally stop obsessing about Perry Mason. Well, that and find a 1970 silk chiffon Ossie Clark to add to her collection of vintage clothing. And fix the broken front doorknob on her West Hollywood bungalow. But first she has to help save her daughter's foundering marriage, which is more than Cece could manage for her own.
Everybody's got problems. In a last-ditch effort to kick a bad case of writer's block, Cece pays a visit to a prison inmate who had once corresponded with Gardner, pleading his innocence. Her impetuousness lands her smack in the middle of a case worthy of Perry Mason himself -- a double-edged mystery linking a forty-year-old murder to one where the body is still warm. Propelled by tenacity, curiosity, a sense of humor, and an understanding of human nature's dark side, Cece will channel the inner sleuth she never realized she possessed to find a killer who is all too real -- and all too close.
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason is hip, sexy, and smart. Susan Kandel has created an unforgettable cast of characters planted firmly in terra California. Join Cece as she breaks into crime scenes, outfoxes lawyers, rekindles a romance with a police detective, and -- oh, yes -- finally makes her peace with Perry Mason.
Customer Reviews:
Perry & Cece.......2005-09-10
This is a cute read. It's not overly dramatic or brain draining. It's just fun. If you hail from the 60's, you'll love the references to clothing styles and Perry's type of detecting. The primary focus is a mystery that possibly surrounds work done by Earle Stanley Gardner in his legal, pre-writer days. While fictional, the author does a nice job of spanning the decades while providing some mystery and fun.
A Dreamy Debut.......2005-03-01
Cece Caruso is hard at work on her biography of Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner when she finds a mis-filed letter. It's a plea from Joseph Albacco who claims to have been falsely sentenced for murdering his wife on their first anniversary. Facing a serious case of writer's block, Cece decides to investigate. Even though it's been almost 50 years, she begins to pick up a few leads. And the more she learns, the more convinced she is that the wrong person has been in jail all these years. Finding another body only spurs her on and ups the stakes.
Even though I'm a huge mystery fan, I'm really not familiar with Perry Mason or his creator. But the title of the book caught my attention, and I just had to read it. As the title promises, it's an enjoyable book. The mystery was very well done. I wasn't sure what was going on until the end. The pacing was a little slow, with the sub-plots taking on too much prominence early on. And Cece's love of vintage clothes was also a bit of a distraction, at least to this male reader. Cece herself is a great character with flaws I recognized right off the bat. I do have a complaint with the dialog. The author has a habit of using quick back and forth with nothing to identify who says what. I found myself getting lost along the way and having to reread a scene to make sure I knew what was being said. A few tags sprinkled into the book would have helped greatly.
Over all, this was an enjoyable book that I'm glad I read. I'm looking forward to Cece's next case.
A marvelous, stylish tale........2005-01-23
This book had all the elements I look for in a light read. The main character has a style all her own (even though most of her vintage clothing is borrowed), the story is implausible but good, and the author has done some fascinating research to bring alive the ghost of Earle Stanley Gardner, author of the original "Perry Mason" series of books.
Ms. Kandel weaves the crazy story of a convicted murderer whose innocence she is forced (by guilt via the prison Priest) to prove around the details of Gardner's life and the well-described surroundings of West Hollywood and Northern California. A true sign of success...the book makes you want to visit the places described within...and also to pick up some old Perry Mason novels to find out just what was up between the famous detective and his loyal secretary, Della Street.
A superb first novel.
a four and a half star treat..........2004-12-27
What a treat!
Quirky, amusing, refreshing, imaginative, I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON mirrors debut author Susan Kandel's lead character, biographer Cece Caruso.
I normally don't care for first person narrative, but Cece is the perfect vehicle for spinning this engaging romp through California's colorful past and present. Under Ms. Kandel's skillful pen, Cece deftly maneuvers readers through a maze of off-beat characters and adventures-or misadventures as is often the case with this character.
While researching a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner, Cece stumbles onto a past murder mystery and into a present day murder. These two murders may or may not be connected. Investigating the murders, Cece uncovers all sorts of unsavory secrets while juggling personal problems on the home front and rekindling a romance with police detective, Peter Gambino.
With a thing for vintage clothes and Perry Mason, Cece is an interesting blend of whimsy and brains. Ms. Kandel did a great job with Cece's character. The heart and soul of this story, even Cece's ramblings, are entertaining.
It's no mystery I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON is the first in a series of Cece Caruso mysteries. I can't wait to read more Cece escapades. I can't wait to learn more of Gambino.
If you like mysteries with a dash of romance, I highly recommend Cece's first adventure.
Debbie Jett, reviewer
romancereaderatheart.com
Funny Original Mystery.......2004-11-16
I highly recommend this book. The main character CeCe Caruso is a funny orginal character. Loved the way the author incorporated her love of vintage clothes, fashion, Hollywood, and the great California settings into the quintessential California novel. Looking forward to another by the same author.
Book Description
Admiral James T. Kirk is charged by the Klingon Empire for the comandeering of a Klingon starship. The Federation honors the Klingon demands for extradition, and Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise are drawn back to Earth.
But their trip is interrupted by the appearance of a mysterious, all-powerful alien space probe. Suddenly, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew must journey back through time to twentieth-century Earth to solve the mystery of the probe.
Customer Reviews:
A visit with old friends.......2006-02-05
Why did I enjoy this more than any of the other Star Trek movies? Probably because it's got all of the elements I love. Kirk and McCoy trying to relate to Spock, and Spock too puzzled by his Human half to help them much - if at all. Humor. A feisty, intelligent "love interest" who actually has a key plot-driving role, in Dr. Gillian Taylor. Sarek. And, at the end...oh, never mind. Just in case there's someone left who may want to read the book, or see the film, without already knowing the ending - no, I wouldn't spoil it for worlds.
So the science doesn't make a lot of sense. It often didn't in the original Trek, on TV. The plot premise and execution worked well enough to let me temporarily suspend my disbelief when I first saw "The Voyage Home" on the big screen, and I found that unchanged when I finally read the novelization. So the humor's lame at times. It still felt to me like a visit with old friends, and that's really what I'm looking for in a Star Trek story. On screen, or between book covers.
Haw haw haw, Spock! Vulcans can't hold their candy!.......2005-07-24
One of the abilities of the Star Trek franchise has been the ability to alleviate a potential cliche in a story by bringing a bit of humor in. A time travel scenario can be really hackneyed and lame except for the fact that this one gets a good laugh out of it. Like Kirk and Spock wandering around San Francisco traffic without a working knowledge of profanity. Most of us know how Kirk & co use a borrowed Klingon ship to go back to our time when the humpbacked whale was not yet extinct so that they could bring a couple of them forward in time to tell the mysterious probe to shut down the hurricane already, we hoid ya da foist time--if not from reviews, then by seeing the movie. One scene that got ad-libbed into this novelization didn't make the screen, though. Remember if you will the sequence where Kirk pauses by the checkout of a restaurant and hands Spock an after-dinner mint ("Don't say I never gave you anything"/ "Why would I say that, Captain?")? Now fast forward to the scene where Kirk and Spock find the whales at an aquarium and Spock goes "swimmin' wit' da fishes" (yeah yeah, whales aren't fish, I know). The scene we didn't get in the movie is right after scientist Gillian gives Spock hell for that little swim. In this book, Kirk gets Spock aside and asks him what's the matter with him. Spock reminds him of the mint and reveals the not widely known medical fact that sucrose has a certain physiological effect on Vulcans. If I'd written this book, I would have also added the above reaction by McCoy.
A adventure for all ages.......2003-12-04
It is even better then the movie. It has all the elements of a classic Star Trek episode, with Capt. Kirk falling in love with a beautiful young women, the crew dealing with a different time periode, MR.Spock and Dr.McCoy going at it like an old married couple.......And there are the Klingons, a major threat to Earth, and, of crouse, the whales... Who wouldn't like this book?
FUnny.......2001-12-30
I liked it because it really helped to put the movie into prospective.
An excellent novelization........2001-02-02
If you are familiar with the movie that this book was based on, I will say that this is one of the most faithful novelizations of a movie that I've ever seen; almost every scene from the movie is included, and most of the dialogue is faithfully kept as well. Ms. McIntyre satisfies her creative urge by filling in gaps in the storyline, adding internal dialogue and insight into the characters' thoughts as well as transitional scenes that further explain and clarify the storyline.
If you are not familiar with the movie, there are a few quibbles you might have with the story, but for my money, the quibbles are all things that originated in the movie, and that Ms. McIntyre is not responsible for: the running gag of Kirk attempting to "fit in" to 20th century society by cursing, which he does clumsily, and Spock's even more clumsy attempts to follow Kirk's lead. I'm not certain whether this was supposed to be purely a humorous bit, or whether it was supposed to be a comment on how silly vulgarity makes one look, and how foolish it is to try to fit in in that way. If it was intended for humor value, its humor wore thin very quickly, and if it was intended for the latter purpose, I'm not sure that it was effective. But in any case, that, as I say, is not Ms. McIntyre's fault; it was part of the movie that she was working from. Similarly, any part of the plot that referred back to the previous movie, and Spock's tenuous grip on his memories as a result of being recently "reborn", do not sit well with me (see my review of "The Search For Spock" for my objections to that movie/book) but again, this is not the author's fault. I also do not believe that a bit of ambient radiation causes malfunctions in phasers, as happens in one scene, but the same disclaimer of responsibility applies.
On its own merits, and outside of the consideration of how well it remains faithful either to the movie it was based on, or the Star Trek universe in general, or the previously established characters, this book is still quite good, and better able to stand on its own as a Science Fiction Action-Adventure novel than most Star Trek books, and it also does a better job of faithfully portraying the known characters than many. And as I said, it does a marvellous job of faithfully depicting the story from the movie while building on it plausibly and believably. All in all, by almost any measure I care to use, it is a very good book.
Book Description
The best consumer guide to type 2 diabetes. Explains in down-to-earth language the best way to live with this chronic disease that is affecting a growing number of people. Information for all the "times" with type 2 diabetes that you will experience over the years--when you are newly diagnosed; taking one, two, or three kinds of diabetes pills; or adding insulin. It explains the tools to use to prevent complications. It includes chapters on women, children and teens, and how to prevent diabetes from occurring in family members who are at high risk for it.
Customer Reviews:
A Field Guide to Type 2 Diabetes.......2005-08-05
As a newly diagnosed diabetic I found this book to be the easiest to understand and most informative one I read. Everything was clearly written and I felt all pertinent topics were discussed.
From Mass. Gen. Hospital web site.......2005-01-04
"Written very clearly, though without illustrations, this is a straightforward, unemotional, comprehensive guide for both those newly diagnosed and those who have had diabetes for many years."
-- Massachusetts General Hospital, Treadwell Library, Oct. 2004
Good Book for Newly Diagnosed or Those Needing Refresher.......2004-11-18
Book Review for Voice of the Diabetic
Vol. 19, #4, Fall Edition
by Ruth Mencl, MN RN CDE
Diabetes Program Manager
Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, MO
August 2nd, 2004
American Diabetes Association. A Field Guide to Type 2 Diabetes: The Essential Resource from the Diabetes Experts
This book delivers as advertised. The format is similar to a travel guide, which makes it easy to find the destination (or topic) of choice and go directly to it. Tables and charts allow for a quick reference to facts about laboratory tests or medications. The addition of a personal touch, such as comments from actual patients on topics taken from the ADA web site, give it a unique focus as compared to other diabetes fact books.
The Field Guide pays special attention to everyday issues that people with diabetes face, such as finding medical services or dealing with a doctor who is not very interested in diabetes. These are issues that it might take several years for a patient to address, especially if they don't attend diabetes classes or support groups. This is a comprehensive resource, written by well-known diabetes experts, which serves as a good beginner's guide to the nuts and bolts of diabetes.
Kudos from the Press ( A note from the publisher).......2004-10-17
"A Field Guide To Type 2 Diabetes provides a fine resource covering
everything from initial diagnosis to common complications." -- Midwest Book Review
Books:
- U.S.A.: The 42nd Parallel / 1919 / The Big Money (Library of America)
- Unexpected Blessings
- Vulcan's Forge (Onyx Novel)
- Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!: A Novel
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape
- Year of the Hyenas: A Novel of Murder in Ancient Egypt
- 2nd Chance
- A Catch of Consequence
- A Suitable Boy: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
- Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
Books Index
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Contemporary
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