Andrew Vachss

If he were the protagonist in one of his own crime novels, Andrew Vachss might be unbelievable: A hard-as-nails lawyer, grizzled and sporting an eyepatch, who’ll only take cases defending child victims of sexual abuse. But his singleminded, furious crusade is for real, and it informs not just his writing but his whole life. Vachss works tirelessly for his cause, and has a string of achievements to show for it, such as the law mandating national background checks for sex offenders (which was his idea). Vachss’ stories are an outgrowth of his activism, and they burn with the same fiery rage he shows in court. He’s best known for his Burke novels, a remarkably brutal and angry series in which the villains are usually child pornographers, intended not so much to entertain readers as to build them up to Vachss’ level of moral outrage. These books are often powerful, and not exactly light reading. If this all sounds too extreme to start with, try his new The Getaway Man. A Thompsonesque tale of a bank-job driver hard on his luck, Getaway harks back to 1950s pulp-fiction—especially the Gold Medal series of dime novels. That means lean prose and slam-bang action—sunnier than Vachss’ usual territory, but with streets that are still plenty mean. Ruminator Books, 1648 Grand Ave., St. Paul, (651) 699-0587, www.ruminator.com