A Bomb Built in Hell

Vachss introduces hardened hit man Wesley in this stinging, disturbing prelude, written in 1973, to his popular Burke outlaw PI series. Serving time for killing a fellow criminal, Wesley meets Carmine Trentoni, who, despite serving a life sentence, remains connected to the outside and who takes Wesley under his wing. Upon leaving prison, Wesley locates Carmine's ally, Mr. Petraglia ("Pet"), and the pair soon are hired to "take out" whomever their clients choose. Exquisite planning, professional technique and sharp intuition guide Wesley and Pet through the murders of an Asian mobster, a competing hit man and a Haitian leader. Each death earns them hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the killers live in nearly complete obscurity in an old shirt factory in Brooklyn. Wesley isn't wholly satisfied with his lot, though, and sets out to make his mark on the world in an unforgettably dire fashion. In many ways, this novel provides a rough template for the Burke series, in which Wesley plays a major role. Vachss's prose, though not as stylized as the writing that would take the mystery world by storm in Flood, is as tight and succinct as Wesley's meticulously planned murders. Every Burke fan should read this novel, which ticks with the inexorable deliberation of a bomb about to blow. ϡ쯦랠