Andrew H. Vachss, Down in the Zero

With this book we once again return to Vachss' recurring protagonist Burke, the PI whose institutionalized upbringing, including a prison sentence, makes him uniquely able to identify (with) the lowest urges of both clients and antagonists.

It is a story in which the normally extremely competent Burke is seen outside his normal stalking grounds of modern urban life, mingling with people he normally don't see much of, the rich. Part of the enjoyment of the book comes from the realisation that Burke's prison-honed bullshit detector is, if anything, even more relevant and useful in these surroundings than back home. His normal theme of child abuse is visited on several levels again, though there's a conspicuous absence of the violence seen in several of his other novel.

I won't start retelling the story since it's the characterization of the involved persons and their interactions that make it such a compelling read, though having a fast paced, though overly convoluted, story isn't a drawback either.

Vachss' own work as a lawyer who represents abused children shines through all his work and this book is no exception. This makes for highly disturbing reading, but when combined the skillful storytelling and concise clearcut characterisation Vachss is a master of it becomes a powerful addition to the story.

Advocacy alert

In most states in the US the penalty for an adult who rapes a child is twenty years plus -- UNLESS that adult happens to be related to the child, in which case the maximum sentence is PROBATION. This is wrong on so many levels that words fail to describe it. http://www.protect.org