Still in mourning from Pansy's death in the last novel, Burke is living with Gem in Portland, and getting bored when she finds him a missing person case. A well-behaved, intelligent teenage girl has run away from her home, and the police seem disinterested. Her frantic father hires Burke, and much of the book is Burke's unorthodox way of finding people and the truth. Meanwhile, the police are seeking a serial killer of prostitutes and Burke his expertise to a local cop friend of Gem's. We meet Ann O. Dyne, who is working to protect the hookers and also fanatically dedicated to helping ease debilitating pain for the sick and dying. Again seeking to trade favors, Ann introduces Burke to a local thug, who runs many of the hookers and Burke takes active measures to stop the killings. Nobody seems to believe that Burke won't return the runaway to her father, if she has a bona fide reason for her disappearance. The reason is a surprise. However, Burke needs to get back to his NY-based family. ( )

Burke works in Portland to find missing girl

This book is quite realistic I think, so it's memorable, a good reading experience. ( )

Not my favorite of the Burke books, but still good. These books are only for those who like their fiction extremely hard-boiled though.

I got Vachss's autograph on this book when I met him at the Texas Book Festival. Very intense guy. ( )