Shockwave: An Aftershock Novel

Shockwave by Andrew Vachss yet again sees us trespassing into the morally gray area of the independent judge and jury person/team. So here comes the big question? Do we approve of the vigilante? This is, after all, a person who deliberately works outside the scope of the law enforcement process and legal system. When it comes to an arrest. . . Well does this person arrest the offender, maim him/her as a warning not to offend again, or just kill him/her? If we think this offender had it coming, should we care about the methods used to keep us safe in our beds?

Andrew Vachss takes great care to explain precisely how this couple came to this particular town and, when they found it wanting, began to take action to put things right. In this case, a homeless man with a mental disorder is wrongly accused of committing a professional hit. Obviously, this is not a situation to be remedied by killing the hitman. There has to be evidence to exonerate the homeless accused. The result is actually exciting and not completely unrealistic. If you don’t mind stories about people operating outside the law, this is highly readable.