Mortal Lock

 ”A collection of white-hot short stories…. The baddest noir stylist of them all digs into his archives from the past 15 years and comes up with 20 visits to hell.” —Kirkus Reviews


“Vachss’s reverence for storytelling is evident in the blunt beauty of his language.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Vachss is a contemporary master. . . Decidedly hard-boiled, his prose is lean, tough-edged, and brittle.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“To read Andrews Vachss at his best is to take a ride on the dark side, where the plight of the oppressed and vulnerable . . . becomes the catalyst for revenge-fueled street justice.” —Los  Angeles Times

“Many writers try to cover the same ground as Vachss. A handful are as good. None are better.” —People
 
“Vachss’s stories . . . burn with righteous rage and transfer a degree of that rage to the reader.” —The Washington Post Book World
 
“Writing in a style so sleekly engineered that it purrs when you pop the hood, Vachss gives us such a smooth ride that it’s easy to forget someone is driving this thing.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
“Vachss is red-hot and as serious as a punctured lung.” —Playboy