CHASERS

A man, holding a cup of coffee, stares down at the body of a young girl at a crime scene. The man has absolutely no business there: he's wandered into the restaurant where the murder occurred--the scene has already been roped off--and starts chatting with one of the investigators. Anyone with even a scrap of knowledge about crime scenes will know instantly how utterly inexcusable this procedural lapse is, but it's the opening premise of Carcaterra's latest vigilante mystery. The little girl is the man's niece, giving a very tortured entry point for his involvement in the case, which leads to a Colombian drug cartel. The man is a former NYPD detective, now one of a renegade group of vigilant crime fighters introduced in Carcaterra's Apaches (1997). Like Burke in Andrew Vachss' series about another no-holds-barred vigilante, the Apaches, all former cops, fight a neverending war against crime, unburdened by the strictures of the legal system. This time, unfortunately, the improbability of the plot detracts significantly from the emotional impact of the story. Still, Carcaterra has amassed a significant following, stretching back to his critically celebrated debut, Sleepers (1995), and his latest will be eagerly awaited.