Nobody from Somewhere

Valor, betrayal, and bad alliances collide in this exciting crime novel set on Canada’s West Coast, from Kalteis (Under an Outlaw Moon). When scheming hustler Nikki Miller (aka Valentina) comes up with a ploy to rip off high rollers at the local casino, she sets in motion a chain of events affecting the fortunes of six disparate characters. Angel James Silva and Cooder Baio, seasoned car thief partners looking for a more lucrative con, go along with her plan and attack Park Won-Soon, a businessman Valentina has seduced, stealing his casino winnings and leaving him badly beaten. The theft backfires when the victim, backed by Chinese triad money, employs gangland enforcer Zhang Yee to recover the stolen money. Kalteis skillfully weaves in a side plot involving a 15-year-old runaway, Wren McKenna, who escapes her abusive foster home only to get caught in a more dangerous situation, and a terminally ill retired cop, Fitch Henry Haut, whose serve and protect instincts draw him into the cross fire. A brisk pace and sharp attention to character help propel this lean story of chance encounters amid a battle for survival. Fans of gritty crime fiction will be gratified. (June)