Scavenger

Dickie Cornish, the hero of this no-holds-barred crime novel from Chambers (the Angela Bivens thrillers), lives on the streets of Washington, D.C., his mind a muddle of drugs, alcohol, and long lost days. While working as a day laborer, Dickie uncovers a trove of Mexican gold coins, a discovery that pulls him into the orbit of Jamie Bracht, a wealthy Washington bigwig and the coins’ former owner. He hires Dickie to find a woman, promising him a new, clean life when he does. As Dickie trudges through the mean, garbage-strewn backstreets of the nation’s capital, his compact with Bracht puts his life and the lives of everyone he loves on the line. Chambers’s story is simple at its core, but complicated in its delivery. The second-person narration, the urban street slang, and passages of untranslated Spanish can be difficult. But readers who persist will be rewarded as Dickie’s story becomes more coherent and builds to an exciting climax. Those looking for a 21st-century twist on traditional hardboiled noir will be satisfied. (Oct.)