Down in the Zero

ACCLAIM FOR

Andrew Vachss

'Andrew Vachss bursts forth with more of the slashing prose that has earned him a reputation as one who gives no quarter in his exposure of the evils of the human mind. The man knows whereof he speaks.'

— Newsday

'There's no way to put a [Vachss book] down once you've begun…The plot hooks are engaging and the one– liners pierce like bullets.'

— Detroit Free Press

'The New York Burke inhabits is not borrowed from anybody and shimmers on the page as gaudily and scarily as it does on the street.'

— New York magazine

'Vachss seems bottomlessly knowledgeable about the depth and variety of human twistedness.'

— The New York Times

'Staccato prose, a mixed bag of Raymond Chandler style, James Cain sleaze and a voice that's pure Vachss— strident, sharp, a muscular rage raining down on a society in need of cleansing.'

— People

'A compelling read…in this literary realm, bad things almost always happen to bad people… very bad people.'

— Creative Loafing (Atlanta)

Andrew Vachss

Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for youthful offenders. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, poetry, graphic novels, and a 'children's book for adults.' His books have been translated into twenty different languages and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, The New York Times, and numerous other forums. He lives and works in New York City and the Pacific Northwest.

The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is www.vachss.com

BOOKS BY

Andrew Vachss

Flood

Strega

Blue Belle

Hard Candy

Blossom

Sacrifice

Shella

Down in the Zero

Born Bad

Footsteps of the Hawk

False Allegations

Safe House

Choice of Evil

Everybody Pays

Dead and Gone

Pain Management

DOWN IN THE ZERO

 Andrew Vachss

When winter vanished

I searched, only to find you

Missing and presumed

DOWN IN THE ZERO

The first two kids stepped off together, holding hands.

By the time I got mixed in it, they had company down there.

I'd been quiet a long time. Since I went into that house and killed a child.

Killed a child. I can say it now. Every word.

I took out each word and played with it. Over and over again, the way I used to do in prison. The way you try and take something apart, see what makes it work. Words. Like … in war, they call the bodies 'casualties.' I was in a war. Casualties. Casual. You think about it, it makes sense. No, that's wrong. It doesn't make sense. But it fits.