Invent a Haiku

Andrew Vachss' Haiku is a new novel for the author, and a departure from his popular Burke series. The novel centers around Ho, a highly respected sensei who renounced his possessions and his role as a master when his arrogance caused the death of one of his beloved students. Ho now roams the streets of New York City, seeking ways to atone for the death of his student. Inspired by his passion and presence, a group forms around Ho. The group is made up of Michael, an addicted gambler who has lost everything; Vietnam veteran Ranger; Lamont, a fearless street-gang-warlord turned alcoholic; unstable Target, who speaks only by echoing the sounds of others; and Brewster, an obsessive collector of hardboiled paperbacks that he stashes in abandoned buildings. Trouble begins when Michaels notices a woman in a Rolls-Royce throwing something in the river---thinking she would be the perfect blackmail target, he tries to encourage the others to search for her. But, news that Brewster's building is slated for demolition, as well as his library that is stashed there, spurs the group into finding money and a way to save Brewster's precious book collection. Thus begins a frantic, action-packed story full of excitement, twists and turns. Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in the area of sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer and the director of a maximum security prison for aggressive-violent youth. He is now a lawyer and consultant in his own private practice and represents children and youths exclusively. Vachss is a native New Yorker, and divides his time between New York City and the Pacific Northwest. To find out more about Andrew Vachss, visit his website at http://www.vachss.com/.