THE END OF THE ROAD

Hell hath no fury like a woman, or a crime boss, scorned.

A literal bang opens this peripatetic saga. Somebody named Myles returns fire after having been shot by somebody named Pryor, while three miles away, Myles’ girlfriend, Penny, who picked him up after his release from prison the day before, argues with a customer at the costume shop where she works. It takes several short, dialogue-heavy chapters to introduce the numerous players and bring the backstory into focus. Myles testified against Pryor, his criminal boss, but went to prison anyway, while Pryor avoided incarceration. Vengeance is Pryor’s oxygen. Others in the mix are Pryor’s sidekick, Archie, thugs Michigan and Robby, and sometime girlfriend, Mae; Penny’s variously supportive family, which includes Mack, her son with Myles; and cops J.P., Marks, Vick, et al. Several more characters pass through the story as the action proceeds and the plot not so much thickens as spreads like wildfire in Darbytown, a crime-ridden burg not far from Columbus, Ohio. Penny, who emerges as the hero, tangles with her sister, Brandi, over her decision to stand by Myles and teams up with the woebegone Mae. Much of the story’s appeal comes from its panoramic scope, with brief detours into each character’s journey adding texture and humanity. The structure, tone, quick twists, and shifts of focus will remind grieving fans of Elmore Leonard.

A crackerjack crime yarn chockablock with miscreants and a supersonic pace.