HAPPY PLACES

A selfish thief gets an opportunity to make amends after his death in this novel.

A two-year stint in prison has not changed Flynn Barnes. Even with the hesitant support and a warehouse job from his older brother, Andy, and a place to live with his emotionally broken but still caring father, Harry, Flynn finds that his life of crime is not over. He and his former cellmate Thomas Thacker have a plan to steal six solid-gold Incan burial masks for a rich British gangster—a life-changing score for a small-time thief like Flynn. But during an enthusiastic drive after the successful heist, Flynn’s car swerves off the road on Mulholland Drive overlooking the Hollywood Hills, and he wakes up under the Lone Ranger blankets of his childhood bedroom. He is informed by Langhorne, his post-life “Facilitator,” that this is his “Happy Place,” a stopover after his “graduation.” For a self-absorbed hard case like Flynn, hell seems like the ultimate destination. Yet Langhorne informs him there is still hope. The theft of the masks and the duplicity of Thacker have put Andy and his fiancee in dire peril. If Flynn wants to save them from their own Happy Places, he will have to use his post-graduation shape-shifting abilities to make amends while ducking a rotting, otherworldly taxi driver who wants to expedite his trip to hell. Savage’s thriller is a rare case of high-concept storytelling with heart. At first glance, the characters seem like traditional archetypes—Flynn the con man, Andy the tired but still protective older brother, and Harry the distant sad sack. But Flynn’s journey illustrates just how these shattered family members change. There’s a lot of humor, too, as Flynn tries to navigate the myriad rules as a graduate. Many of the action scenes are quite unorthodox, with one fight involving bar darts and a chase featuring a swinging leaf blower. The worldbuilding and guidelines are expansive, if at times difficult to follow. The story often leans on the notion that this opacity is intentional, which isn’t always satisfying.

A supernatural tale mixes big ideas with plenty of action, wit, and heart.