THE HAUL

Old colleagues entice a former career criminal out of semiretirement for one last out-there caper.

After a long and lively career, O’Conner, once known as the Warlord of Willow Ridge, has settled into a relaxed lifestyle with longtime girlfriend Gwen Gardner, who owns Fix & Go, a chain of body shops. Phillips’ second O’Conner caper is long on banter, backstories, and outrageously named larger-than-life characters. The opening chapter features wide-eyed stripling OC taking in the activities of colorful felons like Shoe Dog and Dimitri “Teaflake” Strock. From there, the plot ricochets freely from O’Conner’s childhood to his comfy present and various points in-between. The carrot that lures O’Conner back into larceny is a cache of reportedly untraceable millions that tech billionaire Palmer Van Noy keeps in a bunker beneath the new stadium of the Swashbucklers, his basketball team. The road to the heist is predictably twisty and full of challenging obstacles, all presented with comic panache. Multiple chases featuring diverse vehicles and collateral damage are involved. Given Phillips’ dozens of published short stories and comics, it’s no surprise that the story’s chief attractions are its outrageous players and discursive detours. The latter include reminiscences of crimes from the good old days and a discussion of Alexandre Dumas’ African heritage. The denouement is never in doubt, but the rollicking journey is sweet. The acknowledgements pay appropriate homage to Donald Westlake, Phillips’ forerunner in this subgenre.

A lean comic thriller with a delightfully wacky cast.