SOLOS

Likable caper by Florey (Souvenir of Cold Springs, 2002, etc.) about a convivial set of Brooklyn artists who make the best of a bad world while fighting off serial rapists and hit men.

Most people move to the secluded Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg in search of cheap rents, large lofts, and a well-established arts scene; Marcus Mead moved there for its Zip Code (11211, one of the few palindromic Zip Codes in New York). This sort of thing is important to Marcus, who walks dogs for a living and grew up reading the White Pages for fun. One of his clients is Emily Lime, a divorced photographer who lives with a dog, a cockatoo, and a closet full of ugly paintings left to her by an old friend from the neighborhood. Emily has become increasingly fond of Marcus since he began walking her dog, a good sign that she is finally getting over her divorce, though it raises some problems, too. For one thing, Marcus is her stepson, born 20 years ago to her ex-husband Tad Hartwell and his old flame Summer Mead. He is also 16 years younger than Emily. And he has just been hired by Tad to murder Emily for $200,000. Marcus is at something of a loss: He’s never killed anyone before, and he rather likes Emily. But he also needs money for a pickup truck and has wanted some way of getting closer to his dad (who left him when he was eight) now that his mother has died. As Marcus begins to dig into the story of his father’s marriage to Emily, he makes a number of discoveries that no one (or, at least, few people) might have guessed at. Does he go through with the plan? The most that can decently be said is that he solves his father’s problems in the end.

A pleasant and well-made tale, the more agreeable for its light tone and touch.