"Haywood
melds an intricately plotted but highly suspenseful thriller to
a moving story of belated coming-of-age... (He) exhibits a remarkable
eye for detail, both in describing the landscape of poverty (the
bathroom had a toilet that only flushed when it was willing)
and in exposing the nuances of character. Its been too long
between books for a writer who has always belonged in the upper
echelon of American crime fiction."