Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aftershock | 2013 | Andrew Vachss | Buy |
| 2 | Shockwave | 2014 | Andrew Vachss | Buy |
| 3 | Signwave | 2015 | Andrew Vachss | Buy |
The Aftershock trilogy is a late-career work from Andrew Vachss, published between 2013 and 2015. The series begins with a school shooting in a rural community and follows the investigation that unravels the town’s secrets. A journalist named Dell and a mercenary named MaryLou dig into the case together, and what they find goes far deeper than the shooting itself. Vachss used this trilogy to explore small-town corruption with the same unflinching eye he brought to urban crime in the Burke novels.
Each book picks up where the last left off. Aftershock sets the stage with the shooting and the initial investigation. Shockwave widens the scope as Dell and MaryLou discover how deep the town’s problems run. Signwave brings the story to its conclusion. The trilogy gave Vachss room to work in a different setting from his usual New York underworld, but his themes of hidden abuse and institutional failure are present on every page. For readers new to Vachss, this tightly plotted trilogy is an accessible entry point before tackling the longer Burke saga.