The White Van, Hoffman - B

                                                This novel is a highly acclaimed debut from a few years ago by a man who had been an investigator for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. Needless to say, it is filled with tangible, believable characters from the underworld. The plot involves a drug-addled young woman recruited by the Russian mob to assist in a bank robbery, a pair of less than honest cops, and mistakes made all around. It's a classic one-day beach read. Good fun.