Funny Money — Laurence Gough

Chantal ran away from home to escape her abusive father. Now she's on the run again, wanted by the police as a “person of interest” in the suspicious death of her equally abusive pimp boyfriend.

Hector and Carlos do piecework for ancient Vancouver kingpin Jake Cappalletti. They're on their way to Jake's mini-mansion with ten million bogus U.S. dollars destined for the unsophisticated Russian market when Jake is felled by a stroke. Marty, Jake's heir apparent, fears a palace revolt. He tells Carlos and Hector to hold on to the cash until Jake recovers or the situation stabilizes. But Carlos is the kind of guy who'd use a pair of bolt-cutters to liberate a Safeway shopping cart rather than temporarily spend a quarter. And Hector is the kind of guy who'd risk paying a hooker like Chantal with Jake's counterfeit twenties rather than spend his own hard-earned cash.

Now Chantal's running from the cops and Carlos and Hector.

Detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker are searching for Chantal, but they also have problems of their own. Jack's daughter is in her first year at U.B.C. So far, all she's learned is how to party. Parker, watching Jack's kids grow up, is acutely aware of the swift passage of time. She's wanted children for years, and has finally reached the point where she isn't willing to wait any longer.

Fast, wisecracking, and full of action, Funny Money is sure to appeal to both new readers and to loyal fans of Laurence Gough.


From the Hardcover edition.