The Ragged End of Nowhere    by Roy Chaney Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2009 (2009) Hardcover      Reviewed by Tim Davis When The Ragged End of Nowhere opens, former CIA agent Bodo Hagen has returned from Germany to Las Vegas just in time to attend his murdered brother's graveside interment. Now, with virtually no clues to follow, Hagen is determined to take revenge on whoever killed his brother. Quicker than you can say 'Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon,' Hagen finds out that his brother (a tarnished veteran of the French Foreign Legion) had been trying to sell a valuable, mysterious artifact. As Hagen's brother learned too late, more than a few people are interested in laying claim to the apparently purloined dingus, and those people are more than willing to commit murder. So, as he retraces his brother's final movements in southern Nevada, the body count in Las Vegas escalates, and the hardened Hagen encounters police officers with singular agenda, shady fences interested in fast money, paranoid casino owners eager to avenge the past, questionable antique dealers with dodgy motives, and plenty of bloodthirsty mercenaries. Before the fast-paced narrative of The Ragged End of Nowhere explodes in its pulse-pounding conclusion, Hagen - if he can stay alive - stands (like the novel's readers) poised to make some remarkable discoveries. As winner of the prestigious Tony Hillerman Prize, Roy Chaney's gritty noir mystery is a superb debut novel. Enjoy! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews