Citizen Vince

American author Jess Walter’s “immensely entertaining” (Chicago Tribune) and compelling novel Citizen Vince (2005) addresses themes of identity, starting over, voting, crime, and redemption. The plot centers on Vince Camden, formerly a criminal named Marty Hagen who is now in the witness protection program. Vince attempts to start over with a new lease on life until his past comes calling. Now, Vince must determine exactly which part of him, his past or his present self, will come out on top when the dust settles. Walter’s third novel, Citizen Vince won an Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel in 2005 and was a finalist for the ITW Thriller Award. Walter also pens short stories and nonfiction.

Marty Hagen begins his life of crime with a felony while still a teenager. A nondescript New York City street kid, he acquires an impressive, albeit run-of-the-mill, crime sheet by the time he hits thirty-six. Though he racks up frequent crimes, none of them are violent in nature. By all accounts, Marty’s life will continue in this fashion. Then one day, he garners the attention of the F.B.I. through what feels like happenstance. After this encounter, Marty’s life changes dramatically. He is given a new name, sent to a quiet town, and is left to begin a new life. All this information, however, comes out later, via backstory. The narrative actually begins with his lackadaisical life after becoming Vince.

Known as Vince Camden, the former criminal resides in Spokane, Washington, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of New York. Moreover, Vince is given a job as a donut maker and manager at the beloved Donut Make You Hungry shop. With the slower pace, Vince now has time for a relationship (he is dating Betty, a hooker who is trying to get her life together and obtain her real estate license), as well as become interested in things he never thought he would care about, like politics. Vince arrives in Spokane in 1980, coinciding with the upcoming election between Reagan and Carter. The election is in eight days, and Vince will do one thing he’s never done before: vote. As a criminal, he was never eligible, but now that his slate has been wiped clean, Vince can partake in civic duties. He also spends large amounts of time at Sam’s Pit, an after-hours locale that attracts seedy clientele (Vince himself is involved in a credit card scheme while in Spokane).



Though Vince has sustained his easy life for two years, his past comes back to haunt him. One day, Ray (Sticks) Scatieri arrives in town. Ray is a hitman; he’s been sent by the mob to collect on a past debt, a debt that can only be paid in blood. At this point in the narrative, Vince’s criminal past is fleshed out. Vince is tied to the mob. He provided the F.B.I. with crucial information, however, which is how he found himself in the witness protection program. With his new life now corrupted by his old life, Vince must once again use his smarts to best a system that is against him. Vince’s attempt to right past wrongs sends him on a weeklong journey occupied by mobsters, police, and politicians. Comically, Vince sprinkles in politics throughout this journey by talking/debating with whomever he can. He also skirts danger by not only going to New York to try to reason with the mob boss who put out the hit on him, but by determining to vote despite the risk to his safety. By the novel’s end, Walter has penned a convincing, darkly comic yet heartwarming tale about the cost of freedom and salvation, and what one man is willing to pay for both.

Jess Walter is the popular author of many works, including The Financial Lives of the Poets, Beautiful Ruins, Over Tumbled Graves, and Land of the Blind. He’s also written a short story collection called We Live in Water, as well as a nonfiction book, Every Knee Shall Bow.