Denis Johnson is not known as a crime writer (he won the National Book Award in 2007.) In Nobody Move, however, he has written what might be called a “crime noir.” Jimmy Luntz, who might be called a “lowlife,” is the protagonist. A lowlife, perhaps, but not a Bad Guy. He has his principles.

Jimmy has a gambling debt, and Gambol, who is a sort of collector for Juarez, means to collect. The threats are real, but the snappy dialogue and beautiful descriptions blunt the horror. Jimmy, who never fires a gun but has acquired one from a friend, wounds Gambol and doesn’t finish him off.

This hint of compassion lets us root for him when he meets the beautiful Anita. Anita has found herself the victim of a frame-up by her husband and a corrupt judge. She is to pay off a huge sum of money while they are under no suspicion and can enjoy their ill-gotten gains. She does not plan to stay still for this.

It would be a dastardly deed for a reviewer to reveal much more of the plot. The money is locked away in a password protected account, and Anita enlists Jimmy in her attempt for revenge and profit. Meanwhile, Jimmy is hiding out from the other villains.

Nobody Move is a fast-moving suspense novel, but it is a little more than that. There are skillfully developed characters, landscape descriptions, and enough symbolism to satisfy an English teacher. It is available at the Mary Willis Library.