In addition to the "Aftershock", "Burke", and "Cross" series, Vachss has written several stand-alone works. The first novel he published outside the Burke series was "Shella." Released in 1993, "Shella" was the most polarizing of his works in terms of critical response. Vachss often referred to "Shella" as his "beloved orphan" until the 2004 release of "The Getaway Man", a tribute to the Gold Medal paperback originals of the 1960s. In 2005, Vachss released the epic "Two Trains Running", a novel which takes place entirely during a two-week span in 1959, a critical period in American history. In form, "Two Trains Running" presents as a work composed entirely of transcribed surveillance tapes, akin to a collage film constructed only of footage from a single source. His 2009 novel, "Haiku", focuses on the troubled lives of a band of homeless men in New York City, struggling to connect with and protect each other. In 2010, Vachss published two books: his novel "The Weight", is a noir romance involving a professional thief and a young widow in hiding. "Heart Transplant", an illustrated novel in an experimental design, tells the story of an abused and bullied young boy who finds his inner strength with the help of an unexpected mentor. "That's How I Roll", released in 2012, chronicles the death-row narrative of a hired killer as he reveals the secrets of his past, both horrifying and tender.