Flood

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780679781295
• Notes: BUY WITH Self-confidence, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and use to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Term: New

Description

Burke’s newest client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster for her — so she can kill him with her bare hands.

In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss’s renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child’s murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug, Flood is Burke at his deadliest — and Vachss at the peak of his form.

“An extraordinary thriller. . . . Vachss never flinches from the horror.” — Washington Post Book World

“Burke would eat Spade and Marlowe for breakfast, not even spitting out the bones. [He] is one tough, mean, pray-God-you-don’t-meet-him hombre.” — Boston Herald

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Book Description
In Vachss's acclaimed first novel, we are introduced to Burke, the avenging angel of abused children. Burke's client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster -- so she can kill him with her bare hands. In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss's renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted vigilante to follow a child's murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is a setup for a mugging and every tenement has something rotten in the basement. Fearfully knowing, buzzing with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point bullet, Flood is Burke at his deadliest -- and Vachss at the peak of his form.

An Interview with Andrew Vachss on Another Life, the Final Book in the Burke Series

Q: There has been some discussion that this might be the last novel in the Burke series. Do you see it that way? And if so, why?

Andrew Vachss: I don't just "see" it that way, I wrote it that way. Another Life is the coda to the Burke novels, the final chapter in a series that has been running since 1985. The timing was no accident. If I was to keep faith to those who gone the distance with me, I had to be true to my original promise: unlike some series in which the protagonist never ages, I set out to have each book show the main characters not only aging, but changing as well. Even dying. This series is all about "Family of Choice." All the members of Burke's family share this truth: The most righteous of parents don't want their children to "follow in their footsteps," they want their children to walk past those footsteps. Burke's family have always walked the outlaw road, and can never walk another. But as the children reach adulthood, it is the family's blood obligation to fork that road for them. And that time has now come.

Q: This is the 18th volume in the Burke series. How has the series changed? How have the issues you address in the novels changed over the years?

AV: I am not sure the series has changed... because all the changes depicted throughout have been part of the original concept. Of all of the descriptions of my books, Sonny Mehta dubbing them "investigative novels" is the one I am proudest of, because I wanted the books to be Trojan horses, a platform from which I could show people a world known only to the "Children of The Secret." I didn't know there was a name for such an intent until I won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and a French reporter told me the Burke series was "littérature engageé." My goal was not to raise consciousness, but to raise anger. Ours is a country where anything can be accomplished if enough people get angry... because, in America, we act on our collective anger. If you want proof of how that works, just take a look at how New York State finally closed the hated (and virtually unknown) “incest exception.” When I first wrote about predatory pedophiles modem-trafficking in kiddie porn, reviewers condemned the book as a product of my "sick imagination." Who would say that today? Time and time again what I have written about has "come true." This is not because I am prescient, it is that my work takes me places most citizens never see. So the issues never really change, but as more and more folks become aware of the foundational truth in my "fiction," those issues no longer flourish in the shadows. Years after the series launched, enough folks focused their rage at how children are seen as property in America to form the first PAC (Political Action Committee) solely devoted to child protection. Anyone who says "books don't change anything," or--more commonly--that crime fiction is the wrong genre for promoting social change--should take a closer look.

Q: Burke has a very close family of choice. What drew these people together, and what do you see is the future for them, beyond the series?

AV: It would be easy to say that everyone in Burke's family was a "Child of The Secret," but that would not be true. What they have most powerfully in common is a marrow-deep hatred of humans who prey on children. The rest of the question is actually answered within the book itself, and I'm not a fan of "spoilers."

Q: Over the years, you're consistently ahead of the curve in terms of spotting cultural, political, and criminal trends before they become headlines. How are you constantly able to do this? And is there anything in this new novel that you think is likely to be in tomorrow's headlines?

AV: It's no great trick to spot things you see with your own eyes, which is why I wrote about predatory pedophiles deliberately seeking work in day care centers, or organ trafficking, or cults practicing "baby-breeding"... it's a long list. Most folks had never even heard the word "piquerist" before my novel on the subject. And although it looks as if I "predicted" the use of the Internet to lure children, or what I called "noir vérité," etc., I was functioning far more as journalist than a novelist when I wrote about such things. Burke has two extraordinary skills which set him apart from his contemporaries: the "pattern-recognition software" inside his mind, and his ability to extract information. Another Life is going to showcase both of those skills far more than any previous book. As for "tomorrow's headlines," you have to remember that I wrote the book over a year ago... so some have already surfaced. Ask my scalpel-penciled editor--Edward Kastenmeier--if you doubt my word. Many times we have had to alter a manuscript because what I was "predicting" had just come to pass. I don't know how long it is going to take for some of the truth revealed in Another Life to reach public consciousness. It may be "tomorrow's headlines"... or it may be another year or two. But if you look at my track record, you'll know where to put your money down.

(Photo Credit National Association to Protect Children)

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Customer Reviews

This is the one that started it all
I read this book when it first came out some years ago. I recently reread it and it lost none of it's impact. Gritty and exciting, it introduces Burke, a truely original character in the the hard-boiled detective genre, as well as Pansy, Max, Prof, Mole and Michelle. I have read all the Burke novels and enjoyed everyone. This series is highly recommended.

2010-07-13 (Delaware) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A fine mystery and thriller
Andrew Vachss' FLOOD receives Christopher Lane's smooth narration and background as an award-winning audio reader as it tells of a woman named Flood who wants Burke to find a monster for her - so she can kill him herself. A fine mystery and thriller evolves.

2010-05-13 (Oregon, WI USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Baby Boy Burke/Hard Boiled
I admit it,I am a huge mystery/police/detective genre fan. I have met along the way (and liked) Harry Bosch, Spenser, Lucas Davenport, Lincoln Perry, Elvis Cole, Smokey Barrett, Jonathan Stride, Bill Tasker and Alex Durate, Ray Dudgeon, even Jack Reacher, Myron Bolitar, Doc Ford, Elizibeth Waring and Patrick Bowers, plus I guess there are others. If you too are in my pool, try Andrew Vachss for something different. FLOOD starts the Burke series (always read them in order). Burke, one name, see the birth certificate, is hard boiled action and adventure in the under belly of New York, down and dirty. Burke and his crew, Mama, Max the Silent, the Prof and others, help situations. He is an ex-con and cannot be licensed to investigate, but there is so much more than investigating here. Funny too, a reoccurring theme against child molesters and a favoritism to dogs is very different. Wait till you meet Pansy. Vachss in the real world in a child advocate lawyer and his wife a prosecutor against sex crimes, this ads so much realism to these gutsy stories. If you like things on the dark side, try FLOOD and get hooked to Burke. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

2010-02-14 | Wooly in Jupiter, FL. (Sunny Florida) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A SIZZLING THRILLER TO HEAT THESE COLD DAYS
Amazing when you think that this iconic thriller was first written some 25 years ago. Since then there have been a number of copycats who have tried to imitate Vachss's tough guy narrative or replicate the jaw-dropping cast of characters who dwell in hero Burke's netherworld, but it can't be done. Vachss set the pace when he introduced his quixotic hero, a guy with a record and standards he's set for himself. Burke is a street wise (or more accurately dark alley wise) misfit who takes on cases that baffle the police.

A gorgeous gal named Flood comes to him asking for help in finding a child killer so as she delicately puts it she "can kill him with her bare hands." The search is on through some of the most dangerous places in New York City and among the lowest of the lowlifes, the desperate depraved denizens of the City. However, while police and other private eyes would be put off by the likes of these, they're people Burke knows and understands.

Vachss writes in a gripping almost staccato style, which is the way actor Christopher Lane narrates the story. It's a task to take on the voices of not only Burke but also his crew of pals, such as a panhandler dubbed the Prof and a genius in electronic who dwells under a pile of junked cars.

If you want a sizzling thriller to heat these cold days, FLOOD is for you.

- Gail Cooke

2009-11-08 (TX, USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A New Genre in Mystery Writiing
This is an interesting mystery novel about life's seamiest side. Burke, a private eye (sort of), who also dabbles in shady businesses, teams up with a female karate expert in order to find a child murderer, rapist and sodomist.

This book is peopled with real freaks - - both good and bad. The novel focuses on Burke's contingency plans for every possible problem. It is a great book for feeding paranoia.

Vachss is writing in a wonderful genre that has not been tapped by other mystery writers. It is lucid, horrific and fun. It is also educational. The reader learns about issues that are eye-opening and important, but often traumatic.

2009-05-23 | Fairbanks Reader (Fairbanks, Alaska) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Hard Candy

Description

In this mercilessly compelling thriller, Burke—the private eye, sting artist, and occasional hit man who metes out a cruelly ingenious vengeance on those who victimize children—is up against a soft-spoken messiah, who may be rescuing runaways or recruiting them for his own hideous purposes. But in doing so Burke becomes a target for an entire Mafia family, a whore with a heart of cyanide, and a contract killer as implacable as a heat-seeking missile. Written with Vachss's signature narrative overdrive—and his unnerving familiarity with the sub-basement of American crime—Hard Candy is vintage Burke.

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Customer Reviews

BURKE # 4 A GOOD ONE
HARD CANDY is one of Vachss best books. Candy a high priced call girl comes to Burke, a detective without a license to get her daughter back from a cult. Then throw in hard feelings with assassin Wesley, the mob, NYC's hard streets and violent, nasty underbelly and the reader gets quite and adventure. Burke's running buddies are back, but not as much as some of the other books, Max the Silent his muscle, transvestite Michelle, the Prof, the Mole, and of course Mama. The theme of violence against child abusers and molesters is again the theme. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Read Vachss in order! This is only book four.

2010-02-18 | Wooly in Jupiter, FL. (Sunny Florida) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Great noir literature, but do read the first three in the series before tackling this one.
HARD CANDY is so much of a continuation of BLUE BELLE one truly needs to read the earlier novel first. Even better, just start with FLOOD and STREGA. This way, you have the full impact of how Burke is affected by the four title women. This fourth novel emphasizes the individuality of each title character and explains the change in Burke who is in some ways a broken man after the events in BLUE BELLE. However, the series is a big no no for those of weak heart and/or stomach.

2009-11-18 (Indianapolis, Indiana) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Another Winner From Vachss
This is a good page-turner. It follows his earlier books: Flood, Strega, and Blue Belle. It would definitely benefit the reader to have read these three earlier books to understand 'Hard Candy'.

The same wonderful characters appear - - Max the Silent, Mama, the Prof, the mole, Michelle, and of course, Burke. Burke lives on the outside fringes of society, not of of its 'citizens'. He's again caught up in protecting children from sexual predators and dealing with a wide case of wierdos and freaks.

I'm a Vachss fan and I highly recommend his books.

2009-06-12 | Fairbanks Reader (Fairbanks, Alaska) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Cults, Child Abduction, Revenge
This is a Burke novel with plenty of turns and surprises. Burke, the ex-con, criminal, gambler, scam artist, private eye gets approached to find the missing daughter of a high class call girl. The trail takes him to a martial artist, Train, who runs a cult full of runaway children. In the mean time, Burke must assist a contract killing to resolve an old debt to a friend and a old gangster. While he tracks down the missing teenager, he has to avoid becoming a target himself. Typical Burke, though always has plans and backup plans to protect himself and his adopted family. It is an insightful story of child use and abuse, cults and molestation, assassination, prostitution, loyal friendship and Burke's known ability to deal out righteous revenge.

Doug Setter, Bsc. author of One Less Victim: A Prevention Guide and Stomach Flattening

2008-04-06 (Vancouver, BC, Canada) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Grim and good
If you want to read a feel-good story filled with light humor and zany problems, Andrew Vachss is not the way to go. His series of novels featuring tough guy Burke are, to say the least, grimly hard-boiled, but sometimes it's good to see the dark side of things. Hard Candy, the fourth novel in the series, is as sordid as Vachss's previous books and is, for those who like this sort of stuff, it is quite entertaining.

Hard Candy is clearly a sequel to the previous novel, Blue Belle, and I would not suggest going into this book without having read its predecessor (if you haven't read Blue Belle, don't continue reading this review, as it will have spoilers). The events of Blue Belle have thrown Burke into a state of depression; all his usual pleasures - sex, gambling, ripping off "freaks" - are unappealing to him. Revenge, however, still drives him.

In Blue Belle, Burke killed the vicious Mortay, but he was unaware that Mortay was also targeted for a hit by the Mob. The local don had hired an assassin named Wesley to do the job, but since it was Burke who did the kill, the don refused to pay. This had led Wesley on a vendetta against the Mob, and Wesley is very good at what he does. Burke gets caught in the middle and is also targeted by the Mob. This leads to an alliance of sorts with Wesley, a man Burke has known since childhood and who was for a time, Burke's idol.

Meanwhile, another childhood acquaintance, a cold-as-ice hooker named Candy, has recruited Burke to retrieve her daughter Elvira from the custody of Train. Train seems to be a force of good, taking in runaways and becoming a sort of cult leader to them. Burke senses something else, however, and Train is also a target for Wesley.

Unlike earlier novels, the other members of Burke's "family" have relatively limited appearances with the exception of his "brother", Silent Max. For as much as anything, this book deals with the bond between the two, a bond that was hurt because of the events of Blue Belle. Burke's attempts to fix things with Max and fix his own soul in the process are the real focus of this book.

When depicting his dark version of New York and its denizens, Vachss often walks a fine line between grimness and absurdity. There is something rather surreal about Burke's world, and at times I think this is a weakness in the series. Nonetheless, overall, Hard Candy continues Vachss's string of good books and should please readers of his earlier novels.

2006-12-17 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Terminal (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780307387059
• Condition: Reach-me-down - Very Good
• Notes: BUY WITH Boldness, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and care to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Description

After years of carefully working the edges, a blood-commitment forces Burke's return to his former career: "violence-for-money."

Claw, once the shot-caller of a white supremacist prison gang is free . . . and terminally ill--he desperately needs a pile of cash to bet on a long-shot cure. He tells Burke about a punk who once purchased protection from him, a man who claims to know the truth behind a "cold case, " the unsolved rape-murder of a thirteen-year-old girl. The killers are all weathly men today, ideal blackmail marks. But wealth is power, and the informant needs Claw's protection again. Burke decides to roll the dice. A win would give Burke the two things he lives for: Money and Revenge. A loss would turn "terminal" from a diagnosis into a certainly, and not just for Claw.

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Customer Reviews

Incomprehensible Waste of Time
This is the first Burke novel I've read and will also be my last. What a colossal waste of time!! The poorly defined characters and lack of coherent plot made this muddled mess a torture for me to get through. I kept hoping it would get better but it never did, in fact the ending was one of the most unsatisfactory wrap-ups I've ever experienced. I got this on a recommendation from the Black Lizard site...I feel let down that they ripped me off by goading gullible me into wasting my money...never again.

2010-02-09 (Natrona Hts., PA USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 1

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Make no mistake...
I'm coming in with a bias. I'm a big fan of Andrew Vachss's books, especially the Burke series. And the short stories. And Shella. And the comics. And ... well, all of it. So, yes, I loved this book. And I love all Vachss's books. But this one, especially. The end had me _very_ impatiently waiting for the next one--and that's all I'll say about that. With the Burke series closed down now, I'm re-reading these, and knowing what follows next book to resolve the end of this one doesn't make the ending any less moving. Read it for yourself--it's worth it.

2010-02-09 (Tucson AZ) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Promising tale disappears in screed - loses steam.
I have heard that the author has had a significantly positive impact in the area of child exploitation - "he is a true warrior for the protection of children". If that is true, I deeply applaud it. However, this book plods on and on and on, with little diatribes showing up more and more frequently. Filler, really. These are not insightful or balanced opinions on psychotherapy, politicians, zoos, the UN, etc. They are screeds - "a long monotonous harangue". Also, the author seems to assume that you have read all of his other books and understand the vague connections between all of the characters - most of whom are utterly 2 dimensional without any true voice or their own. Some of it is just silly - the "Prof" who always speaks in rhyme (like a dime store '50's hep cat) and rarely says anything of any depth. At times, without knowledge of the back story, I just felt lost. And bored. The plot, initially fairly interesting, races along like a glacier. And the author is so smug and arrogant! Us "citizens" - we are so naive and stupid he reminds us, over and over!! Here is a typical line related to some governmental malfeasance which fills up a page or two without any real purpose in terms of moving the narrative along ("filler")

"Yeah. Citizens read the news. But we know the truth."

Ooh, what an insider!! Wow! I am so impressed. Not.

Here is some more of the author's charming, arrogant, bile:

You know why we hate you? Not because you don't know what we know, but because if you did, you wouldn't give a damn.
So I'm sitting here, waiting to commit extortion [after 207 pages, finally!], and planning a lot worse. I'm what you'd call a career criminal. That's why I'll never be you. And I'm proud of it."

Gee, I guess there are a lot of self hating Vachss fans? Or only career criminals read his books?

Although the characters claim (essentially, we are simply told by the author, who does not possess much finesse as a writer) to be all about protecting children, their behavior and "code" borders on, or is outright, sociopathy. If you feel that the ends always justify the means then you may not object - I found it cold, pretentious and simplistic. This is a tedious book, and by page 181, even a knock out finish won't justify the time spent reading it. Zero humor, always quite dark, not clever - an unpleasant read, and - even worse - a bore.

And that is all of the time I will waste on this one!

2010-01-16 (Pasadena,CA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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Terminal: A Burke Novel
This is the alluring Andrew Vacchs that we long for. As in all the Burke novels, Vacchs teases us with sexy counterculture innuendos and play! Burke is as believable as Vacchs' dark side and I am intriguided by both. A great tale in Vacchs' fashion. PLEASE DO NOT MISS ANY OF HIS TALES!

2009-12-20 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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One of his hardest, darkest novels yet
This Burke novel is one of my favourites next to Strega. Burke is approached by a terminally-ill white supremacist named, Claw. (Formally named Claude until he achieved phenomenal grip strength in his right hand.) Claw has a black mailing scheme based on the story of a creepy former convict who claims that three wealthy men had raped and killed a girl decades ago. Burke smells a rat from the creepy guy. But, Burke following his instincts for money and revenge pursues the scheme with help from his friends, a teen gang and a massive enforcer called Gigi.

As usual, Vachss makes his own social commentary and wastes no time in slagging politicians and the obscene ways that child abusers are protected. All along he describes the shady world of hard criminals and where children are hurt, bought, sold and killed. I liked the way he describes the white supremacist organizations as just another group of gangs out to make a buck.

With the planning that would impress the military, Burke puts together the black mailing scheme and the story seems simple enough. Three now-wealthy men who killed a small-town girl will pay in more ways than money. Just when you think that crime was grim enough, another situation reveals the heart of a sick, evil soul. Even after reading 15 other Vachss books, I did not even see the end coming on this one.

Grim as the story reads, there is also thought-provoking comments and humor. Probably why I keep reading books by Vachss.

--Doug Setter, author of One Less Victim: A Prevention Guide and Stomach Flattening

2009-11-10 (Vancouver, BC, Canada) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Pain Management: A Burke Novel

Description

Burke is back, but still lurking in the shadows, unable to return home. He is prowling the unfamiliar streets of Portland, Oregon, in search of a runaway teen. By all accounts, Rosebud Carlin is a happy, well-adjusted girl. She doesn’t fit the profile of the runaway kids Burke knows so wellÉand once was. But there’s something about her fatherÉ

Burke knows the street script, but the actors are all strangers. Cut off from his family and his network of criminal contacts, Burke is forced into a dangerous alliance with a renegade group dedicated to providing relief to those in intractable pain by any means necessary. A bargain is struck, and the fuse is lit. Heart-stopping and hard-hitting, Pain Management is the latest bout in Andrew Vachss's thrilling reign as undisputed champ of brass knuckles noir.

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When last encountered (2000's Dead and Gone), career criminal Burke was on the rebound from a nearly successful assassination attempt, lying low and licking his wounds in Portland, Oregon. Severed from his connections in NYC, Burke survives on jobs--"violence for money" mostly--brokered by his live-in lover, Gem, an Asian beauty with a painful, larcenous past and a present to match.

At hand is a task Burke has done before: the recovery of a runaway, a 16-year-old girl named Rosebud. But Burke, an assassin with scruples, knows when things aren't right. Rosebud's father, Kevin, has a '60s-era contempt of "The Man" that doesn't jibe with his obvious wealth. Mother Maureen limps through life on pharmaceutical crutches. Younger sister Daisy and best friend Jennifer know things but won't share. As his search spirals out from Portland's mean streets, Burke encounters a mysterious young woman, Ann O. Dyne, who offers to help for a price. Her raison d'être is pain management--securing and dispensing medications vital to the terminally ill but held beyond their reach by a largely uncaring cadre of doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Eventually, of course, this plot line connects with Rose's whereabouts.

Andrew Vachss's MO here, as usual, is a mystery (Rosebud's disappearance) plus an actual cause célèbre (humane pain management). It's a risky formula that aims both to entertain and to enlighten. With its believably unbelievable characters, Vachss's spare noir, and steely pacing that counterpoints a bolt-upright climax, Burke's 13th outing is every bit as satisfying as the dozen that came before. --Michael Hudson

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Customer Reviews

Excellent, as always
Let me tell you - when Burke first lit out for Oregon, I was kind of disappointed. NYC has become such a character in the previous novels, I incorrectly assumed Portland would be a snoozer (I know, I'm such an East Coast-er). Boy was I wrong!

In "Pain Management" Burke is hired to track down a missing 16-year-old. His always on-target instinct tells him that there is something not quite right with the girl's family, and things just go to town from there. Burke manages to come across all types of underbelly characters, and Vachss is able to portray his experiences without making them sound too spy-novel.

Add to the mix a pharmaceutical drug plotline, lots of violence, sex, and a healthy serving of blues and doo-wop, and you've got yet another Vachss masterpiece.

As good as this book is - I really miss Burke's family back in NYC. I've got the next book sitting right here waiting for me, and I can't get to it fast enough.

2007-08-12 (Phila, PA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Touching and inspirational
Pain Management is touching and inspirational. Out of one of the grimmest parts of society, goodness blossoms in an effort to save people from deadly pain. Burke is his endearing self, as always. I recommend the novel as heartily as Andrew Vachss' other books which are also excellent.

2005-12-26 | Dee Lambert (Nashville) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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Not quite there
I think that _Blue Belle_ was the first Vachss novel that I tried, and after reading that I ripped through his subsequent novels with a sense of discovery and pleasure. To be honest, I lost that interest and amazement a number of books ago. While the first book set in Oregon gave me a glimmer of new hope, this book really isn't there either.

A lot of the problem is that what made Burke so interesting in the first few books was the very real tension between light and dark in the character. He was constantly in balance, and the nastiness made for a really refreshing read after all the weaker characters that you find in detective novels today. Unfortunately, Burke has been around too long, and he's just too much a defender to really believe in the Dark Knight anymore. He's taken on too many good causes and acted too much as protector of the helpless. Good thing in a person, less good if you want to keep the tension of someone strung between good and evil. I'm sure that the continuing novels serve Vachss' not-so-hidden agenda of educating his audience, but they just aren't as interesting to read at this point.

I'm a little troubled with myself for writing this kind of review, as I recognize that there are larger issues with these books than a good escapist read. I applaud Vacchs' determination in the work he does for children and I think he's chosen a nearly ideal vehicle for getting his messages out.

I just wish that I had the same compulsion to read Burke novels as I did with the first.

Anyways, this book (Burke tries to ignore his problematic relationship with Gem, while taking on the case of a 16-year old runaway) is well-written and will probably appeal. Still worth a read, in any case.

2002-11-29 | frumiousb (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) | Helpful Votes: 14 | Rating: 3

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Burke returns, in Oregon
Andrew Vachss has to be an interesting individual. You get the idea that Burke, the main character in his novels, is a somewhat nastier version of himself. Burke is a shadowy figure, with only one name (only one was given when he was an orphan) and a mysterious, cloudy, bitter view of the world. He works around the edges of things, making money on the black market, specializing in being untraceable and invisible, or almost. He is almost completely uninterested in the fate of people he doesn't know, and for the most part he's pretty cold. He has a real hatred for criminals who exploit children.

In this outing, he's gone to ground in Portland Oregon. This is a departure for Vachss, who's set almost all of his books in New York City. He bounces around town, establishing a "rep" so that someone can hire him to do something. Eventually a troubled father contacts him, looking for his daughter. Burke agrees to look, and does so with his usual disregard for rules, animosity towards authority figures, and dark, mysterious methods. When he finds the girl, the answers are not at all what you were expecting, satisfying though they are. There's a whole interlude where Burke helps a woman who steals drugs for the chronically ill, and it's from this side-plot that the book gets its title.

I liked the story, about as much as I usually do with Vachss. Everything's very dark (I don't think I could read two of these in a row without contemplating suicide) and murky, and the structure of the book is strange, too. For those who aren't familiar, Vachss has veered between numbering his chapters and not bothering. They're anywhere between a couple of lines and a page or two of text, very short, very choppy. The author seems to just only write part of the story, several lines of dialog, and expect the reader to fill in the rest.

Given that, this is a good book.

2002-11-19 (Montrose, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 4

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The sadness works, but I miss the wrath...
Burke is laying low in Oregon. He's not in his element (New York), and this affects "Pain Management" as it affected "Down in The Zero." For me, a Burke story works best when the villain inspires a gut-deep flash of pure HATRED. I didn't get that fix this time. Also, just the words "New York" carry a seediness integral to the mood of Vachss' work.

Under an alias, Burke agrees to locate a well-heeled hippie's daughter. Things about her disappearance don't add up, and Burke encounters some locals who may or may not help him. They also may or may not be milking him for their own cause - getting pain meds to those in greatest need despite America's short-sighted treatment policies. These two plotlines never really merge. The daughter's family bears a secret that caused her to take off, but it's...well, a more "esoteric" reason than molestation. On the plus side, Vachss offers some intelligent, sympathetic young characters. He reminds us that everyone has the potential to be both Cain AND Abel.

Burke's usual anger and vigilance fall short of his melancholy. Things with Gem are decaying, and this almost becomes a distraction from the plot. His woman troubles don't end there; Ann O. Dyne is the most annoying girl Burke has dealt with since Fancy ("Down in The Zero") or Nadine ("Choice of Evil"). She's not stupid, just annoying. Flood, Blossom and Belle are still the top-tier Burkettes.

Vachss' effort to broaden the scope of issues in Burke novels is commendable. However, it doesn't play to Burke's strengths. Baby Boy Burke is a conman first and a killer first-and-a-half. "Pain Management," while thought-provoking, didn't hit me as hard as earlier works. Burke has the blues six feet deep, and the only effective remedy is to get back to New York and take it out on the lowest of the low. With "Only Child," I hope to see How Burke Got His Groove Back.

2002-11-14 | Music Freak (Colorado Springs, CO) | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 3

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Sacrifice

Description

What--or who--could turn a gifted little boy into a murderous thing that calls itself "Satan's Child"? In search of an answer, Burke travels from a festering welfare hotel to a neat frame house where a voodoo priestess presides over a congregation of assassins.

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Customer Reviews

BURKE HE IS BACK BOOK # 6
SORRY ....you have to read these great crime books in order to get the most out of them. Go back and read FLOOD then work your way to the dark and violent SACRIFICE. I complained, a little about the last book taking Burke, an unlicensed detective, out of the city of New York. He Is Back. And the story is dark and oh so violent . Burke works with Wolfe a hot female DA to save Luke, an eight year old child abuser. He was turned into a small monster by a heinous cult and the cult becomes the target. The old faithful are back, Max the Silent, Burke's strong 'brother', Mama, Michelle and the Mole, the Prof, and of course Pansy. These characters are the best. This story has everything you can look for in a dark city mystery even voodoo. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

2010-02-21 | Wooly in Jupiter, FL. (Sunny Florida) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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vachssfan
to all the bad guys out there, know that burke will be there too. this book is another triumph for andrew vachss character and hero-burke. this book lets the reader escape into a world rarely seen or heard about. new york is burke's domain and with the help of some extraordinary friends new york is a better place with them in it.

2009-06-04 (new jersey, usa) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Learning how to write.
I started this series with Flood and have worked my way up to Sacrifice. Vachss always was good at plot but the man is learning how to write. I cared about the people in this one. Im looking forward to the next one.

2009-02-09 (Paoli, Pa. United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Voodoo enters the asphalt jungle
Vachss delivers another slice of dark urban fiction, with Burke and his crew, as usual, poking their way down the darkest tunnels of human depravity. They've got their hands full, too, with a vicious and deadly child with multiple personalities, Satanists, and a baby-killer on the loose. As if that wasn't enough, Burke can only find his way forward on the case with the help of a Haitian voodoo cult ruled by a clairvoyant Queen, who knows more about Burke than he does himself. Stumbling around in places where even zombies won't go, Burke gathers his entire crew for an apocalyptic and blood-strewn assault of the Satanist headquarters. Violent, powerful and gripping.

2008-07-23 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Killer child/Child killer
It seems when you watch New York City movies nowadays, it's a town of glitz and wealth, the nice land of posh Manhattan skylines. Not so in the grimmer days of the 1970s when the Big Apple was cinematically a cesspool: look at movies like The French Connection and you'll see what I mean. Though Andrew Vachss's Burke books are written in the 1990s and later, they keep alive a sleazy New York image that hearkens back to a darker but more interesting era.

Certainly, the city remains a pit in Sacrifice, the sixth Burke book. For those unfamiliar with the character, he is a hard-bitten semi-private eye who has no problem operating outside the law. Though he is always up for a good scam, he has nothing for contempt for the freaks, the child molesters and kiddie porn dealers who occupy his metropolis. In Sacrifice, Burke comes to the aid of Luke, a young child who's been so abused that he's actually developed split personalities, one of which is a baby killer.

Burke knows better than to fault Luke for the murders; the actual killers are the ones who damaged Luke, a little coven of molesters who impersonate Satanists but merely use that religion as a cover. While Burke hunts them down, he also has to keep Luke away from the aggressive DA who is even willing to prosecute an eight year old. He also has to contend with a voodoo cult and a separate case of abuser-turned-killer.

As is typical with a Burke novel, the strength is Burke himself, a tough guy who has his own demons to battle with. In addition, Vachss is good at creating a dark world where hope and redemption are rarely found and are even more rarely long-lasting. On the flip side, I continue to be troubled by the supporting cast of Burke's family who are often so off-beat as to be absurd; they are so unreal at times that it hurts the grim reality that Vachss is otherwise trying to portray. Overall, however, this is another good Vachss novel, not perfect but easily meriting four stars.

2008-01-19 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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Footsteps of the Hawk

Description

A pulse-quickening new crime novel featuring Burke--scam artist, private investigator, sometime killer--whose sole passion is defending children who fall victim to New York City's darker appetites, Footsteps of the Hawk finds Burke the pawn in a conspiracy involving two rogue cops and a grisly string of sex crimes. Reading tour.

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Customer Reviews

Another great entry
This is another great entry in the Burke series. Well written, gritty and exciting. Vachss does it again!

2010-07-12 (Delaware) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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BURKE # 8 HE IS BACK
FOOTSTEPS OF THE HAWK is the eighth book in the Burke series and as big fan I say Burke is back. Back to NYC and back with his gang of henchmen. Burke is best in NYC. (By the way, read the books in order. Really, it is a must.) This book is about cops, good, bad, phoney and the story moves a rapid pace. A hot dectective asks Burke for help. Max the Silent, Mama, the Prophet, the Mole and the others are back it this novel, I think they are my favorite 'team' in mysteries. If you are in to dark stories, gritty stories about the mean streets on New York City, Burke is your man.

2010-03-03 | Wooly in Jupiter, FL. (Sunny Florida) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Vachss at his Vengeful Best
First and foremost, Footsteps of the Hawk is a high octane, burn-your-weekend crime novel that will hook you into Vachss' work and world forever. Second of all, Andrew Vachss has expanded my mind. Really. At one of his readings, Andrew Vachss described his books as "non-fiction thinly disguised as fiction." The world his characters navigate is violent, nihilistic and unforgiving. And tragically real. But it is this context that makes Vachss' assertion of the potential of the human spirit and its capacity to love in spite of overwhelming degradation, cruelty and horror -- that makes it such compelling stuff to read.

(This is his eighth book, and where it's not necessary to read them in order, here they are up to Footsteps of the Hawk: Flood, Strega, Blue Belle, Hard Candy, Blossom, Sacrifice, Down in the Zero).

2008-01-20 (Beverly Hills) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Not Vachss' best effort...but OK haiku!!
As a huge Andrew Vachss fan who would love to adopt his main man, Burke (and "make his pain go away" - I'll take Pansy too!), I never thought I would see the day when I would give one of this author's novels a below average rating. But, hey...we all have off days/months/years. "Footsteps of the Hawk" is the eighth consecutive Burke book I have read and the only one I am not enthused about - not the usual 5 Star read, in other words. I will continue on, however, gobbling-up the series in order until there is no more...and then will wait until Mr. Vachss is kind enough to supply a new novel for those of us who need a fix.

"Footsteps of the Hawk" features two rogue cops with individual agendas. They both dedicate too much of their valuable time searching for Burke. With these folks, five minutes would be too much time! They actually know where to find him...occasionally, and won't get off his back. Detective Belinda Roberts, who can be extemely seductive when she wants to be, (Burke sees right through her, of course), wants our man to arrange a jail break to free a guy accused of a series of grisley murder/rapes. She swears to the con's innocence. Don't they all? Detective Jorge Morales comes accross as a major psycho who has a jones for Burke....one that makes him want to eliminate Burke permanently. He is fixated, one might say. He is also ugly and out of control...beneath an obsessively controlled facade. Ready to explode. Could Morales have "done" the women?

The novel is set in early 1990s NYC, just after Mayor Guiliani came to office with the intent to clean up the City's mean streets. (Hah!) For those who have not met Burke before - and here is definiterly not the place to make his acquaintance - he is a hard-boiled, in-your-face, ex-con detective, who still isn't sure on which side of the law he prefers to operate. Abandoned at birth, father and mother unknown, Burke has no real first name. "Baby boy" is the name on his birth certificate. He is a survivor. He's also a standup guy....a righteous man.

P. I. Burke, as always, is the narrator. And the narrative, at times, goes off on a tangent, like Burke's thought processes. This occasional stream of consciousness has always been extremely effective and enhances the detective's persona. However, here Vachss wanders off way too much and his usual tight writing style suffers for it. The storyline is much too convoluted, and even Vachss' usually strong cast of characters cannot shore-up this piece of fiction enough to make it more enjoyable.

Actually, there is one scene that is excellent, featuring Mama Wong and her granddaughter Flower. Mama is group doyenne and mother, of sorts, to Burke's "real family" - a Chinese Jewish mother and restaurateur. She "keeps her prices high and the ambiance foul to discourage yuppies," cares for the gang and holds Burke's stash. She is teaching calligraphy to the little girl who is copying an ancient haiku:

"the ferret hunting
eyes on the ground, never hears
footsteps of the hawk."

Best part of the novel.
JANA

2006-07-04 | ceruleana (New York, NY USA) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 2

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One of His Best
Vachss started out as one hell of a crime writer ("Strega", "Blue Belle"). But by "Down in the Zero", he looked as played out as the Rolling Stones. "Footsteps" showed he's still capable of writing brilliantly.

What makes this novel great is that it shows Burke has changed considerably from the person he once was (no longer carying a gun, keeping his temper in check), yet the change is completely plausable because, at his core, he's the same person (tough and cynical). Vachss's humor is as sharp as ever. So is his prose.

1997-11-21 | Helpful Votes: 9 | Rating: 4

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