Rating: 
Summary: A good crime novel
Review: As a stand alone novel, it is perhaps too heavy with references to previous novels but the disturbing nature of the story is strong enough to prevent those moments from becoming too distracting. The story is actual a mystery, as Burke (the protagonist) attempts to find the killer of his girlfriend Crystal Beth and discovers that her death is actually a great deal more horrific given who the murderer may be. The plot is not only an exploration of what kind of adult a State run (specifically New York) childcare department can produce but also the seamy criminal culture of pedophiles and serial killers. Be forewarned this book is not a comfortable read. Mr. Vacchs skill is enough that a great deal of the book is read with a fair amount of dread as one damaged character appears after another, with the character Burke being the axle of which this wonder-wheel of strange and unusual individuals revolve. So what's to like about this book? It's a crime genre novel and if you enjoy that kind of book it is well done and swimming with enough criminals and insinuated violence to make your skin crawl. The dialogue reads the way people speak so there is a flow that makes you the 3rd person in the scene, but there can be a bit of a struggle as characters interrupt each other's dialogue to express their own thoughts. In regard to the cast of characters, it's hard not to appreciate the loyalty Burke and his adopted street family share, but it's an uncomfortable appreciation given the nature of many of the relationships between the characters, most of them being practicing criminals. There is enough hints in Burke's thoughts that you know he has been made by his violent childhood circumstance and as an adult he's decided that this is the life he will lead, doing crimes and occasionally killing criminals that fall into the categories he finds abhorrent. Burke seems to be two people, either he is just a criminal with a vengeance streak or he's a victim turned criminal to get close to his source of vengeance. In either case Burke can be a depressing and vengeful character in this novel, as the reader begins to realize it doesn't really matter if he is either of those two people, (vengeful criminal or victim turning to crime for vengeance. One can't help suspecting that no matter what good comes from his actions Burke doesn't have a chance in hell of ever being happy or particularly stable. What this novel did succeed in doing is galvanize me to buy past Burke novels to fill in some of the character gaps. All in all, this book kept me turning the page and wondering what Burke's next novel will be about.
Rating: 
Summary: Deep dark continuous saga that keeps Burke alive!
Review: Burke, the ever lasting defender of grime. Forever plummeting against the interminable vermin that surrounds his private circle.
Rating: 
Summary: WHAT'S TO LIKE? no story, juvenile writing
Review: Burke, the main character, is the most arrogant, self righteous .... paranoid personality in print. He is waaaay too far off the wall to even be half way believable/acceptable. All the characters in Vachss's books are unrealistic in the extreme. There is no connecting with any of them, which is what makes Vachss's books such a ...waste. Not to mention Vachss can't seem to write a complete sentence. It might take Burke/Vachss 3 pages to spit out one lousy point because Burke is SO intent on/consumed with belittling and interrupting whom ever he is speaking. I call that ABUSE. ANYWAY my point is, Burke, in my opinion, is not a good spokes person for child abuse/hate crimes or anything for that matter. Vachss writes in herky jerky incomplete sentences. Conversations are always being rudely interrupted or are being carried on in jive a#! bs. Aggravating, not to mention extremely juvenile. The actual story, if you can call it that, takes a back seat to the ego jockeying and paranoia.The story is an after thought and it shows. Zero dimension Vachss's books lack feeling. I get no sense of anger...or outrage...absolutely NOTHING. If Vachss wants to reach a wider audience with his abuse message he's gonna have to get Burke in to see a psychdoc...get him some medication for that paranoia and delusions of grandeur. Oh and loose Mama. That whole oriental jag is dumber than dumb. Ace the Prof, Strega the witch and the voodoo mumbo jumbo. Cripe! get real. BETTER YET, ace Burke and his whole crew/family and try again. People outside of New York just don't understand all that stupid jive posturing. WHY? Because it does not apply. Vachss needs to read CLOCKERS by Richard Stark. Or my favorite Dennis Lehane, "Gone, Baby, Gone", "Prayers for Rain"
Rating:
Summary: The Decline Continues
Review: For whatever reason, this author's fiction has been steadily declining in quality for about half a decade, and this latest Burke novel to appear in paperback continues the decline. As has recently become usual, there's really no plot and the motivations of the supposed villains make no sense whatsoever. Even the time frame of the present novel makes no sense; references in a diary are essentially contemporary but we find toward the end of the novel that the diary must have been writen about 15 years before. The diary, by the way, is the best part of the novel, far more compelling than the (here purposeless) actions of Burke and his crew. Vachss retains his distinctive, spare style; it's too bad he is apparently increasingly uninterested in providing content to go along with it.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Have read and own every book By Vachss. He has never written a single word I could not get hooked on
Rating:
Summary: Love-Hate Relationship
Review: Have you ever noticed how people are with Vachss books? They LOVE them or they HATE them. (Me, I LOVE them, this one especially. I don't know how a man could ever understand a woman like Nadine, but, trust me, he nailed it!) Nobody seems ambiguous. What gets me is how people say they hate the books, but they keep reading them. That has to tell you something.
Rating:
Summary: CHOICE OF EVIL - TERRIFIC "ISSUE-ORIENTED" CRIME FICTION
Review: I am a fan of Mr. Vachss' work and I've had the opportunity to discuss his novels (FLOOD, STREGA, BLUE BELLE, HARD CANDY, BLOSSOM, SACRIFICE, etc.) with Law Enforcement Officers, Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers, School Teachers, Lawyers, Rape Crisis Counselors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Bartenders, and Taxi Drivers. While the individuals vary in their enthusiasm for the books they agree on one thing: Mr. Vachss' books are amazingly accurate, if not prescient, in their description of the urban environment in which they are set, the crime that dwells there, the law's response to that crime, and all matters concerning the protection of children. Even NAMBLA (hardly fans of Mr. Vachss' work) conceded, in a 1987 issue of THE BULLETIN, the veracity of his description of a pedophile in his novel STREGA. CHOICE OF EVIL, Mr. Vachss' newest novel, continues that commendable pattern. A drive-by homicide in Central Park sends Burke on a journey, during which, the desire for revenge, gay politics (particularly the differentiation between pedophiles and homosexuals), hate crimes, tribalism, crime as art, computer technology, and the concept of "family," are all examined with clarity and originality. CHOICE OF EVIL is issue oriented crime fiction, Therefore, some knowledge of the issues is probably necessary to fully comprehend the amazing degree of truth contained in Mr. Vachss' meticulous descriptions. A knowledge of the issues is not necessary to enjoy CHOICE OF EVIL and to learn something. Anyone who reads it with an open mind will do that.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: I decided to read this because I am a fan of Maggie Estep, and she is a fan of Vachss. The story line sounded interesting, and although I am unfamiliar with the characters in his books and this is not typically within the genre I choose to read, from the beginning I was fascinated. I was intrigued with the idea of Homo Erectus, and the rapture became more and more encompassing as the pages turned. The plot has many, shall we say, twists and turns. I was surprised at different revelations, but all I will reveal is that I was hooked, and I definitely recommend it. This work is very stimulating, with diverse and generally devious characters, descriptive action, and the plot is perfectly woven as is Vachss' wicked unraveling.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: I decided to read this because I am a fan of Maggie Estep, and she is a fan of Vachss. The story line sounded interesting, and although I am unfamiliar with the characters in his books and this is not typically within the genre I choose to read, from the beginning I was fascinated. I was intrigued with the idea of Homo Erectus, and the rapture became more and more encompassing as the pages turned. The plot has many, shall we say, twists and turns. I was surprised at different revelations, but all I will reveal is that I was hooked, and I definitely recommend it. This work is very stimulating, with diverse and generally devious characters, descriptive action, and the plot is perfectly woven as is Vachss' wicked unraveling.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I eagerly await each new Burke book, and have read them all in sequence over the years. Ultimately I was unsatisfied by the newest book. It seems like the series has moved farther and farther from a firm concrete reality. Burke himself seems to be less personally resourceful, and now has to rely on outsiders instead of himself (or even his "family members"). As much as I enjoy the series, I have a hard time recalling plot points from books 8 or 9 years earlier, yet these points are fairly significant to the plot of this one.
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