Down Here: A Burke Novel

Rating:
Summary: A kinder gentler Burke
Review: The plot has been outlined enough. I thought this was some of A. Vashss's best writing. Two examples stand out; when Gateman meets Michelle, and "thieves thanksgiving" More character development. less action. Not for everyone. Certainly not the book to start with, but a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Entry in a Groundbreaking Series
Review: The power of Andrew Vachss's writing and the appeal of Burke, his urban outlaw/vigilante protagonist, has seldom been on better display than in DOWN HERE, the fifteenth entry in this groundbreaking series. Like Burke, Vachss has a driving passion to squeeze off the poison being pumped into the veins of our society by predatory abusers of the young and weak, and these books are a vehicle for delivering his messages and their lessons. It is Vachss's passion and commitment that keep the series so vibrant, and his skills as a writer --- the lean, spare prose, the on-the-mark characterizations, the wincing realism --- that make them so damned readable.
DOWN HERE is more is more a straightforward tale of deduction and discovery than earlier books in the series. Burke --- back from the "dead", returned to the fold of his "family" of choice, once again prowling the streets and shadow-worlds of New York City --- is on a mission to prove the innocence of Wolfe, former sex crimes prosecutor, now falsely accused of the attempted murder of a vicious serial rapist freed on a technicality. Burke's long-smoldering though unrequited love for Wolfe pushes him to pursue this proof past the understanding of those closest to him, past the wishes of even Wolfe, perhaps past Burke's own understanding as well. This relentless, beyond-reason, beyond-profit motive quest manages to humanize Burke to a degree we haven't seen before. What's more, we find him to be a somewhat more subdued Burke than in the past. Subdued like a napping pit bull. When it counts, he is as focused and methodical and grimly determined as ever.
The plot of DOWN HERE is tight, the ending solid with a timely, unnerving twist. But its real strength is in the writing, the deepened layering of characters we have come to know and care about --- most notably, in this outing, Burke and the city. Yes, the city of New York, which is presented here as very much a living, breathing character. After exiling Burke to Oregon when he was "killed" in DEAD AND GONE, and then gradually reconstructing and re-connecting him there until his eventual return, Vachss seems to be re-embracing and re-experiencing the city with alterntely scathing then loving thoughts and observations. You may think you've seen New York before; in movies, on TV, via other books and the news media. But there is only one way to see it like Vachss presents it --- through the sensibilities of Burke. And like everything else we've experienced from that vantage point, what you get may not always be pleasant but it is sharp-imaged, dead-on accurate, and fascinatingly memorable.

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Summary: VACHSS IS GETTING CLOSER TO THE OLD BURKE!!!
Review: Well, at least Burke is back in New York City with his family (Mama, Max the Silent, the Professor, Michelle, the Mole, Clarence and Terry). That's a beginning! In the newest novel by Andrew Vachss, DOWN HERE, Burke has to come to the aid of Wolfe, a woman who is a former prosecutor of sex crimes for the DA's office and someone our slightly tarnished hero has loved for a long time. A sexual predator that Wolfe put away is now back on the streets. The only problem is that some unknown assailant put three bullets into him, and the freak is claiming that it was Wolfe doing the shooting. When Wolfe is arrested and charged with attempted murder, her friends quickly approach Burke for help. For Burke, this is his chance to show Wolfe just how much he truly cares for her. He immediately calls in his family for assistance and draws up a battle plan for getting Wolfe out of jail and proving her innocence. I have to admit to actually getting goose bumps of excitement about twenty pages into the book, thinking that Burke and Max the Silent were going to go ballistic in their attempt to save Wolfe. Unfortunately, that didn't take place. Basically what happened is that the family helped Burke to investigate the freak's background and his victims in an effort to find out why he lied about the person who shot him. Burke does a lot of meetings, driving around, interviewing, telephoning, worrying, and little else. By the last sixty pages of the book, I was trying not to fall asleep with boredom. Even Wolfe was telling Burke that he was no longer needed. Still, as in ONLY CHILD, it was great to have Burke back in his natural habitat with his family of choice. If only the author would interject more action into his novels, he would once again have books that stand out from the ordinary and display his skill as a writer with no comparison. The character of Wesley keeps being mentioned in the "Burke" series as if the author's teasing his long-time fans with future possibilities. I wish Mr. Vachss would just bring Wesley back so that he and Burke and Max the Silent can do what they're best at which is taking out the bad guys. Now, I will say that the price of DOWN HERE is more than reasonable. At $19.95, it's several dollars cheaper than the average hardcover. I don't know if that's the author's doing, or the publisher's. I would like to think that Mr. Vachss is trying to give his fans a break by easing the strain on their wallets. Will I buy the next "Burke" novel in hardcover when it comes out? As much as I whine about the new books in the series not being as good as the old ones, I'm still a "Burke" addict at heart. So, the answer is a definite "yes."