Rating: 
Summary: usual suspects, sordid city, wierd black folks
Review: I'm getting a little weary of Mr. Burke and his paranoia. And frankly, a little tired of the liscensed racism that so many authors of his ilk employ. Orientals are "noble warriors", women are "heart 'o gold" whores, and blacks, poor blacks have to once again take a hit as pimps, transvestites and confidence men. Vachs teases us with (in my opinion) much more interesting snippets of Burke's earlier history. When he finally tires of this formula, perhaps he'll explore that area a little more fully.
Rating: 
Summary: The best book in the Burke series
Review: If you like Vachss' Burke series, don't miss this one. This book contains Burke's greatest love interest (besides his dog Pansey). It also has a lot of information and action involving his "family". The way that Burke's family of misfits understand and stand by him is one of the reasons why I have read and reread each book in the Burke series and look forward to each and every one as they are released. This one is my favorite of the series. If you didn't think that Burke would ever find his ideal woman or at least one who wasn't using him for something, you were wrong. Do things work out for Belle and Burke? Well those of you who have read the later books in the series know the answer and those who haven't will have to get a copy to find out.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss should mix in a little decaf
Review: In my opinion, this is almost a very good book. What I think primarily keeps it from being one is the "over the top" nature of so many characters and so many story elements. For example, in this book one of the villains is Mortay, a hooked up martial arts killer. No problem so far, but - he can dodge bullets?? Too much. Pretty much everything about Belle is overblown as well.I think if Vachss had just toned down things in general, he would have gained a lot of realism and delivered a fine book. He has the elements, he just seems to lack the confidence in his story to not oversensationalize it. I've now read two of Vachss' books and I find I have the same feeling after reading this one as I did after Strega - I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to read another one of his works. He delivers some very intriguing, gritty crime material, but he burdens it with some negative baggage. I think I'll browse the reviews for his other works and see if one of them sounds promising. If so, maybe I'll check it out. Otherwise, I think I'll move on.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss should mix in a little decaf
Review: In my opinion, this is almost a very good book. What I think primarily keeps it from being one is the "over the top" nature of so many characters and so many story elements. For example, in this book one of the villains is Mortay, a hooked up martial arts killer. No problem so far, but - he can dodge bullets?? Too much. Pretty much everything about Belle is overblown as well. I think if Vachss had just toned down things in general, he would have gained a lot of realism and delivered a fine book. He has the elements, he just seems to lack the confidence in his story to not oversensationalize it. I've now read two of Vachss' books and I find I have the same feeling after reading this one as I did after Strega - I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to read another one of his works. He delivers some very intriguing, gritty crime material, but he burdens it with some negative baggage. I think I'll browse the reviews for his other works and see if one of them sounds promising. If so, maybe I'll check it out. Otherwise, I think I'll move on.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss should mix in a little decaf
Review: In my opinion, this is almost a very good book. What I think primarily keeps it from being one is the "over the top" nature of so many characters and so many story elements. For example, in this book one of the villains is Mortay, a hooked up martial arts killer. No problem so far, but - he can dodge bullets?? Too much. Pretty much everything about Belle is overblown as well. I think if Vachss had just toned down things in general, he would have gained a lot of realism and delivered a fine book. He has the elements, he just seems to lack the confidence in his story to not oversensationalize it. I've now read two of Vachss' books and I find I have the same feeling after reading this one as I did after Strega - I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to read another one of his works. He delivers some very intriguing, gritty crime material, but he burdens it with some negative baggage. I think I'll browse the reviews for his other works and see if one of them sounds promising. If so, maybe I'll check it out. Otherwise, I think I'll move on.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Burke novels!
Review: In this Burke novel Vachss maintains the energy and excitement of his first one, Flood, throughout the novel. It runs a mile a minute and the end doesn't let the reader down. It also has that unique Burke melancholy that made Flood so much fun. A great ride
Rating:
Summary: Suspenceful criminal fiction
Review: Mystery writer Vachss continues his series in which Burke, a street-wise ex-con, is reputable for solving crimes that requires inside knowledge. Money pooled from the pimps of New York hire Burke to solve the mystery of the "Ghost Van". This van comes upon under-aged prostitutes and either kidnaps or shoots them without warning. Burke, having a soft spot for abused children decides this is worth his efforts to eradicate. With the help of a voluptuous exotic dancer, who eventually becomes Burke's girlfriend, Burke and his friends begin to determine who and what is behind the murderous machine. His inquisitiveness stirs up a rat's nest and eventually leads to an explosive and suspenseful ending. I had a hard time finding sympathy or even caring too much about the characters in the book. Burke is hardly one to look up as a hero and the way he treated Belle, in general, was lousy. However, they are both street characters and it fits into their characters. The mystery was pretty shallow and I felt that most of the book dealt with Burke and Belle's sexual appetites rather than the crime. The ending also was so rushed that I wasn't sure what was happening, but knew the final result (actually I guessed the final result early on...). Although not necessary, it probably would've helped if I had read the previous books in the series to know more about Burke's friends. This book was similar to Stephen Womack's Harry Denton series.
Rating:
Summary: Suspenceful criminal fiction
Review: Mystery writer Vachss continues his series in which Burke, a street-wise ex-con, is reputable for solving crimes that requires inside knowledge. Money pooled from the pimps of New York hire Burke to solve the mystery of the "Ghost Van". This van comes upon under-aged prostitutes and either kidnaps or shoots them without warning. Burke, having a soft spot for abused children decides this is worth his efforts to eradicate. With the help of a voluptuous exotic dancer, who eventually becomes Burke's girlfriend, Burke and his friends begin to determine who and what is behind the murderous machine. His inquisitiveness stirs up a rat's nest and eventually leads to an explosive and suspenseful ending. I had a hard time finding sympathy or even caring too much about the characters in the book. Burke is hardly one to look up as a hero and the way he treated Belle, in general, was lousy. However, they are both street characters and it fits into their characters. The mystery was pretty shallow and I felt that most of the book dealt with Burke and Belle's sexual appetites rather than the crime. The ending also was so rushed that I wasn't sure what was happening, but knew the final result (actually I guessed the final result early on...). Although not necessary, it probably would've helped if I had read the previous books in the series to know more about Burke's friends. This book was similar to Stephen Womack's Harry Denton series.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss' best book!
Review: Some people would argue that "Flood," his first novel, or his later novels such as "Dead and Gone" are better than "Blue Belle," but I would disagree. Why? This novel is, pure and simple, the most forthright of all of his novels. Burke is clearly not the narrator here--Vachss is. There is so much social commentary involved, and every character is definitely a portrayal of differing aspects of our society. Add to this a story line that is truly magnificent and characters whose depth are unrivaled in other novels by Vachss, and I believe "Blue Belle" comes out on top. Read the novels in chronological order, of course, but reserve a whole night solely for "Blue Belle." I've read it at least six times, and every time I find something new worth thinking about. Not too many novels nowadays deserve as much credit.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss' best book!
Review: Some people would argue that "Flood," his first novel, or his later novels such as "Dead and Gone" are better than "Blue Belle," but I would disagree. Why? This novel is, pure and simple, the most forthright of all of his novels. Burke is clearly not the narrator here--Vachss is. There is so much social commentary involved, and every character is definitely a portrayal of differing aspects of our society. Add to this a story line that is truly magnificent and characters whose depth are unrivaled in other novels by Vachss, and I believe "Blue Belle" comes out on top. Read the novels in chronological order, of course, but reserve a whole night solely for "Blue Belle." I've read it at least six times, and every time I find something new worth thinking about. Not too many novels nowadays deserve as much credit.
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