Rating:  Summary: Multi-layered writing, worthwhile reading Review: Dead and Gone continues the evolution of the character of Burke, an abused-child now-adult for whom the word 'dysfunctional' is almost comically euphemistic. In this installment, Vachss has chosen to disrupt the chain-link of safety constructed by Burke throughout his life. Previous novels have shown Burke's displacement from his home, and the near-loss of his partner, Pansy. Dead and Gone provides further upheaval, and ultimately forces Burke to examine the one weak link he has created - his pattern of behavior, a pattern which may have resulted in the violence and death that has left him permanently altered. Vachss, seemingly alone among his peers, refuses to lock his characters into cartoonish rigidity: they age, make mistakes, suffer human frailties. Readers will see Burke struggle with impotence and the dissociative episodes that have marked all the books, most noticeably in Choice of Evil. He also begins a romantic relationship that is notable for the ease with which Burke, who seems to have always dreaded relationships, is now able to give and receive compassion. Burke is a character whose religion is revenge. The fact that he acknowledges this final pattern - by breaking it - distinguishes the novel as thoughtful and courageous. Vachss' on-going examination of the long-term damage resulting from child abuse and his front-line reportage of the issues involved are themselves compelling to read. That he dispenses the information through such well-drawn, multi-layered novels is just our luck.
Rating:  Summary: The Burke saga continues¿ Review: From Merriam-Webster OnLine (http://www.m-w.com) Main Entry: burke Etymology: from burke to suffocate, from William Burke died 1829 Irish criminal executed for smothering victims to sell their bodies for dissection Date: 1840It is no accident that Burke (Vachss character) was named after a silent killer. "Dead and Gone" is beyond a doubt the darkest Vachss novel yet. As with all of Vachss's books, they are too fast-paced to skim; I need to read each one twice before I get the full tale -- and even then I'll need to reread it. I don't know if that's because I'm simply not smart enough, or if the fault lies in the writer. (it's probably me.) While Andrew Vachss remains one of my absolute favorite authors, I become increasingly annoyed that I can't "get" his books first time round. It is only for that reason that I am giving this book four stars instead of five. Someone brighter than I may be able to glean from its pages a better description than I'm giving you now. "Dead and Gone" removes a key player from Burke's family. When loyal readers think that Burke's soul can't get any darker than, say, "Sacrifice" and the following "Down In the Zero," we have NO idea what Vachss is about to spring on us in "Dead and Gone." I have no shame in telling you that my heart broke. This book also introduces a new location and new players, including Gem. Gem is worth noting because she is Burke's first slender woman, and I am interested in seeing how that will play in future books. I also wonder whether the new location is a one-shot deal, as in "Blossom," or if Burke is moving across the country as the writer has. The new characters are three-dimensional and very complex, but it will take some time and some more writing for them to become as lovable to me as Michelle and Terry and the Prof and, well, you know them all. In a nutshell: Great subject matter, exceptional writing, VERY complex. Highly recommended. p.s. while I have your attention: all those out-of-print Burke books that I spent forever searching for, crawling on my hands and knees in dusty used-book stores, have come back into print and are available on amazon.com. I strongly urge new fans to go back to the roots.
Rating:  Summary: Sweet and Sour Review: I bought this book because of its reported resemblance to the Parker novels of Richard Stark. In reality Vachss' hero, Burke [those acquainted with Cockney rhyming slang will prefer the spelling Berk] is a million miles from the formidable, self-sufficient Parker. He is entirely dependent on an unbelievably politically correct group of people who display a dog-like devotion to the egregious hero. Members of the ethnic minorities thus patronised will be irritated by this device. As far as I know there is not yet a collective noun for such a group so let me suggest the coinage "luvvies" which is current in London for disgusting media folk. The author misses his target which is the excellent hardboiled American detective style by such a wide margin as to have his book sink in a morass of glutinous sentimentality.
Rating:  Summary: First Burke I've enjoyed in a while Review: I respect the heck out of Andrew Vachss' ideas and his issues, but those things are not why I read mystery novels. I loved the first few books in the Burke series-- found them taut and edgy, dark and smart. Lately though I had the feeling that the medium had gotten lost in the message and I'd found the books harder and harder to read. _Dead and Gone_ takes Burke in a new direction and takes a little bit of the crusading hero out of my favorite anti-hero. The death of Pansy and his new face force him in a new direction and into the reach of new characters in a different part of the country. I liked the character of Gem (even if I'm a little jealous of every other woman in Burke's life :)) and I found Burke a lot more interesting this time around. It isn't perfect, and the plot ends up feeling a bit contrived, particularly at the end. But the mood is pretty close to right on, and that's what I read Vachss' novels for anyhow.
Rating:  Summary: Burke - tougher than ever Review: In this gritty and most suspenseful thriller, Burke is back and more focused than ever. If you like books that take you to the edge, with characters bent on revenge and justice, than this book is certianly for you. I have been a Burke fanatic since Strega came out, and this one is certainly worth the ride. Andrew Vachss has done it again - harder and better than ever.
Rating:  Summary: Burke Is Back... With A Vengance! Review: Leave it to Andrew Vachss to breathe new life into his Noir Champion, Burke. Trying to buy back a long missing child, Burke is set up by a group of professional killers, shot several times; and left for dead beside his Neopolitan Warrior, Pansy... BIG Mistake!!! The story just gets better and better from there. With a change of scenery to the west coast and the development of a new crew. Premiere among them, a slender Cambodian girl named Gem. Who assists Burke in hunting down those who arranged and paid for the botched hit. The action moves for NYC, to Portland and back. Where Mama, Max, The Prof, Michelle and Mole cook up a splendidly contrived plan. With the help of Sonny, the young, troubled driver from 'Down In The Zero'. Plus a brief, yet telling visit from Detective Morales. Vachss and Burke hit all the buttons in this tale. Making it one of his best, and well worth the wait for its arrival in SoftCover.
Rating:  Summary: Not Bad Review: This is the first Burke novel I've read. I picked it up because it was listed as being about the prevention of child abuse, which is near and dear to my heart. I found it different from my usual reading (Kellerman, for example), but liked it just the same. I got lost frequently but fell in love with Burke, despite his taste for blood. I wish the book had been a bit more about children, though I enjoyed discovering how Burke survived his childhood. I'm just trying to remember if he has a first name....
Rating:  Summary: Uneven, but any Burke novel is a treat Review: This is the twelfth Burke novel by my reckoning - "Pain Management" is the thirteenth - and it's a little different. While some readers may find that hard to accept, it is implicit in Andrew Vachss' style of merciless realism. Without giving too much away, Burke's elaborate defences finally let him down as he accepts one job too many. It spells the end of his life in New York, and very nearly the end of his life period. Things drifted a little out of focus for me as Burke sets out to track down those responsible, winding up in Portland, Oregon with a new identity and a new girlfriend. But then the momentum builds again, relentlessly, to an elegantly understated climax. On the way, we get some more flashes of Burke's early life when he and Wesley befriended a saintly boy with a talent governments would kill to lay their hands on. And pay a flying visit to a place that is almost literally out of this world.
Vachss' style can't be everyone's favourite, or he would be top of the best-seller lists. But I for one rate his books as one of the things that make life worth living.
Rating:  Summary: Not bad, but same ol same ol. Review: This is who knows what number in the Burke series. Although each book is a self-contained mystery, you're really best reading the earlier books first to get a handle on the characters and the flashbacks that occur.
But by this book, things seem a little tedious. Burke spends too much time brooding, and thinking. Yeah we get, bad stuff happened to you, bad stuff happens to other people. You're tortured, you want to hurt others. We get it. Move on already.
The action is pretty slow in this book too, after the inital chapter book spends about a third of the book just 'laying low' and another third slowly tracking down those who hurt him. (read: a lot of waiting, and following. yawn)
Still the character of Burke and his relentless pursuit of those who hurt and prey on children is admirable, even if his methods are usually not. (Although you have to wonder if those people get what they deserve.)
Rating:  Summary: Vachss is back Review: This one is one of the better burke novels. Vachss did have the tendency to focus more on his message than on the action in his last burke novels and somehow we had read it all before. Now, Burke is presumed dead and has to reinvent himself, becoming more a character like "The Shadow". We learn more about Burke's past and get to meet in "Seawulf" fashion Lune, another charakter from his non-childhood. Comparing this novel to the earlier Burkes I found that the series becomes more and more a "Criminal Fantasy", less authentic, less real. More like James Bond, with total disregard to character motivation, logical settings and logical conclusions (eg. Burke is in hospital for months, fakes amnesia and is frequently visited by the police who tell him that they know who he is - and he never asks them to tell him something about himself; He visits Lune in a Reservation far off any road. The only access is a path he has to walk on for hours - getting there it's ultra modern radar station with 30-40 people working there. I wonder how they are supplied and how this thing got there in the first place; It is never really explained how Lune solves the puzzle, he just does). This disregard for reality left me unsatisfied with reading the novel, because with putting the plot into fantasy land he propels the crimes commited also into "un"-reality, which is a shame as it contradicts the message of the books.
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