Down in the Zero (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

Rating:
Summary: Revised Opinion
Review: Ages ago I wrote a review of this book complaining that the violent sex seemed gratuitous. However, recently I was browsing through Andrew Vachss' website and I learned a thing or two about how he 'uses' sex in his novels. Apparently, when the lives of the characters revolve around sex, then sex in the plot is called for; when sex is not a driving force to the characters, then you won't find much of it in the plot. I'm probably not conveying it correctly, but it made sense to me when I read it! Anyhow, check out his website. It's really an eye-opener.

Rating:
Summary: Andrew H. Vachss, Esq. - Master of the Dark Side
Review: By "Dark Side," I don't mean the occult. Real-life attorney Vachss has an intimate grasp on all that that is offensive to the majority of us who live quiet, (semi-)organized lives. We gasp and recoil at the real-life occurrence of a brutal act by one human against another. The world of Vachss is the opposite. Therein we are non-plussed by an act of kindness. His world is real; it is simply a world that most of us chose to deny the existence of. (<-Dangling participle - sorry!) Vachss' fictional characters and situations are damn close to reality. And it's often tough to take.

In this latest outing, Vachss takes his main character, Burke, to the upper class suburbs to fulfill a longstanding "debt." Burke, an abandoned and abused former ward of the state, (both in childhood and occasionally in adulthood) is a urban survivalist, con artist and city animal. He is also presently mourning his "accidental" killing of a small child. (I told you it was tough stuff to take!) But he adapts to this new, ritzy environment as only a true survivor can. (Vachss' fans will recall that he pulled this off before, in exurban Indiana, in "Blossom.") And, as always, he solves the underlying crisis through a combination of detective work, technological assistance, sheer bravado and unrelenting violence.

The common theme to all Burke novels is moral outrage. Once Vachss has overwhelmed us with the horror of the situation (and it always involves the sexual and physical abuse of children), we applaud his character as a vengeful angel. Burke consciously believes that he does what he does for the money. Nonsense. He's driven by the demons of his own abusive upbringing. And I wouldn't want him "cured' for the world...

Keep writing 'em, Andrew. I'll keep reading them and recommending them.

Rating:
Summary: A good start...
Review: Despite its laid back approach to a mystery, I liked its down-to-earth descriptions of how the rich think and feel. I would have liked it better if they had spent a little more time on Burke, but I'm sure I'll get that in other books. All in all an enjoyable adventure.

Rating:
Summary: A fan's opinion
Review: I first picked up Andrew Vachss because I heard his name mentioned in connection with Batman. Figuring it was going to be fiction in the Raymond Chandler vein, I picked up one of his books. Needless to say, the hard steel nightmare that Burke and his "family" live through daily floored me. Down In the Zero is a very good book in that we get more of an insight on Burke. Vachss refers to events in other novels; it helps if you read the whole series in order. We get an insight into Burke's soul that is both entrancing and disturbing. This isn't a poetic book, and Burke is not a likable person. The entire novel is told from Burke's point of view, that of a hardened, callous criminal. And any poetry would get in the way. The novel is sharp, quick, and to the point. The cutting edge of detective fiction, well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Burke in the 'burbs
Review: I have read all of the Burke novels, and this is not one of the better ones. I guess after the absolute horror at the end of the previous book, "Sacrifice," it is understandable that Burke had to back off a bit. But his adventure in suburban Connecticut just isn't terribly compelling and leads to perhaps the least satisfying climax of the whole series. Who would have thought that Burke's legendary "Zero" is situated among the strip malls and housing developments! Burke beginners should start elsewhere (I recommend "Flood" or "Blue Belle"). This one's for hard core fans only.

Rating:
Summary: Revised Opinion
Review: There comes a time in the life of every vigilante where stock must be taken, where the actions of the past finally catch up, either literally or metaphorically. Burke is at such a crossroads: he's completely immobilized by a recent event, unable to function, or even care. Burke is looking down in the zero, into the abyss, and it beckons him with its silence.

Burke, for the uninitiated, is the protagonist of many novels of Andrew Vachss. Burke is a denizen of the world's underbelly, a man who has a code of honour all of his own, and a particular blinding hatred for any person who would prey on children. Burke is not a nice man, but he will get results. And DOWN IN THE ZERO provides him yet another opportunity to dispense his own unique form of justice.

DOWN begins with Burke at perhaps his lowest point: he has recently (albeit accidentally) caused the death of a child. He is crushed, depressed, and on the edge, and even the caring ministrations of his usual cadre of oddly endearing individuals (the Mole, the Prof, Mama, andthe transvestite Michelle) cannot rouse him from his depths. It takes a phone call from the son of a past acquaintance, relating a bizarre tale of an epidemic of teenage suicides in a Connecticut suburb, to stir him into action. That, and the possibility of easy money from the area's rich inhabitants.

Let's face it, the Burke series will never be accused of subtlety. It is violent, profane, and rather misogynist in its appeal. It advocates self-justice to the Law, and is inherently distrustful of the legal system. But Vachss (who also acts as an attorney exclusively for youth) writes with fury and passion: he's the leaner, meaner brother of Jim Thompson, if such a thing is possible. He creates a world few of us would wish to visit, a world of never-ending viciousness and despair. Consider the following prose, a short chapter from the novel:

"It was just before rush hour when I headed back. The subway car was almost deserted. A slender, light-skinned black kid with a short, neat haircut got on. He was wearing a resplendent soft leather jacket. The front panel was maroon, ballooning white sleeves ran over the top of the shoulders with a black circle on each one, a white 8 inside the circle. The back was a red triangle tapering to the waist, with blue filling in the gaps, a huge eight ball smack in the middle.

"An 8-Ball jacket is a major prize for ratpacking teenage gangstah-bandits - they cost a few hundred dollars. I caught the kid's eyes, shook my head, telling him he was a chump for being such a target. The kid looked back, calm, tapped his waistband, gave me a sweet, sad smile. You want his jacket, you ante your life.

"That's what it costs today."

This is the kind of prose that professional reviewers often refer to as `muscular'. It hits the reader where it hurts, and makes no apologies for its behaviour. But it is a style that is as compelling and challenging as any other, and is presented with a discipline that makes it look easy. But it isn't, and pretenders to the noir throne frequently overplay the style, leading to parody. Even Vachss is not immune to such a failing: his novel BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE EVIL fails on almost every level, and his Burke novel BLUE BELLE constantly steps over the line.

But ZERO is a fine, memorable addition. It has all the usual elements (including Vachss' use of nouns as proper names for his female characters; offhand, I can name Belle, Flood, Candy, Gem, Blossom, and ZERO's trio of Fancy, Charm, and Cherry). It adds another level to Burke's personality, as he reluctantly becomes a surrogate father-figure to Cherry's son Randy. The plot moves along quickly, but there is too much of it; like other Vachss novels, the plot could be simplified by half with no loss to its style or message. It also stretches the reader's suspension of disbelief to its breaking point.

But ZERO is too well-written to be swamped by such criticisms. It is nasty, it is brutal, it is everything Vachss wants it to be, and it is everything a lover of hard-boiled fiction could ask for. Author Walter Mosley has compared Vachss' world of heightened reality to the works of Charles Dickens. That may be an arguable presumption, but it does serve to display how deeply Vachss' novels can be felt by the reader.

Rating:
Summary: When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you
Review: There comes a time in the life of every vigilante where stock must be taken, where the actions of the past finally catch up, either literally or metaphorically. Burke is at such a crossroads: he's completely immobilized by a recent event, unable to function, or even care. Burke is looking down in the zero, into the abyss, and it beckons him with its silence.

Burke, for the uninitiated, is the protagonist of many novels of Andrew Vachss. Burke is a denizen of the world's underbelly, a man who has a code of honour all of his own, and a particular blinding hatred for any person who would prey on children. Burke is not a nice man, but he will get results. And DOWN IN THE ZERO provides him yet another opportunity to dispense his own unique form of justice.

DOWN begins with Burke at perhaps his lowest point: he has recently (albeit accidentally) caused the death of a child. He is crushed, depressed, and on the edge, and even the caring ministrations of his usual cadre of oddly endearing individuals (the Mole, the Prof, Mama, andthe transvestite Michelle) cannot rouse him from his depths. It takes a phone call from the son of a past acquaintance, relating a bizarre tale of an epidemic of teenage suicides in a Connecticut suburb, to stir him into action. That, and the possibility of easy money from the area's rich inhabitants.

Let's face it, the Burke series will never be accused of subtlety. It is violent, profane, and rather misogynist in its appeal. It advocates self-justice to the Law, and is inherently distrustful of the legal system. But Vachss (who also acts as an attorney exclusively for youth) writes with fury and passion: he's the leaner, meaner brother of Jim Thompson, if such a thing is possible. He creates a world few of us would wish to visit, a world of never-ending viciousness and despair. Consider the following prose, a short chapter from the novel:

"It was just before rush hour when I headed back. The subway car was almost deserted. A slender, light-skinned black kid with a short, neat haircut got on. He was wearing a resplendent soft leather jacket. The front panel was maroon, ballooning white sleeves ran over the top of the shoulders with a black circle on each one, a white 8 inside the circle. The back was a red triangle tapering to the waist, with blue filling in the gaps, a huge eight ball smack in the middle.

"An 8-Ball jacket is a major prize for ratpacking teenage gangstah-bandits - they cost a few hundred dollars. I caught the kid's eyes, shook my head, telling him he was a chump for being such a target. The kid looked back, calm, tapped his waistband, gave me a sweet, sad smile. You want his jacket, you ante your life.

"That's what it costs today."

This is the kind of prose that professional reviewers often refer to as 'muscular'. It hits the reader where it hurts, and makes no apologies for its behaviour. But it is a style that is as compelling and challenging as any other, and is presented with a discipline that makes it look easy. But it isn't, and pretenders to the noir throne frequently overplay the style, leading to parody. Even Vachss is not immune to such a failing: his novel BATMAN: THE ULTIMATE EVIL fails on almost every level, and his Burke novel BLUE BELLE constantly steps over the line.

But ZERO is a fine, memorable addition. It has all the usual elements (including Vachss' use of nouns as proper names for his female characters; offhand, I can name Belle, Flood, Candy, Gem, Blossom, and ZERO's trio of Fancy, Charm, and Cherry). It adds another level to Burke's personality, as he reluctantly becomes a surrogate father-figure to Cherry's son Randy. The plot moves along quickly, but there is too much of it; like other Vachss novels, the plot could be simplified by half with no loss to its style or message. It also stretches the reader's suspension of disbelief to its breaking point.

But ZERO is too well-written to be swamped by such criticisms. It is nasty, it is brutal, it is everything Vachss wants it to be, and it is everything a lover of hard-boiled fiction could ask for. Author Walter Mosley has compared Vachss' world of heightened reality to the works of Charles Dickens. That may be an arguable presumption, but it does serve to display how deeply Vachss' novels can be felt by the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Sexy and hard-edged
Review: This book is a terrific introduction to the world of Burke. He's got his own way of thinking, his own way of loving, and a heart much bigger than it appears in the steel-caged life he has to lead. All the women in this book are are strong characters, but the one who joins him is also sensuous, dangerous, and absolutely addictive. It's a great read, and I plan to read the rest of the series as well.

Rating:
Summary: A dark and fascinating psychological thriller
Review: Those who have not read anything by Andrew Vachss have missed out on one of the really original voices in contemporary mystery writing. His recurring hero, Burke, has a shadowy past and an even more shadowy collection of friends and 'family'. The writing style is spare, the atmosphere is tense and the plots tend to emphasize a combination of quick violence and brooding psychological insights.

In Down in the Zero, Burke moves to somewhat unfamiliar territory in tackling the mystery of a rash of teen suicides. The action, while less ugly than in many of Vachss books, is typically emotionally charged. Burke is a unique hero - sensitive, flawed and competently violent when need be.

If you've never read Vachss and enjoy thrillers with a dark edge, give this one a try. It might give you a taste for more - and he has seven or eight Burke novels, all deserving of attention.