Blossom

Burke #5

by Andrew Vachss

In the figure of Burke, Andrew Vachss has given contemporary crime fiction one of its most mesmerizing characters. An abused child raised in orphanages, foster homes, and prisons, Burke is a career criminal and outlaw who steals and scams for a living. 
   In Blossom, an old cellmate has summoned Burke to a fading Indiana mill town, where a young boy is charged with a crime he didn't commit and a twisted serial sniper has turned a local lovers' lane into a killing field. And it's here that Burke meets Blossom, the brilliant, beautiful young woman who has her own reasons for finding the murderer—and her own idea of vengeance.  Dense with atmosphere, savagely convincing, this is Vachss at his uncompromising best.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Noir, Thriller, Suspense, Detective

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for “aggressive-violent” youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a “children’s book for adults.” His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, the New York Times, and many other forums. A native New Yorker, he now divides his time between the city of his birth and the Pacific Northwest.

The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is
www.vachss.com. That site and this page are managed by volunteers. To contact Mr. Vachss directly, use the "email us" function of vachss.com.

Reviews

[John Culuris · Rating 3 out of 5]

You run a risk when you remove a series character from his environment. You take away a large part of what the reader comes to the book expecting. Vachss, knowing what is to come, attempts to counteract this reaction by spending some time watching Burke, his protagonist, operate in and around the New York City cesspool before he heads out to Indiana to help a “brother.” In Burke’s world a brother is someone for whom there nothing you will not do. Burke is asked to determine whether a kid living in his brother’s house is the sniper who has been shooting up the local lover’s lane. Once determining the kid’s innocence, for various other reasons Burke sticks around to find the shooter.

The fifth Burke novel is the least successful so far. Part of the reason may stem from reading a 1990 novel in 2016. The elements of human depravity that Vachss routinely exposes was virtually unknown then; today, sadly, they are common knowledge. The novel’s other drawback is structural. Vachss had taken a turn toward scattershot chapters. There are chapters that consist of ten or so lines, others of less than fifty words. 186 chapters form the book. The results? Scenes are no longer built and atmosphere is lost.

I’ll have to get used to it because writers seldom go back from this. Luckily, Vachss is such an exceptional storyteller that I know I’ll be entertained regardless. But is greatness still obtainable? Since the series--not particular eras or individual books but the entire series--is so highly regarded, I have to think so. Either way I’ll read them all. Burke and his family of friends are endlessly fascinating.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burke leaves the Big Apple behind to help a former cellmate in a small town in Indiana. Virgil, the cellmate, has a nephew that's been accused of gunning down couples at a local lovers' lane. Can Burke figure out who the real killer is before he strikes again? And what about the mysterious Blossom who's tugging at Burke's heartstrings?

This Burke book was one of my favorites so far. Burke does a lot more detective work than usual and Vachss doesn't rely on the usual supporting cast. While the Prof has a role and the Mole makes an appearance, this one is mostly Burke and some new supporting characters. Burke's method of tracking down and entrapping the killer was well done and fairly novel. We got a few more glimpses into Burke's dark past. The plot moved fairly quickly and there was no padding. Virgil and Burke helping Lloyd learn how to be a man was probably my favorite part.

Any complaints? Not really except that Burke and his world view are so bleak I feel like reading some Jim Thompson afterwords to cheer myself up. Blossom is my Burke top two and is definitely worth a read.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in this series not to be based in NYC. An old cellmate, Virgil, asks for Burke's. Virgil's wife, Rebecca, comes to New York because Virgil is hiding with their nephew, Lloyd, in the outskirts of the Indiana mill town where they live. The scene where Rebecca and Virgil size each other up is great. She convinces him to help: Burke and Virgil are tighter than blood makes most brothers. Lloyd is accused of a heinous crime for which he claims innocence, and the evidence is scant; however, the local cops want the crime solved. Not sure of his innocence either, Virgil asks Burke to make sure. Another great scene. Meanwhile, Burke is snooping around trying to find the real perp, having to get assistance from the local detective and Blossom, a local diner waitress, who has her own personal motives to find the killer. Lloyd's becoming a man along the way is another strong point of this book as is the relationship between Burke and Virgil.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am re-reading or I should say listening to the audible version of the Burke series 10 years later. Blossom is the woman in this book. She is quite a bit different from the previous women. She falls for Burke of course and vice versa. She calls him a trouble man. A man who trouble follows. The story mostly takes place outside of New York City in Indiana. The usual cast of characters is mostly absent. The book starts out with a couple of side trips in NYC just to give us a continued flavor of Burke and his odd habits. Blossom doesn’t come into the action until halfway through the book. I have been alternating these books with other listening. It is always good to get back to Burke. The stories continue to intrigue me the second time around. I have continued to bump the books up from four stars to five stars. I just think they are that intriguing.

———————

I read one of the later Burke books and decided that I would like to try reading the series and to read it in order. So now I am on #5. I know from looking ahead that all the titles are not the names of women who have a relationship with Burke. He does bounce from woman to woman and I am hesitant to say the women are a love interest since Burke is not the most emotional guy around. I love you is just not much in his vocabulary.

I like short chapters and Blossom gets points from me for having 186 segments, regular rest stops along the way. I hesitate to call them chapters because some are so short. A longer chapter might be a lesson in boxing (43) or how to survive in prison (45).

Some people find Burke depressing. But there is some humor here and there:

”I’m Burke. Didn’t Virgil describe me?”
Her smile didn’t show her teeth. “Lots of men ain’t so good-looking. That didn’t narrow it down much.”
. . .
The senator wasn’t cut out for crime. He was the kind of man who’d use vanity plates on a getaway car.
. . .
The Mole shambled up to us, seating himself on the cut-down oil drum he uses for a deck chair. Greeted me the same way he answers his phone . . . by waiting for someone to speak.
. . .
“I’m looking forward to us doing business.”
“Me too.” As sincere as any real estate broker ever was.

We have a flash of a further introduction of probably the strangest family you will ever meet: Michelle, Terry and Mole are regulars so far in the series:

Michelle, the beautiful transsexual hooker. The slickest hustler I ever knew. The woman who made Terry her son. The strange, lovely woman who danced for years with the Mole. Never touching. But she’d never change partners.

I would say the first forty-seven pages of the book are Burke Lite. We have all the usual characters and a complete mini-story about a kidnapped boy who has been in captivity for quite a few years with a surprise ending. As usual, this is in NYC but Burke leaves The City destined for Chicago. And we are still waiting for Blossom to show her face. Her name first appears at about page 100 of a 250 page book.

Here are some of the freaks that are a part of Burke’s world:

“. . . Me, I don’t know about this stuff. Freak stuff. But you know them . . .”
Them. Humans who kill for love. Torture for fun. They set fires to watch the flames. Black-glove rapists. Snuff-film directors. Trophy-takers. Baby-fuckers. Pain turns on the switch. Blood lubricates the machinery. Then the power-rush comes. And they do too.

One of my pet peeves is the absence of birth control or safe sex in most books that include sex in the story. Blossom covers vasectomies (Burke had one years ago.), condoms (Blossom won’t have sex without one.) and Norplant (Blossom’s preferred birth control in the late 1980s, the time of the book.).

Your word for the day from Blossom: Burke is looking for a freak who is a piquerist. Give up?

It’s a pathological condition; it means the realization of sexual satisfaction from penetrating a victim by sniper activity. Or stab wounds, or even bites.

I am enjoying reading the Burke series by Andres Vachss in order. There are references that become more understandable and periodic experiences of reading as a character from a prior book is developed or explained more fully. Four stars for Blossom. I am looking forward to reading the sixth book in the series.

Oh yes. Burke goes back to his hometown of NYC at the end of this book. His dog Pansy will be glad to see him.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit different from the others in the series as action all takes place out of the city and for the most part, without Burke's gang (including his dog) - thought that might take away from it a bit but it didn't as it allows scope for some more about Burke's own character and background and Blossom herself is an intriguing figure who goes from a bit part in the first half of the book to the main item in the latter half. So in all in all, more of the same excellent but incredibly bleak material that you would expect from this series.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, moody, and evocative. The Burke novels are known for taking the reader into the back alleys of society and leaving them there to wallow in their seemingly never ending depths of despair - Blossom is no different; pitch perfect noir.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was okay. The chapters in this one were very short which for reasons unknown to me, I tend to be able to get through books like that quicker. What I really didn't like about the book was the fact that it was written in short choppy sentences. It could have used a lot more detail. I had a lot of difficulty picturing any scene of the book in my head and it changed scenes so often and suddenly it was a little hard to keep up. Another problem that I had with the book was the fact that it ended so quickly, the book built and built and built to the killer and when the Author finally got to him and his capture it came to an end so quickly you was left going "What happened?". It felt as if he just was in a hurry to make it end, like I do with chores. Also I would have liked to seen more murders and more detail on them, like what the victims looked like, where they were shot stuff like that. Like I said before it could have used a lot more detail all around, characters, plot, climax, conclusion everything. It all boils down to the fact that there is just not enough detail in the book to make it 3 star worthy or higher.

Characters

Blossom, was a whore no and's, if's or but's about it. As a waitress she acts all sweet and innocent but once you see the real her, behind closed doors so to speak, she's a freaking whore. And I thought that one waitress was bad.

Virgil, scared me. He's been in prison for murder and he knows stuff, stuff that shouldn't be known.

Prof, he's a very confusing man. He was always talking in rhyme without any reason. It was weird.

Burke, he's a badass hero who walks around acting like he's not.

And there was another guy, Wesley, he was mentioned a lot and every time he was I pictured the guy West from "Common Law" (If you have never seen it, you won't understand.) I would have liked to have seen more of him but he's dead so that's wasn't going to happen..

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Vacchs stuff is great. He is an exclusively child lawyer and his books are about investigations involving child abuse, sexual exploitation etc. With a particularly noir slant.
I've added this one, but there were many others this summer: Hard Candy, Flood, Strega, Blue Belle, Everybody Pays, and Only Child. This past Friday, I got the compilaton of Blues Music which he put out to go along with teh publication in 1998 of Safe House. It is a fabulous, focussed Blues set. Mainly stinging electric guitar and empassioned vocals. He is an excellent author, but only for those with a strong stomach for real, exceptional evil.

[Janne Swearengen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, I listened to this book. I'd forgotten how dark a writer Mr. Vachss is. That being said, he sure knows how to make you feel filthy, in need of a bath or scrub down and mad at the world of people who prey on the vulnerable. This was a good story...so now, I'll dive in for some more darkness.

[Patricia Wchman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this style of writing: kind of brutal in its terseness. Four stars instead of five because some of the connections were abrupt and hard for me to make perhaps because I am so unfamiliar with Burke's world. The characters are great: Burke is a good bad boy out to get the real bad boys.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vachss continues the roll he began with Hard Candy: a more stream-lined story, characters gelling and feeling more like characters not caricatures, excellent pacing. Only complaint is that the ending came a little rushed (not as rushed as, say, Blue Belle, but it could easily have been stretched out another 10 pages or so, given the intricacy and pacing of the set-up). Without giving too much away, our antihero, Burke, leaves the "safety" of NYC for a jaunt in the Midwest. The change of venue is nice and comes a perfect time in the series, shaking things up just enough if you've read the follow four novels. Everything, just as in Hard Candy, feels a bit more toned down; the action, the sex, the femme fatale, which is nice. Starting to feel like Vachss is really finding his groove, akin to the types of horses Burke likes to bet on; a bit shaky at the start, but they always pull through down the line. Perhaps some of this is due to my familiarity with the characters, having started the series from ground zero and working my way through each subsequent novel, but overall the prose is just tighter and cleaner, and, as a reuslt, way, way meaner.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did I think? This guy's the king of "Noir", is what I think. Andrew Vachss, a lawyer and author with a penchant for the welfare of kids and women - especially the kids - has created Burke to let some steam escape.

Burke's world is not the world you and I live in. Burke exists in NYC but he is not seen in it. When society mentions the name "Burke" it is in the fashion of a legend: a myth, someone who is not real. Burke likes it that way.

With unforgettable characters fully developed over a long series of books,we dive into the seedy, underground realm of the city. The rules are different, alien to someone such as myself. Life is very physical but full of kick ass psych ops aimed at evil.

These books are dark, very raw...and not easily set aside.

Usual disclaimer. There's no need to discuss plot. The books are excellent, period. And if you've read this review, you've read 'em all (save you some time)

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable installment in the Burke series and the first one I've read that takes him out of his native habitat of New York City. Burke is lured out to the midwest to help a former prison buddy clear his nephew's name of murder. In the process, he starts up a relationship with a young woman who also hunts the killer but for different reasons altogether. Obviously the theme of society "making its own monsters" and the failure of what to do with them is once again addressed and we get to see Burke employ his incredibly adept profiling skills to locate the killer.

Enjoyable but not great, I'd give it 3.5 stars (unfortunatley that's not possible with this ratings system).

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent Burke novel. Vachss shifts the setting from New York to Indiana, where Burke goes to help out his "brother"--family in Vachss work is never a matter of biology--Virgil, whose nephew has been accused of murder. The ingredients of the book are familiar: the underworld where right wing politics and sexual predation mingle; the clear-eyed moral vision which has nothing to do with conventional religion; Burke's ongoing struggle with his dark side; the presence of a beautiful, intriguing woman. The sexual scenes are less over-the-top than they've been in the previous volumes of the series. For me, that's a good thing, though parts still feel like fantasy.

[NightAuditMan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of reviews seem to indicate that out of the Burke series this one is perhaps the weakest. Notably due to the fact that Burke is out of his element, not in New York and the usual cast of characters are mostly absent.

I, however, think that for all of those same reasons this book is more interesting. Seeing Burke work with the same drive as he usually does in a place he doesn't know or understand makes it all that more compelling. I always eat up Vachss's work but this one more so.

[James Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vachsss shakes the scene up with Burke leaving Ny to help out his prison brother. In doing so he meets Blossom. And there he makes a connection missing since Blue Belle, but on nowhere the same magnitude. This is a search for a killer, which only Burke can find as he knows this type of freaky so well. A bit too much perhaps is made of just how well Burke knows the freaks and how he can attune himself to them, but nonetheless, a story that rolls by and which I read again in a matter of days.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burke leaves New York City! That alone should be enough to end Burke since he relies so heavily on the camouflage of his element. But help from the most unlikely element gives him the little extra he needs to take care of his chosen family. If you ever needed someone to care about what happens to you in the harsh light of life, it would be Burke. One of the best book series that I have ever read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Blossom, an old cellmate has summoned Burke to a fading Indiana mill town, where a young boy is charged with a crime he didn't commit and a twisted serial sniper has turned a local lovers' lane into a killing field. And it's here that Burke meets Blossom, the brilliant, beautiful young woman who has her own reasons for finding the murderer—and her own idea of vengeance. Dense with atmosphere, savagely convincing, this is Vachss at his uncompromising best.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best Burke book I've read, but it's still Burke and it's pretty good.

This one takes him out of NYC which is a nice change of pace, but it definately misses the cast of supporting characters.

Previous Burke novels, while adhering to a formula, have always felt kind of natural, but this one did not.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this was the first of Vachss' books that I read I probably wouldn't read any of his other work. His usual characters are missing since the story takes place out of NYC. I read his four previous books and loved them. This book really suffers from the absence of all the characters that usually surround Vachss' central character, Burke.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blossom (Burke #5) by Andrew Vachss (Vintage Books 1990) (Fiction - Mystery) is a step down from the previous Burke novels. This one takes Burke on the road to rural Indiana to help an old convict friend whose nephew has been arrested for a crime he says he did not commit. I miss the author's usual cast of characters. My rating: 6/10, finished 4/1/11.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burke heads to the Midwest to help his "brother", a former cellmate. After the first four in the series, a unique change to have him out of his element - of the gritty back alleys of New York.
Burke's mission in life to get the, freaks/predator's/monster's off the streets, even in the Midwest....let's the reader know they are everywhere.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5th of the Burke books takes Burke out of his normal comfort zone of the city and into the American country. As another reviewer pointed out, these books may not have quite the power they once had because we're aware of the level of depravity that's out there, but it doesn't make them any less gripping, nor does it make Vachss' lyrical prose less engaging.
Absolutely excellent!

[Heather Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow to start, roller coaster middle, and the end tapered and dropped. I wasn't impressed with this one. There was a lot of sub plot that took the driver's seat more then the main plot did. Not his best work in my opinion.

[Blair Erotica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting story, but I found it far too choppy. The characters ranged from being fascinating to stereotypes and a bit more time spent explaining things would go a long way toward making the book more enjoyable.

[Mithun Prasad · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Andrew Vachss book.
Should have started with 'Flood', I guess.
Writing is hard, gritty and uncompromising, just the way I like, but not sure if I consider the plot at the same level.
Then again, should have started with 'Flood.'

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Recenze je pro knihy Strega, Blue Belle a Blossom)

Nedávno jsem psal o chvíli, kdy se detektivky začaly rozbředávat romantickými popisy, atmosférou a emocemi. Tak tohle je to samé, akorát v mužské verzi. Samotný příběh je obvykle tak na jednostránkovou povídku, většina románů popisuje hrdinu, jak dělá cool věci a stýká se s cool kamarády, které dělají ještě víc cool věci, protože jsou to všichni totální superborci.

Změnou od klasiky je, že hlavní hrdina, známý pouze jako Burke, není detektiv, ale bývalý trestanec, živící se podvody, krádežemi… a příležitostně i řešením problémů pro jiné lidi. Jeho citlivým místem je zneužívání dětí, což je tak nějak způsobeno tím, že tohle je věc, kterou se celý život zabýval i autor, Andrew Vachss. Tedy, ne že by sám zneužíval děti, jen proti tomu bojoval. A kriminálky si vybral jako prostředek, jak to na lidi záludně vybalit.

Čili, účel dobrý, zpracování slabší. Hlavně proto, že hrdina je ten superborec, který většinu problémů řeší s totálním přehledem… a kdyby na to nestačil, má na temné straně zákona spoustu skutečně neskutečně schopných (a přitom přiměřeně bizarních) kámošů, kteří jsou jedna rodina. Rychle a zběsile hadr.

Obvykle tak dvě třetiny příběhů sledujeme, jak si Burke kryje záda, jak dohaduje schůzky, pak svolává kámoše, aby ho při té schůzce jistili, pak na tu schůzku jede a šacuje terén a svého „protihráče“… a pak jede pryč a hlídá, aby ho nikdo nesledoval. Nějaké promyšlenější pátrání se do toho už moc nevejde, a tak je (i přes silné startovní téma) obvykle velmi jednoduché a vlastně i nedramatické.

Ve Smutné Belle někdo střílí prostitutky. Hrdina pověří své známé, aby zjišťovali, co se děje… a jeden z nich je okamžitě zrubaný a poslaný do nemocnice. Hrdina jde na setkání s rubačem, během následné přestřelky je odstřelený jeden z protivníkova týmu, aby se pak, porovnáním otisků, zjistilo, že patří mezi ty, co střílí prostitutky. Na pak už je jen finální… a zatraceně krátké… utkání.
Stejně tak v Burke míří na západ se větší část knihy věnuje tomu, jak se v mládí zneužívanému klukovi podezřelému z vraždy snaží vrátit důstojnost… boxem a sexem.

Abych zase jen nefrflal, je to zajímavý svět, zajímavý hrdina, rázovité figury kolem něj… a rozhodně zabralo, že takhle vážné a citlivé téma spojil s drsňáckou macho záležitostí. Díky tomuhle kontrastu to funguje líp, než v ubrečeném severském podání. Ale prostě mě tam chyběl i nějaký ten zajímavý příběh, nebo sugestivnější podání. Párkrát jsem si vzpomněl na detektiva Matta Scuddera, co by z nějakých nápadů dokázal vymáčknout jeho autor Lawrence Block.

[Alex McConnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blossom is one of the earlier novels in the Burke series. If you’re familiar with Vachss’s first series at all, you’ll know you’re in for some truly ugly situations. The Burke series deals honestly with child abuse, the New York setting lending atmospheric reality to the depravity.
Burke heads out of state in this one, to Indiana in order to clear the nephew of an old friend and catch a sex sniper killing the unabashedly horny on lovers lanes. The new setting leaves behind Burkes usual crew of honest criminals so he has to make his own connections.
Anyone who reads Vachss must be forewarned: he pulls no punches when viewing the awfulness and depth of abuse people perpetrate on children. Consider yourself trigger warned. But this gritty approach and short chapter length leaves no room for unnecessary prose. No wasted paper here, so you’ll be burning through the pages.
On full display as usual is Vachss slang filled dialogue and jailhouse mentality. His history in the field of child abuse and child psychology make for engaging stories with very real power in them. Well recommended, just prepare for a little heartache on the way.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long time ago, I read a few Vachss books. At least two Burke books. I enjoyed them then. I went on a noir kick then to read Thompson, Chandler et al. It was a good kick. I always intended to come back but felt no rush to do so.

Cleaning out my shelves, turns out I had one on it. I opened it and read it. It is still decent. Not quite classic but definitely a good page turner. There is a type of solace from reading these type of books where you know that there is someone out there looking for more than getting the bad guy. That feels good.

It is fiction. I am not sure how I would feel if it was real. It is better for me not to think about it. All and all, a satisfying read.

[M. O'Gannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blossom – A Burke Novel #5 – Published 1990 - *** - Burke heads to Indiana to help his ‘brother’ Virgil. Vachss writing is grungy, nasty, and in the dirt. Not my taste at all. I gave the book a three star rating for the type of book it is. I felt the tension was lacking and the police type investigation was hard to follow. All based on instinct, little on fact. There are a lot of positive ratings/reviews for Vachss work. Just not my cup of tea.