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Burke #2

by Andrew Vachss, Marco Pensante (Translator)

Questo sconvolgente thriller di Andrew Vachss ci porta nelle viscere di New York in compagnia dell'ex detenuto, ora investigatore privato, di nome Burke, l'uomo che si è dato come obiettivo quello di rendere il mondo insicuro per chi molesta i bambini (e di restare fuori di galera mentre lo fa). Questa volta Burke è sulle tracce di una foto sepolta sotto montagne di pornografia infantile, un'istantanea che ossessiona i sogni di un bambino di sei anni, abusato sessualmente. La ricerca catapulta Burke nel mondo che lui chiama casa: i nascondigli segreti dei criminali e dei protettori, degli spacciatori e delle prostitute, le catacombe di Manhattan, le buie strade affollate di Brooklyn,le stazioni di polizia illuminate al neon di Times Square. E mentre mette insieme i pezzi di questo bizzarro puzzle, Burke è assistito da una straordinaria ciurma di amici che, come lui, camminano da entrambi i lati della legge. Mamma Wong, proprietaria di un ristorante a Chinatown (età: fra i cinquanta e i novant'anni) che rifornisce suo figlio Burke tanto di squisitezze cantonesi quanto di rifugio. Michelle, la prostituta transessuale, disposta a fare qualunque favore a Burke. Max, il gigante muto mongolo,è il silenzioso vento di morte che toglie la vita e crea vedove. Prof, abbreviativo di Profeta, la cui astuzia da uomo di strada è tanto sviluppata quanto le sue poesie sono elementari. Immacolata, la psicoterapeuta vietnamita dai tacchi a spillo e dalle unghie taglienti. La Talpa, cacciatore di nazisti aperto a qualunque proposta. Pansy,pericolosissimo mastino napoletano: 70 chili di muscoli pronti a scagliarsi contro chiunque tenti di entrare nell'ufficio di Burke. E, infine, Strega, regina della mafia, donna carica di energie e di fascino, che dà il via a tutta la storia

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

301 pages, Hardcover

First published February 12, 1987

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

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underneath the violent but familiar veneer of murders, beatings and robberies that cake the surface of life on the nightly news there lies a far darker, far more depraved world of evil. A world of:

-snuff films,
-child pornography,
-sadistic sexual fetishes...

and vomit-inducing combinations of all three of the above.

This sick, rancid underbelly is where Burke (no first name) spends his time waging a “no holds barred,” one man war against those who prey on children. Burke is a bad guy. He’s an ex-con, off the grid, shady dealer who will scheme, steal and threaten to get by. However, he’s not evil and he’s not cruel and the bad guys that he comes in contact with are so sick, twisted and inhuman that Burke looks like the offspring of Gandhi and Mother Teresa by comparison.

PLOT SUMMARY:

An emotionally creepy woman named Strega hires Burke to track down a photograph of an obscenely vile act being perpetrated on a young boy. Burke, reluctant to get involved at first, can not avoid taking up the cause after learning of the group who perpetrated the atrocity. Burke quickly finds his normal sense of cautious detachment undermined as he becomes unusually reckless in trying to obtain the photograph.

Meanwhile, the manipulative Strega has sucked Burke into her web of influence and his objectiveness further deteriorates.

THOUGHTS:

I didn’t like this one quite as much as I did Flood. However, I’m still a huge fan of Vachss and his Burke series and think that this is certainly among the better crime series that I’ve read. Most of this stems from the author. Vachss is a tireless crusader in the fight to protect children from predators and this series allows Vachss to unobtrusively educate and preach about the reality of such crimes within the context of an excellent hardboiled mystery.

From this perspective, the Burke series is unique… and thank all that is good and holy that it is because too many series as perpetually dark and starkly depressing would lead to a run on both anti-depressants and hanging rope.

These stories will disturb. The events and images depicted, while not gratuitous, are designed to shock, to jolt, to anger. Vachss wants you to know that these things happen and he wants you to be disgusted by it. He wants to win you over to his army.

Kudos Mr. Vachss.

Still, as much as I love the reason Vachss writes these stories, they can be extremely difficult to “enjoy” given the subject matter. In one particularly difficult scene in Strega, Burke arranges a sit down with a wealthy pedophile who speaks openly, and in defense, of his activities. His justification for having sexual relations with VERY young boys will make the skin crawl right off your frame. The reader is forced to sit there and boil right along with Burke.

However, it is not all dark and dreary. Amidst all of the evil and depravity that Burke is forced to travel through, one of the saving graces is the stellar supporting cast that Vachss places around Burke. This group acts as both refuge and occasional comic relief. They’re certainly not the Brady bunch, but they do provide a warm center that lets you know that Burke has a place of safety and a net of friendship on which he can fall back. They include:

** Pansy: A 140 pound Neapolitan Mastiff that can kill with his bark but whose relationship with Burke makes the dog lover in me smile.

** Max the Silent: The enormous, mute, Ninja-like killing machine whose honor is as unmovable as he is. Max is easily, by a large margin, my favorite character in the series and goes along with Burke whenever “force” may be necessary…which is often thank goodness.

** Mama: An underworld matriarch with extensive contacts and whose Chinese restaurant serves as popular hangout for Burke and Max;

** The Prof: A street-wise Buddha who speaks in rhymes and acted as Burke’s mentor when they were both in prison.

This is a series that I urge you to check out. It is well-written, with great characters and dealing with some important, if highly disturbing, issues. I have been allowing for significant time between installments so as to provide sufficient recovery time for the gloom.

3.5 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

P.S. For all of my clown-hating friends out there…this book provides yet another reason to fear and despise.

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a few of the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss so I knew there was a good chance that this book was probably as depressing as watching a puppy die from cancer. So I decided to brighten it up by scoring some black market anti-depressants off the internet. Here are my observations after taking a double handful of pills along with a couple of shots of Wild Turkey and then reading:

- Why did I think this would be depressing? Burke’s New York is a magical city filled with kind, helpful people and there’s a rainbow on every street corner.

- Burke and his friend Max go to the park to play hide-n-seek. Then they meet a new friend who is watching a woman jog. That’s nice. Oh, no! The new friend has a hurt arm now.

- Burke lives in a special super-secret clubhouse with his dog Pansy, and Burke has taught her all kinds of tricks. Pansy is a good dog, and she loves Burke even though she has to poop on the roof.

- Burke has a fast car! Vroom! Vroom! And it has special secrets too. Shh!! Don’t tell anyone.

- This woman wants Burke to help her find a picture, and she’ll give him money to do it. He’ll be able to use the money to buy treats for Pansy!

- Burke’s friend Mole lives in junkyard and makes funny gadgets.

- Burke’s friend Michelle is a man who dresses like a woman. That’s silly! And she meets lots of new friends every night when she just walks down the street. Why, men just pull their cars over and ask Michelle to take a ride with them. Then they give her money. Michelle must be really nice because lots of men want to be her friend.

- Now Burke goes to see another old friend he met in a place called prison. Burke’s friend was in a club called neo-Nazi’s. They’ve got their own nifty tattoos for being in the club.

- The woman who hired Burke gives him extra special kisses for being so helpful.

- Burke finds out that the picture shows a little boy and a clown in a basement. How fun! They probably played games and the clown made balloon animals and maybe they had milk and cookies while….Wait. What’s that clown doing to that kid? Oh, shit.

- I think the pills are wearing off.

- The darkness. Oh sweet lord, the darkness.

- KILL THEM, BURKE! KILL THEM ALL! SEND THEM ALL STRAIGHT TO HELL!

- Yep. It was a Burke novel all right.

- Next time I’ll get more pills.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman calling herself Strega hires Burke to find an obscene photograph of her friend's five year old son. As Burke's quest takes him through a web of Nazis, pimps, and kiddie porn dealers, Strega gets her hooks deeper into him. Can Burke find the photo and escape Strega's grasp?

As I said in my review for Flood, Burke's adventures are so dark it took a man with an eyepatch to write them. Vachss takes Burke on another journey through hell and back.

The thing about Burke is that even though you know he's not a nice person, the bad guys are always so much worse. Burke's case was even darker than the last. When he had to talk to a pedophile for information after promising not to kill him, I was just as disgusted as Burke. No man is an island and Burke is no exception. His supporting cast adds a lot of depth, proving that even though Burke is a paranoid schemer, he still has some redeeming qualities.

Strega, the title character, was a much more interesting character than Flood, the title character of the previous book. Half the time I didn't know what she was going to do next. I expected the final twist but it was still effective.

Strega was a gripping read, quick but powerful. I highly recommend it but only if you have a strong stomach. There's no way I could read Burke stories back to back. His world is just too bleak.

[Damo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Burke series, it further establishes him, along with his ragtag team of crusaders, as a tireless and ruthless enemy of the depraved. He targets the predators out there and then doles out his brand of justice that’s designed to be not only a deterrent but a constant reminder of their sins.

Strega is a woman who hires Burke to find the person who had taken an obscene photo of her friend’s five year old son. One thing that becomes obvious is that Strega has been abused herself over the years and she has come up with a unique reward system for Burke’s services. This is the type of thing that really gets his blood stirring and he throws himself completely into tracking down the man responsible.

The thing to understand about Burke is that even though he has a clear idea of what’s right and what’s wrong, he’s no saint. He has spent some serious prison time, works outside the law when tracking down targets and is utterly ruthless in his dealings with the abusers and predators.

He works with an eclectic group with specialist skills, all of which are helpful in ensuring his special brand of justice can be carried out efficiently. Set in New York, Vachss paints a bleak world of violence and hopelessness.

Rather than focusing only on the job for Strega, we accompany Burke on many small and vicious jobs. While it serves to illustrate exactly what Burke and his men are capable of, it also gives the narrative an uneven quality as we flick from one vicious confrontation to the next, often without adequate explanation. At times it’s hard to follow but maintains the ability to completely capture the attention in an awful can’t look away way.

As hard-boiled crime series go, the Burke series is one of the most consistently confronting, filled with in-your-face violence, gut-churning crimes and unremitting energy. And Strega captures all of the darkest themes imaginable and allows Burke to carry out his revenge attacks on the low-lifes and scumbags.

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbingly Great Book

Put on old ratty ass dirty clothes and then begin reading the second in the Burke series. You’ll be glad you’re in old clothes because this story will definitely make you feel like you’ve been pulled through the gutter or walked around the subway tracks looking for aluminum cans.


New York City Subway Tracks

But to me, that is one sign of a fantastic writer even if it makes you feel dirty and the subject matter is gut wrenchingly disturbing. But here is a line from the book which I made note of and thought it was an example of just how descriptive Vachss is:
...but his width matched his height. A head the size of a basketball grew out of massive shoulders without benefit of a neck." No one can say they can't picture this guy, no one.

I was reading my Goodreads review for Flood, the first in the Burke series and copied my last paragraph here:

“After finishing and thinking about the book I decided I was not going read another Vachss. It just made me feel unclean, dirty on the outside somehow. As I write this though, I’ve decided that I will probably read another because it was so very good, so powerful...not for a while though. I can read some authors back to back but Andrew H. Vachss, no way. I’m ready to read Pippi Longstocking or something to put some sunshine in my day since I was in darkness, noir, if you will, the entire weekend.”

(It's been six months since I read Flood. At this rate, I'm not sure how many years it will take me to get through the 18 Burke series.)

A strong advocate of children, attorney/writer Andrew Vachss makes no apology for writing about his passion, the elimination of child abuse; stopping child molesters.

His series with his protagonist Burke who says he was “raised by the state” an orphan, if you will, goes even further by saying generally molesters of children have no right to live, they are the scum of the earth. And Burke himself is no choir boy, I can assure you. His past includes a couple of prison stints but these days he’s an unlicensed P.I. among a few other money making ventures. Burke’s a chameleon of sorts since he knows proper dress when necessary and can ‘gutter talk’ when needed.

His ‘family’ includes a collection of four characters; the Mole who is technically gifted and owns a junkyard; the Prof, a preacher of sorts who is on the streets riding a skateboard and appears to have no legs; Michelle, a transvestite hooker; and Max, a mute who is multi-talented in some specific form of karate and is very spiritual. Max and Burke are very close and communicate perfectly using their own version of signing. Then there’s Mama who owns the Chinese restaurant where Burke conducts some of his business transactions. I love each and every one of these characters who definitely have unique personalities. Each one brings "something to the table" as so clearly described by Vachss.

These are all uniquely talented New Yorkers who can pull off scams usually without a hitch. Good scams, if there is such a thing. They work as a unit, a “band of brothers “ so to speak. No question if they support each other and if one is harmed, they’re all harmed. And payback is hell.


Under the Manhattan Bridge

The plot of this book centered around Burke’s obtaining a picture of a young boy with an unknown man in a sexual pose and requires Burke to delve into the underbelly of the child pornography industry which would not be consider “a cottage” industry.

Here’s a headline in USA Today July 7, 2007:
Austria says bust
of global child porn ring
involves 2,360-plus
suspects worldwide

And then there’s Pansy. She’s such a sweetheart; a big, fearless and protective Neapolitan Mastiff. Burke doesn’t need a security alarm with Pansy around.


Neapolitan Mastiff

Vachss’ first in the Burke series, Flood, was not that descriptive of the molestation of children; however, this book delves a bit deeper into the subject describing pictures of adults with children in sexual poses. The subject makes me feel uncomfortable; I’m uncomfortable just writing that sentence. Doesn’t it make everyone uncomfortable? But it’s a fact that should not be ignored.

I have to remind myself that silence is the power that molesters have over children, so the silence needs to be broken and people need to actively come out to protect the children. Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky is a convicted rapist of young boys. He was the University of Pennsylvania’s assistant coach and was a founder of Second Mile, a mentoring program for young boys. As we know, Sandusky functioned actively in view of everyone for years. He is now serving a prison sentence for 52 counts of sexual abuse.

As I mentioned in Flood, Vachss is an incredible noir writer who I admire for bringing this subject of child molestation to the forefront and at the same time entertain us with a great story and great characters. He is an admirer of hard-boiled (Paul Cain for one) and that genre shines through in his writing. He writes hard-boiled with very dark characters and scenes.

Kudos to Andrew Vachss.

If you want to know more about Vachss’ Web site for his non-profit organization go to: National Association to Protect Children

[John Culuris · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ 1/2

In the second entry in the series, Burke continues to live and work just outside the law, scamming the crooked and bringing down the depraved. Here we learn more of Burke’s past and why his bond with the supporting characters we’ve already met is so strong. The novel is anything but streamlined but Vachss is such an excellent storyteller that it doesn’t matter. The only fault, and a minor one at that, is that I was surprised to find Burke still pining over Flood, whom he lost in the previous book. At the time I’d never gotten the sense that that loss was so overpowering. But that might just be me.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Andrew Vachss. The first was Flood. I liked it (my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). It was a little "over the top". Our protagonist a sort of underworld figure/unlicensed PI and our co-protagonist Flood a sort almost super martial arts practitioner. Good book.

So, right away I sent for this novel. To describe how I feel about it I'd like to quote Dorothy Parker "to wit":

"This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."

As I have said about other novels..."Oh Good Grief" This book doesn't have characters, it has "caricatures". Where the first book is a little over the top this one vaulted completely over the wall clearing it by yards and leaving it behind. Burke in this book comes across as overly strained in his...tough hard-boiled-ness" His opposite number is a spoiled, entitled slightly warped "Mafia princess" type. They are both so overblown that the scenes between them (which go on and on ad nauseam) move into the realm of the totally silly, as said caricatures. The supporting characters are the same. Painted not in vibrant colors but in a child's florescent poster paints, this book needs a Valium. It needs to be toned down and just tell it's story.

The book deals with a topic that could and should make and in fact has made a good novel. We're dealing here with child abuse and exploitation. The sad fact is that the book's topic and plot is completely overshadowed by the problems. When the two main characters interact (which they do far too often, sigh) the "spoiledness" butting heads with "tough-hardboiledness" is so beyond the pale that it simply overwhelms the entire book.

I liked the first book...this one pretty much convinced me I won't be going on to the next in the series.

Sorry. I really didn't care for this one. Or did you intuit that???

[KillerBunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than Flood! Wow! I really got attached to the characters. It's dark very dark. And a bit less martial arts this time, I like combat, just not too much. Strega was a complete mystery I liked her. I never saw her as a potential love partner for Burke, but at the end of the book her personality made sense to me.

I want to say that I read tons of books in a year, but I never dream about it. Flood and Strega were the only book I ever dreamed about. That's strange, the author is an amazing writer.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vachss' unremittingly intense in-your-face ultra-gritty revenge fantasy takes its second step with Strega--and it is a squishy step indeed, my friends. We join Burke as he and his BFF Max the Silent deploy their usual ruthless measures in convincing a creepy fuck to give up the creepy, threatening-phone-call-making ghost and leave his current target alone. Of course, this being a Burke novel said target turns out to be a beautiful, scary redheaded sex witch named Strega--and she wants help with something else. This is the fourth Burke novel I've read and probably the most disturbing one so far, which is really saying something given that Vachss writes about nothing but the real, real bad shit.

That something else is a polaroid she wants recovered. I'm not gonna get particularly into the picture plot because spoilers and also it's gross just writing it out. Suffice to say that it has to do with one of the usual Vachss concerns of sexual abuse against children, which is what makes the books so simultaneously intense and uncomfortable to read. I think a major element of what reels me into crime or mystery stories is if I actually give a shit about the mystery or not. Well, I gave a huge shit about this one. I wanted Burke to claw his way to the center of this vile web and I wanted the people behind it to burn, really badly. That makes for gripping reading, but it's not really fun, per se. I know that Vachss deliberately set out with these books to jar and piss people off in the cause of social justice, so obviously he succeeds in spades.

Thankfully Burke's usual crew are all here, with a couple of new additions in Immaculata and Terry. Immaculata is an awesome, sweet social worker who helps kids who come from abusive situations and Terry is a likable street kid that becomes Michelle and the Mole's adopted child. Burke's motley crew of New York margin walkers is really what keeps me reading this series. They just add the right amount of fun and levity to keep these books from being just depressing if potent exercises in social activism. As much bad shit as there is in these books, Burke's "family of choice" does nothing but show that even outside the usual social and moral systems there are people who are dedicated to the side of good and are honorable and loyal to a fault. And who wouldn't love Pansy, Burke's monstrous Neapolitan?!

All this good stuff aside, this was probably one of the loosest plots in a Burke novel, which are never really streamlined and goal-oriented in the first place. Burke does a lot more than the usual loitering around his office, Mama's, Max's warehouse, the Mole's junkyard, etc. etc. and the actual polaroid story doesn't get really going until about 75% of the way into the book. Still, there are a lot of neat anecdotes about Burke's past and his usual scheming and scamming to keep the reader entertained. The books are still relatively short at under 300 pages so it's not like they ever get a chance to actually drag, it's just noticeable after binging on other thriller/crime writers like Lee Child or Dennis Lehane who hook you up to an IV of pure plot the entire book.

I definitely have read enough Vachss to know that he's one of my favorite crime writers, but he's just hard to take in high doses. While you always have good buddies in Burke and his crew, their world is just mean and nasty as fuck. Calling this stuff gritty or bleak just doesn't do it justice. These books are all about facing and living in the world outside the one we "citizens" occupy, and shit can get real bad there really quickly. Still, all that said I never regret or feel truly bad after reading a Vachss novel. In fact, it's kind of like the literary equivalent of having a boil lanced or barfing--it hurts while you're going through it but you feel relieved when it's over. There's just a wholesome quality to a scene where a heartless, sick child molesting John Wayne Gacy-type fuck gets his neck broken by a perfectly-placed karate kick, delivered by a deaf-mute Mongolian warrior.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is about 10 years after I read this 18 book series for the first time and now I am reliving it in the audible format while following along with e-books. This is a very strange series with some very strange characters and yet it has somehow captured my imagination the first time around and is doing it again. I think as the series moved along the books became more complicated. The title character in this second book actually did not appear until almost halfway into the book. And the people who comprise the “family“ of Burke are mostly immediately present. As usual 10 years later I don’t remember the outcome of the stories but I do have a pretty vivid recollection of the characters all of whom are definitely people who you will not meet in your normal life. This early book also goes into more detail about the aberrant sexual details of child sexual abuse that is the centerpiece of all of these books. It appears that I am about to resume going through this series book by book.

Here is some thing about the author that I stole from someplace through the 2022 gift of cut and paste:

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 youth exclusively, and is a founding member of the Legislative Drafting Institute for Child Protection. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, three collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a "children's book for adults." He is most currently engaged in the work of the Legislative Drafting Institute for Child Protection (ldicp.org). 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. His books have been awarded the Grand Prix de Littérature Policiére, the Falcon Award, Deutschen Krimi Preis, Die Jury des Bochumer Krimi Archivs and the Raymond Chandler Award (per Giurìa a Noir in Festival, Courmayeur, Italy). Andrew Vachss' latest books are Mortal Lock (Vintage, May 2013), SignWave (Pantheon, June 2015), and Carbon (Haverhill House, 2019). The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is vachss.com.

———————————-
I am not sure if you can say “the normal cast of characters” when it is only the second book in a series! Max the Silent, Mole, Michelle, Mama Wong, Prophet, Pansy, the trust-fund hippies, even Flood in retrospect. Not a normal person in the bunch!

This is a book of fiction with some doses of reality: sexual perversion involving children. You meet victims and perpetrators. Vachss styles himself as a crusader against child sexual abuse and his books allegedly have a goal of combating that social illness. I will have to read a few more of his books and reviews before I decide if he achieves his goal. For a three hundred page book, there is some action, but lots of talk. Most of it probably not talk you have heard before unless you have read other Vachss/Burke books.

I am imaging a term paper comparing and contrasting Flood from the first book of the Burke series and Strega from the second. Both are aggressive women and I wonder what motivates them; Burke suggests one thing: revenge. Did Burke love Flood? Did Strega rape Burke or should we just understand that he was asking for it? Flood is a love story; Strega is an anti-love story, a brutal story.

Strega gets four stars for its tension and for its portrayal of malevolence.

The book was actually read as a part of Down Here the omnibus of Burke #2, #3 and #4.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Perfilando y depurando su estilo propio en el género.-

Género. Novela.

Lo que nos cuenta. Burke sigue residiendo en Nueva York, todavía trabaja como detective privado muy especial y selectivo, además de continuar interpretando la ley a su manera pero respetando la justicia, al menos tal y como él la entiende. Tras resolver un asunto relacionado con la familia de un mafioso al que conoce, y después de varios recuerdos del pasado y alguna otra acción, Bourke se ve envuelto de nuevo con la familiar del mafioso, contra su voluntad, para encontrar una desagradable fotografía. Segundo libro de la serie Burke, que puede leerse de forma indepediente.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

* The second Burke novel.

* I have the Down Here omnibus, which includes the second, third, and fourth Burke novels. In his Introduction, Vachss says about Burke, "I wanted to show people what Hell really looked like...and I didn't think an angel would be the best guide." And he's right, I think. Yet Burke is much like Eastwood's character, The Man With No Name. And what is he but an avenging angel? And what's Burke's only religion? Revenge. So, yeah, Vachss was right; he just didn't think it through. He didn't need an angel, he needed a human being.

* At some point, you gotta ask yourself if you like the guy you're reading about. I waited until the end. I don't suppose it's a prerequisite that you like him, but it helps. I decided I didn't. I can't say he's self-centered--he's got friends to whom he's loyal. But he's certainly the center of his universe. You could say that about a lot of people, of course, but there's a difference with many of them, and it has to do with the size of that universe. I just started I, the Jury. One chapter in and I can already see the difference. Mike Hammer's friend has been murdered and he's going to kill the bastard that did it. He's got another friend, though, a cop. He knows the cop has a job to do and he's fine with that. But this is personal. So he'll work with the cop, but he won't wait for him; he gets there first, well, he's gonna do what he's got to do. At another point, Hammer tells us one reason he's so worked up about this: the friend saved his life, losing an arm in the process, from "a bastard of a Jap" who, during the war, was about to run him through with a bayonet. Hammer's universe is big enough to accommodate nations and what they stand for; big enough to accommodate other good people who work within the system. Not Burke's. Burke's is a small place inhabited by a handful of good people; all the rest are corrupt, or they're freaks or "citizens" (i.e., everyday people) who, if they aren't evil themselves, are little more than the enablers of the ones who are. It's a tiny, claustrophobic world where only Burke matters, Burke and his Chosen Few.

* Burke's the kind of hero that can make you root for the bad guys. It's funny. He's got this dog, see. It's a big monster, a Neapolitan Mastiff. It's just like him: you screw with her (or with Burke or anybody Burke likes), you're dead. At one point he's got the dog with him while he's meeting some toughs, including one huge bruiser. I found myself hoping for a Raiders moment. The dog's such a flashy weapon, she's like that ninja. I kinda wanted the bruiser to whip out a gun and blow the dog away. And I love dogs.

* To be honest, you can't really root for the bad guys. Burke goes after pedophiles. Sure, Vachss has plenty of skins on the wall and he knows what he's talking about. But pedophiles are easy meat: everybody hates them. Vachss makes it a point to mention in his Introduction that the Burke stories aren't like those of other tough-guy heroes. Unlike those guys, Burke changes with each book. Maybe he does. But do the villains? I don't know, but I'm afraid they're likely to be as one-dimensional at the end as they are here.

* I could go on and on. Maybe that's a good thing, right? The book makes me think. Just not about pedophiles so much. Where can you go with people who are inherently evil? Vachss knows this, of course. That's why he tries to show us the survivors, the victims. There's a great deal more to work with in that milieu. Then he goes and throws all that out the window by turning Burke into an idiot, a guy who, because he's an idiot, can take advantage of one of those survivors without culpability. We see the signs, but Burke, who supposedly knows a lot more about it than we do, has to have it spelled out for him. Hell, the way he tells it, he's a victim. You know, just like those pedophiles who claim it was the kids themselves who came onto them.

* I have a suspicion. I think Burke wouldn't like Strega. Vachss is on a mission; he admits it. He wants people to know the sort of scum that walk our streets; he wants people to help do something about them. But I think Burke would see through all that bs, that he'd realize that readers are probably drawn to these books because they offer a kind of titillation not readily available elsewhere. He wouldn't understand that and he wouldn't approve.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another dark story of Burke, who is hired by a former jailmate to stop a man from harassing his niece, Gina/Strega. She then contacts Burke to find a photo taken of her friend's adorable son, who was sodomized on a school trip. Burke enlists the support of his unorthodox team (Michelle, the prostitute, Max, the Mongolian mute, Mama, the Vietnamese restauranteur, and Mole, the junkyard owner, to track down the perpetrators.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5stars- A gritty tale with the most depraved kind of story line, child sex trafficking. Burke is a bad man for hire that occasionally does good things. He grew up raised by the state, but now he is surrounded by his hand picked family of weirdos and warriors, the loyalty here is most admirable. I didn't enjoy this plot as much as book 1, Flood, but I do like the motley crew of characters and the fact that it is set in the 80's. I'll definitely keep reading Vachss "Burke" series.

[Barry Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I have read a more likable criminal.

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pedophile diddled six-year-old Scott while he was on a school field trip. The creep not only forced the boy to do unspeakable horrors, but he also took a single picture of the experience.

Burke is an unconventional detective, to say the least. He’s an ex-con turned private investigator, and when the money runs low on his investigations, he turns to scams and identity theft to keep the wolves from the door. There’s not much about him that seems redeemable, and yet, his investigations damage those who are evil and uphold decency. He just has unorthodox, scary ways of getting at the truth.

Gina is a slim, small-breasted redhead who refers to herself as Strega whenever she’s around Burke. Another ex-con who learned Strega is searching for that illusive picture of little Scott refers her to Burke. Strega isn’t Scott’s mom, but Scott plays with her daughter, Mia.

This, then, is the account of an ethically impaired detective digging among the ethically nonexistent pedophile community to find that one picture that could help little Scott more fully recover. Burke’s search takes him into the dark and filthy realms of the pedophile community, and the author provides an unflinching, unblinking examination of that community including horrifying descriptions of some of the images Burke discovers. In fact, every sex scene in this book is loveless and beyond graphically detailed. Vachss provides jarringly close-up descriptions of the oral sex Strega performs on Burke. Those descriptions frankly disgusted me. I’m never going to be able to unhear the images described in those child porn pictures Burke finds. I’m not sure I can finish this series and subject myself to that kind of spiritual damage. If you like your sexual descriptions extremely edgy and far less formulaic and tiresome than what most authors turn out, this could be your kind of book. I’m more tolerant of that stuff than I ought to be, but this one rocked me hard. A spiritual/brain shower is much harder to achieve than the physical kind designed to remove external grit and grime. Please don’t mistake this as a criticism of the author. It’s not. If he didn’t write so memorably and well, I could kick this series to the curb and summarily dismiss it as tiresome, formulaic, and predictable. That’s not at all how he writes. This stuff is too detailed, too graphical, and too hard to forget. That’s a hallmark of an excellent writer. The natural-man sleazy me is fascinated by this series and wants to continue it; but the series horrifies and sickens a bigger part of me. I’m not sure whether I can keep reading it.

[Rodolfo Santullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

La novela negra es inagotable. Un gran amigo me regaló la que hoy reseño y le entré sin tener idea de nada. No sólo me encuentro con un librazo hard boiled como para alquilar balcones, sino que una rápida googleada me da que su autor Vachss escribió... ¡18 novelas con el personaje! Burke es un ex presidiario que trabaja como detective sin licencia en la New York de los años 80s. Se especializa en casos de niños: abuso, desapariciones, prostitución infantil. Burke es un criminal, que opera con los modos -y cómplices, su nutrido elenco secundario: Max, el ninja sordomudo; El Profesta, Michelle, El Topo, etc.- de un criminal, uno que tiene los contactos, los saberes, los caminos, todo lo que necesita para trabajar en ese margen donde lo legal no llega y lo ilegal no importa. El caso puntual de Strega es una foto -porno infantil- que le toca en suerte a Burke encontrar -una foto en New York, la proverbial aguja en un pajar- pero más allá de eso, la novela está cargada de mini anécdotas -como conoció Burke a sus cómplices, que sabe de distintos mafiosos locales, cómo funciona tal o cual componente criminal- que poblan sus páginas (y que algo estiran, justo es decir) dando una historia más "antológica", más allá del caso puntual que Burke investiga. Cruda, violenta, bien escrita, no me cabe duda que me anoto a más aventuras de Burke (y novelas de Vachss, con el personaje o no) de aquí en adelante.

[Vaelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining but soooo unsettling.

[Chris Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the main characters are gaining their personalities, only downside is it felt a whole lot more preachy than the first book. Still a great book.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a stack of Andrew Vachss paperbacks at a bookstore in Jacksonville and I was THRILLED.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Vachss know how to keep one from sleeping. Just can't stop. Don't want to put it down

[David Szatkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character is a convict who lives not quite on the right side of the law. The result is a gritty detectivce style novel that has more than a few surprises and character that will be interesting to the reader.

[Feliks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I much prefer Burke #2 to his introduction in 'Flood'. 'Flood' is not as robust as 'Strega' but they're both worthwhile because by the time you get to 'Blue Belle'; Vachss is taking no prisoners. That's where he really hits his stride. Still--of these two earlier outings-- 'Strega' is definitely more memorable.

'Flood' --as a character--is just somewhat of a crudely-drawn concoction; there's some things which don't quite gel; her martial arts background; her vengeance and its execution strains credulity. Too much romance between her and Burke; and things wrap themselves up all just a little neatly. Oh well--it was his first. He obviously gets better as he goes along.

'Strega' is adroitly drawn portrait of an icy cold, 'mafia wife'. Its really a character intricate enough to stand up to the weirdness of Burke himself. I live in that part of Brooklyn and I can assure you Vachss nails it. There are woman like that--families like that--about twenty streets away from where I live. Her sad story--revealed with a punch at the end of the book--is superb.

Next: I've skimmed over some of the observations in the other reviews so far, I'm somewhat perplexed and I think its well to address their remarks before I close out my own.

First; the Burke series "is what it is". What's the point in reading any of these titles if you can't deal with either the themes or the setting? No one is twisting your arm. Easier books are available, further down along the mystery aisle. Try Lord Peter Wimsey.

These books are designed to explore harsher territory --the truly nasty terrain that all the glossier writers (Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton) are too chicken to venture into. This intent is built into the very character of Burke.

If you can't handle it--no dishonor attaches to you--just put it down and move on to something else. Vachss has really done something unique here; let's give credit where credit is due.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in the series of Burke.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first one. And it's not real enjoyment, more fascination.

Strega was a hard book, with hard things going on, but somehow Mr Vachss decided to add some fluff into the book and I'm not really sure how I took that. Mr Vachss has made it clear the evils out there, and to the point, shoved it in our faces in Flood. So why now is he trying to show us a softer side? Give us a breather from all the maggots? I don't get it, nor do I see where this will go.

Okay so let me tell you a little about this book.

It always starts off with just one case, and slowly expands.

Burke is asked by his jailbird friend to help a woman in a bad place. Burke, being Burke, doesn't pass the chance up. Its simple, find the scumbag who is harassing/threatening the woman and her child and dispose of the scumbag. Simple.

When Burke start to come down from his adrenaline rush and float back into mild depression, the woman, Strega, finds him and our plot is made.

Strega's daughter, whom is safe now, has a friend who it's discovered has not been spared from the likes of what Burke disposed of. Strega's mission to Burke -- find the paraphernalia that is haunting her daughters best friend.

Taking you through the angry and vulgar streets of NYC on his mission you discover the same vermin you found in Flood.

However, and this is the part that I did not personally like, Mr Vachss makes a mystery a barrier about and around Strega. I saw the ending page from the beginning page. And I just didn't get Burke with her. WHY Burke, WHY?

The climax, was not really a climax, although I got to meet Wolfe, whom I'm eager to see in the next of the series. It fell flat in comparison.

But I'm intrigued with the history of these books. And I like what he is/was trying to do with this information.

Not a bad read.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Για έναν περίεργο λόγο η μετάφραση της σειράς στην Ελλάδα άρχισε από αυτό το βιβλίο, που είναι το δεύτερο, και όχι από το πρώτο όπως συνηθίζεται και βέβαια στο έκτο σταμάτησε. Τέλος πάντων, αυτοτελή αστυνομικά είναι τα βιβλία, με ίδιο κεντρικό ήρωα και αφηγητή, τον Μπερκ, και κάποιους κοινούς χαρακτήρες.

Ο Μπερκ δεν είναι αυτό που λένε καλό παιδί, πρώην κατάδικος είναι, λωποδύτης, ιδιωτικός ερευνητής/ντετέκτιβ δίχως άδεια, γενικά κάνει παρανομίες για να τα βγάλει πέρα. Όμως αυτό που δεν αντέχει καθόλου και που μπορεί να τον κάνει και δολοφόνο, είναι η παιδική πορνογραφία, το κύκλωμα διαφθορέων παιδιών και όλη αυτή η σαπίλα. Στην ιστορία μας καλείται για λογαριασμό μιας αινιγματικής γυναίκας, της Στρέγκα, να βρει μια μοναδική φωτογραφία ενός μικρού αγοριού στην οποία αυτό αναγκάζεται να κάνει κάτι πραγματικά άσεμνο με έναν ενήλικα κλόουν. Η αναζήτηση της φωτογραφίας ανάμεσα στις χιλιάδες άλλων παιδιών που υπάρχουν είναι σαν να ψάχνει ψύλλο στ'άχυρα και πρέπει να βρεθεί στους βρόμικους δρόμους της Νέας Υόρκης, γεμάτους πόρνες, νταβατζήδες και ανώμαλους παιδεραστές, για να βγάλει μια άκρη. Φυσικά έχει τους φίλους για να τα βγάλει πέρα και τις κατάλληλες άκρες εδώ και κει και έτσι θα δημιουργήσει ένα ακόμα ρήγμα στο κύκλωμα των ανώμαλων που καταστρέφουν παιδικές ψυχές.

Αρκετά μαύρο και σκληρό μυθιστόρημα, ο κόσμος που περιγράφεται είναι βρώμικος και μέσα στη σαπίλα. Οι χαρακτήρες ενδιαφέροντες, η γραφή πολύ καλή και ευκολοδιάβαστη, με σκληρούς διαλόγους και τέλειες περιγραφές και η ατμόσφαιρα φυσικά νουάρ. Με κόστος τρία ευρώ πέρασα ευχάριστα για έξι-εφτά ώρες. Όχι κι άσχημα...

[Inga · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Flood, Vachss' first novel about Burke, I also bought the second one, Strega, which was first published 1987. But it took me a while to actually read it.

Strega isn't any less dark or brutal than Flood. Vachss elaborates on Burke's character and life story. We get to know about his time in prison and about the contacts he made there. Some background stories of his collection of bizarre friends make them (even) more likable.

Burke's new case is simple but seems unmanageable, even for him. Strega, a woman of Italian decsent and with a very strong will, wants him to find a photo. The photo is in Burke's language "kiddie porn" and shows the child of a friend of Strega. He doesn't want this case but Strega forces it on him in a way that points directly at Burke's "weaknesses". He is very empathetic and has to fight his own fears to finally fulfill his task.

As child abuse is Vachss' main topic he illuminates another sick aspect of it in Strega. One of Burke's leads is a rich pedophile who agrees to meet him to tell him about the wonderful love between men and boys and tries to justify this kind of "relationship". Burke reacts with total disgust and with this terrible display of the sick logic that's invented by the abusers to defend their crime against the children the whole justification is dismissed.

Apart from all the darkness of the story and the topic it was a very good read, well-written, a thrilling plot and great characters.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this second outing wasn't as readable or enjoyable as Flood, the first Burke novel. I really loved the character of Flood - - Strega, not so much. Of course, Burke didn't like her much either, but that didn't stop him from hopping into bed at her beck and call. Annoying. But all that said, I did like the book enough to want to move on to #3. When reading these, we must keep in mind that Burke inhabits 1985-87 New York, not the New York of today. It's seedier and more violent, at least in the places inhabited by Burke and his cohorts. The plot, revolving around sexual abuse of a certain little boy, is revolting, as is some of the scenes where Burke interviews some people who know the subject area. Tread carefully, as these things may keep you from wanting to read this series at all...good to know ahead of time before you spend your time and money. The great introductions to Max the Silent, the Mole, and the Prophet that the reader received in Flood stood me in good stead here, because their lives were not explained again in Strega, even though they figured prominently in the story and especially in the denouement. The denouement itself was complicated abd magnificent, and the bad guys got what was coming to them. Very satisfying. And no cliff hangers! Thank you for that, Mr. Vachss.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Already a bit confused only 2 chapters in. While the story picks up shortly after the events in Flood, there are a few disjointed elements. In Flood it was stated that Max the Silent was Tibetan, yet here, in the first few pages he is referred to as being Mongolian. Next, in Flood our antihero, Burke, had an illegal party line in his office/home that he sponged off the hippie dope dealers downstairs; here, however, he is using a pay phone on the hippie's floor, just outside their door. Huh? While minor on the surface, these inconsistencies seem at odds with Mr. Vachss usual attention to detail. Probably would give the book 2.5 stars, as it's not as tight as Flood. The first half of the book contains a lot of flashbacks that make it a little hard to follow the story, several new characters (Immaculata, Wolfe) are introduced, which takes away a bit from the core characters (Burke, Michelle, Prof, Mole, Pansy), but also lays the groundwork for future novels. The pacing a bit off, with a lot of time spent on the set-up and the payoff coming really quickly in the final pages (seemed a bit abrupt). The strongest parts of the novel are the descriptions and inner city happenings. Overall, not as fluid as Flood.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not as strong as the first installment (though it does finish well). This story follows Burke and his crew searching for an indecent picture of a little boy. Strega, the woman they've hired to find it, casts a "spell" on Burke making him question his sanity and his loyalty to Flood on more than one occasion. We meet a love interest for Max the Silent and in turn, a permanent character, Immaculata, is added to the family. In addition to Mac, Michelle adopts street kid Terry after Burke picks him up in an effort to sting his pimp. Terry becomes the Mole and Michelle's adopted child and another permanent cast memeber. As stated earlier, good, but not as strong as the first one. The mob makes its first appearence when Burke's prison "buddy" Julio, a top mafia captain, approaches him to meet with Strega about the picture. It's interesting to see their machinations and follow Burke on a seemingly impossible path but overall it's not as engaging as Flood.

[Diana C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is not for the easily offended or faint of heart. His hard-boiled (cliche I know but the word was invented for this guy), flawed and not always likable. But his loyalty to his equally colorful friends, scary dog and his intense drive to bring the lowest types of criminals to some type of justice makes up for his many flaws. His mission? To stop the real life monsters that prey on the most vulnerable (children) for either sick pleasure or money or both. It can be a tough read. But Vachss is a very good writer & takes the reader right through the underbelly of evil, with great dialogue, often witty, memorable characters & suspense. A side note, I could not have read this novel when my children were young & trust me it’s still not a light hearted read. But this my second book in this series & certain I will read the rest. But then, faint of heart does not exactly describe me.