Rating: 
Summary: You're Safe with Burke
Review: "Safe House" sets the tarnished hero Burke in pursuit of a stalker with a neo-Nazi bent. Anyone who has read previous Burke novels knows that this type of work is right up his alley. Along the way he hooks up with another exotic femme fatale in Crystal Beth, one of Burke's more interesting leading ladies. Andrew Vachss's writing reads like broken glass and barbed wire with its sharp cutting edges. He also knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. His stories are hardboiled rather than fast paced and they have a strong moral center that would not be obvious to the average square. Vachss is simply one of the best "detective" fiction writers working today.
Rating:
Summary: You're Safe with Burke
Review: "Safe House" sets the tarnished hero Burke in pursuit of a stalker with a neo-Nazi bent. Anyone who has read previous Burke novels knows that this type of work is right up his alley. Along the way he hooks up with another exotic femme fatale in Crystal Beth, one of Burke's more interesting leading ladies. Andrew Vachss's writing reads like broken glass and barbed wire with its sharp cutting edges. He also knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. His stories are hardboiled rather than fast paced and they have a strong moral center that would not be obvious to the average square. Vachss is simply one of the best "detective" fiction writers working today.
Rating:
Summary: Money Talks...B.S. Walks...and Vachss Writes!
Review: A friend suggested that I read SAFE HOUSE, and now I am hooked. Just the picture of Vachss wearing an eyepatch for the author's photo was enough to interest me. Vachss must have been keeping notebooks during his time as an attorney, etc., because he has the language, the mannerisms, the outlook and the style all down. Burke is the first hard-boiled, noir character that I've liked in a long time. It is because he's a real deal. Did I say hard- boiled? Burke and all of the other characters are deep-fried with a keen eye on what the world is really about. If you are looking for politically correct characters, a warm and fuzzy feeling or that everything is black & white, don't read Vachss. But, if you're looking for the real world, and how life really is with a dose of the Old Testament's vengence, then read on brother...
Rating: 
Summary: Burke to the Basics
Review: After the dogma and "preachiness" of False Allegations,
which wasn't necessarily bad, mind you, but a little long,
it's nice to see Vachss get back to the Basics. Burke is back in full style, tough, hard-boiled, and a problem to solve.
The intricacies of the story, the development of the characters, the pay off at the ending
All these together prove that Vachss is becoming a better writer as he goes along. IF you know Vachss, you won't be surprised here.
All the elements are here, the righteous indignation, the disgust with the legal system, and the notion of family.
All in all, with Safe House, M. Vachss brings us back to the hard-boiled character that we met in Flood. Great Read.
Rating:
Summary: Burke to the Basics
Review: After the dogma and "preachiness" of False Allegations,
which wasn't necessarily bad, mind you, but a little long,
it's nice to see Vachss get back to the Basics. Burke is back in full style, tough, hard-boiled, and a problem to solve.
The intricacies of the story, the development of the characters, the pay off at the ending
All these together prove that Vachss is becoming a better writer as he goes along. IF you know Vachss, you won't be surprised here.
All the elements are here, the righteous indignation, the disgust with the legal system, and the notion of family.
All in all, with Safe House, M. Vachss brings us back to the hard-boiled character that we met in Flood. Great Read.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!
Review: Blue Belle will always be my favorite, but this one was amazing too. Vachss understands women better than any writer I have ever read. You may not agree with his politics, but you have to admire the sheer, raw power of his prose. If the truth of sex and violence scares you, if you think "Pretty Woman" was the real deal, you should skip all of Vachss. But if you like what he does, nobody does it stronger.
Rating:
Summary: It's not as dark as his previous books!
Review: Burke allows his emotions to show in his relationships with his loyal "family." He and his friends will go the distance to protect others from the predators that stalk them. What I like a lot about his books, is the types of characters he uses. They're not necessarily physically attractive,but their appeal is from within themselves and their loyalty to one another.
Rating:
Summary: It's not as dark as his previous books!
Review: Burke allows his emotions to show in his relationships with his loyal "family." He and his friends will go the distance to protect others from the predators that stalk them. What I like a lot about his books, is the types of characters he uses. They're not necessarily physically attractive,but their appeal is from within themselves and their loyalty to one another.
Rating:
Summary: Steel and Silk!
Review: I don't usually read mysteries, but a friend said I *had* to try Vachss. I started with Hard Candy. I never read anything so cold and so sexy at the same time. Since then, I've read *everything* Vachss writes. I thought he hit his peak with Down in the Zero, to be truthful. And False Allegations was disappointing ... at least for me and the reasons *I* read the books. But Safe House ... pow! The man is *back!* I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: I like Vachss' works, but I hated "False Allegations" -the last one. (I posted my reasons in a review of that book.) Truly enjoyed this one though! (What can it mean though? We actually have a Vachss book with a positive character from a functional family? Not only that the plot does not deal wtih child abuse! Will wonders never cease?)
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