Flood

Rating:
Summary: Fun and fast paced
Review: This book is entertaining by all means and will not leave you bored at any point during the novel. If that is what you are going for, than by all means pick up this novel, it will not leave you disappointed. The characters are incredibly interesting and at some points Vachss reminded me of Spillane, my all time favorite mystery writer. The only problem I had with this book was with the main character. Everything seems to go his way, not necessairly in the events of the story, but in his past. Numerous times when an object is referenced to, Burke will go ahead and explain how he attained it, and this happens quite often. In the first few pages you learn why Burke does not pay for his apartment, and you think "Wow, that is pretty cool." And then when you read about his friend Max the Silent, you think, "Wow, that is pretty cool." And you think this when you learn about his mail, or when you learn how his calls are routed. It just seems too convenient and fantastic. I have not read any of Vachss' other books (I plan to), but I have heard from friends that they are all about child molesters. This isnt a good thing, writers should write about more than just one topic.

Rating:
Summary: Fun and fast paced
Review: This book is entertaining by all means and will not leave you bored at any point during the novel. If that is what you are going for, than by all means pick up this novel, it will not leave you disappointed. The characters are incredibly interesting and at some points Vachss reminded me of Spillane, my all time favorite mystery writer. The only problem I had with this book was with the main character. Everything seems to go his way, not necessairly in the events of the story, but in his past. Numerous times when an object is referenced to, Burke will go ahead and explain how he attained it, and this happens quite often. In the first few pages you learn why Burke does not pay for his apartment, and you think "Wow, that is pretty cool." And then when you read about his friend Max the Silent, you think, "Wow, that is pretty cool." And you think this when you learn about his mail, or when you learn how his calls are routed. It just seems too convenient and fantastic. I have not read any of Vachss' other books (I plan to), but I have heard from friends that they are all about child molesters. This isnt a good thing, writers should write about more than just one topic.

Rating:
Summary: Someone out there is laughing!
Review: This is a remarkable work of "detective" fiction. The world it portrays is all too real, if disturbing in the extreme.

One aspect of this book (and others by Vachss) that has rarely been noted by reviewers is the author's brilliantly dark sense of humour. (For example: the "night arraignment" scene that has lawyer Blumberg pleading for the life of "Doberman" before a baffled supreme court justice is one of the funniest pieces of prose I have ever read, as is the hilarious description of the telephone "con" run on the stuffed-shirt at the VA.)

Vachss has the "graveyard" sense of humour so typical of survivors of various forms of deep trauma (soldiers, cops, criminals, cons, etc.). It is this sense of humour that gives a special edge to his work, and prevents it from falling into the abyss of mere sermonizing.

The cast of characters devised in this work are outstanding fictional creations.

A very fine work all around. For me, it is right up there with Ellroy's BLACK DAHLIA.

Rating:
Summary: An paranoid tour of the Big Apple
Review: This is the first book of the Burke series, and one of the best. It is about urban survivalist named Burke and his tough-as-nails friends, who decide to help a girl named Flood (who is no delicate little flower herself) get revenge on a sicko named the Cobra. The intensity builds as Burke and company work up a scheme to flush the Cobra out of hiding. This is a facinating novel that tells its story from the viewpoint of an extreme paranoid. That doesn't mean that Burke is psychotic. In his world, Burke is a realist. Most people in Burke's world are scum, and out to get him. The supporting characters are unique and well written. My favorites are Max the Silent, a mute Mongolian who is so lethal with his hands, no one ever challenges him anymore, and the Prof, a scrawny rapping street person, who often knows whats going down on the streets before the part- icipants do. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys hardboiled dialog and inventive characters.

Rating:
Summary: Darkly funny
Review: This is the first in the Burke series. I read the second (didn't even know they were a series at the time) when I was a teen... you really don't need the first to read the second... Anyways, I read it, and thought "yes". Burke is a con artist, an ocasional murderer, a paranoid (but they're really after him) and a theif. He lives on the edges of the gene pool, where the scum grows thick and green. He also, incedentaly, hates loaths and despises child molesters and abusers in general. Voilla, a story is born. Flood, as the first book, is also the first of several tough sexy women, all physically different but all sharing similar charactistcs (Vachss doesn't deal in innocence much, unless it's in how it was taken away).

Andrew Vachss became somewhat of a target of controversy for writing these books; some people say he's capitalizing on child abuse, others think he should be sainted for drawing such unflattering attention to it & campaigning against it. Personaly, I give less than a smidge for the politics of my authors; if I had to research the backgrounds of everyone who writes the books I read I'd never bother to read. I generaly just judge a book on how it was written. And I really, really like these books. They crack me up (ok, so some people seem to think they're morbid and cynical. So?) and [annoys me]at the same time.

If there's one thing about this series that gets to me it's a sameness about the women as Vachss writes them. Not a physical sameness... he's good about that. And as characters, they stand out vividly in mind. But... while Vachss characterizes his main people extremely well (I love Michelle and the Mole) he doesn't give as much depth to the ones who arn't sticking around. They tell their stories and step offstage.

The stories get more complex later in the series, and better, which is why this one - as simple, prefect and sweet as it is - gets only 4 stars. I'd call it 4.5, but there's no catagory for half stars.

People with a low threshhold for the really grim stuff in life should read these in moderation.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping, intense - not for the faint of heart!
Review: Vachss has fast become my all time favorite author, as evidenced by my framed autographed photo and enormous collection of his works. Flood, the first in the Burke series is an intense thriller that draws a reader directly into the action and makes them feel a connection with Burke's 'family'. After reading this, it's a sure bet you'd want to rush out for the next in this series! If you like crime novels - do NOT miss this one

Rating:
Summary: More of a pilot of a TV series than a true novel,
Review: Vachss seems to be more enamored with wisecracks than a substanstial plot. Much of the novel was devoted to creating an atmosphere rather than driving the storyline. In fact, the actual plot happened on the last 50 pages of the story! And mix in comic-book/TV show quality characters like a master kung-fu artist, a RuPaul like hooker, a lawyer ala Danny de Vito in The Rainmaker, among others and you have a nice prime time P.I. action-comedy series.

Rating:
Summary: A Gritty Urban Revenge Fantasy
Review: What is it about revenge that makes it such a vicariously satisfying experience? While most people would never act on their impulses for it, the desire for vengeance can be an overwhelming pleasure. To read about, or see, characters who follow their baser emotions can make for a thrilling ride.

Enter Andrew Vachss. A lawyer who has specialized in crimes against children, Vachss has condensed and distilled all his rage on the subject, and has created a revenge fantasy that may be one of the nastiest stories put to page.

FLOOD, Vachss' first novel, introduces the reader to Burke, an anti-hero like no other. Not necessarily a hitman, Burke is more of an avenging angel for hire, if he can be convinced the cause is worthy, and his Neopolitan mastiff Pansy doesn't rip a prospective client to shreds. His existence consists of an odd assortment of hookers, restaurant owners, gambling, and Max the Silent, his spiritual brother, and possibly the most dangerous man on Earth.

Into this world enters Flood, a woman with a dilemma. She wants Burke to find a man. When he is found, she will kill him. Burke doesn't immediately jump at the opportunity, but the man Flood wants is, among other things, a pedophile. For reasons that are his own, Burke has a particular intense hatred for child molesters. Soon enough, he agrees to help, for a price.

Vachss' novels (this is the first of many Burke novels) are as hard-boiled as they come. The characters can be seen as ridiculous in the light of day, but in Vachss' hands, they take on an eerie nobility. I say eerie, because in most circumstances, you would never sit next to any of his characters on a bus. It's quite a feat to write novels based on people you'd be afraid to even glance at, and still make them entertaining. But Vachss has a genuine empathy for his characters. His novels are not disposable. They are far too well-written to be dismissed as mere 'entertainment'.

There are some who might gripe about the uneasy moral tones of the novel. The idea of taking the law into your own hands is a repugnant quality in most aspects of our lives. But almost all literary heroes can be defined as loners who work outside of convention. Is Burke different than any number of fictional characters who do what we cannot, or dare not? Burke himself realizes that his universe is not for everyone. He did not create the world, he only does what he can to survive within it.

Burke's world is fictional, to an extent. The underbelly of society he inhabits may be seductive in its way, but it is a heightened reality that is hard to swallow sometimes. But Vachss is an able tourguide. And he understands what makes revenge such an irresistible emotion, and a dangerous one as well.

Rating:
Summary: The best of the new noir
Review: With a cast of unforgettable characters, this, the first of the Burke series hits you like a slap in the face. Although not the best of the series, it's a must read as an introduction to the world and the characters that Mr. Vachss has so deftly created. Not for the kids, but an incredible tour of a New York underworld that you would neither want to visit OR live in. But it's a place that makes for a riveting read