Rating: 
Summary: Vachss' Best Burke
Review: Strega is perhaps the pinnacle of Vachss' Burke novels. Lean, taut, poetic, dark and sharp. If I had to keep only one book from the series, this would be it.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss--New York Haiku
Review: Strega, my first Andrew Vachss novel has definitely not been my last. One of the most intriguing and philosophically stimulating authors I've read; a rare find in this genre. Vachss delivers poignant insights into our modern society & human interaction. These insights are woven into an exciting story of good (sort of) vs evil (the vilest), populated with characters more bizarre than even Hiassen creates. There are only few authors about whom you can say 'I'd read anything he/she wrote'- Vachss is one of these.It is film noir on paper. It IS New York Haiku. It is a delight.
Rating:
Summary: Watch out for the witch
Review: The opening scene of "Strega," in which Burke stallks a stalker, is as effective as anything he's written. The climax is so good, the rest of the book is almost a letdown. But never fear, beyond the opening Vachss sends Burke in pursuit of the subject closest to his heart, a child being sexually abused. You know that Burke is going to find and confront those responsible. How he gets there, with the help of the "witch" Strega, is well worth the price of admission. This is one of Burke's best adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Watch out for the witch
Review: The opening scene of "Strega," in which Burke stallks a stalker, is as effective as anything he's written. The climax is so good, the rest of the book is almost a letdown. But never fear, beyond the opening Vachss sends Burke in pursuit of the subject closest to his heart, a child being sexually abused. You know that Burke is going to find and confront those responsible. How he gets there, with the help of the "witch" Strega, is well worth the price of admission. This is one of Burke's best adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Watch out for the witch
Review: The opening scene of "Strega," in which Burke stallks a stalker, is as effective as anything he's written. The climax is so good, the rest of the book is almost a letdown. But never fear, beyond the opening Vachss sends Burke in pursuit of the subject closest to his heart, a child being sexually abused. You know that Burke is going to find and confront those responsible. How he gets there, with the help of the "witch" Strega, is well worth the price of admission. This is one of Burke's best adventures.
Rating: 
Summary: Atmosphere is not enough
Review: This book certainly has all the noir atmosphere and gritty authenticity that Vachss is known for, but in other respects it's not all that strong. The plot here is very thin; for all its brevity, the book is bulked up to a certain extent with a lot of peripheral stories and vignettes, which, while often fascinating in themselves, feel a little too much like filler. This feeling is reinforced by the extensive description of actions toward an end: getting in the car, driving up the West Side Highway, going and getting the dog... Other elements contribute to this sense of flaccidity. The character of Strega is not really sufficiently developed, and her psychology is not very convincing. Vachss's secondary characters - the Mole, Max the Silent, Michelle - are always fun, but they tend to border on parody; and while I always enjoy them in themselves - especially Max - Vachss flirts with the risk of undermining his credibility with their over-the-top portrayal. The net result is a lack of the tension that is what a book like this is supposed to be about. There's really very little suspense, and while I will continue to follow the series for at least another book or two, I'll be hoping for a bit more of a payoff.
Rating:
Summary: Atmosphere is not enough
Review: This book certainly has all the noir atmosphere and gritty authenticity that Vachss is known for, but in other respects it's not all that strong. The plot here is very thin; for all its brevity, the book is bulked up to a certain extent with a lot of peripheral stories and vignettes, which, while often fascinating in themselves, feel a little too much like filler. This feeling is reinforced by the extensive description of actions toward an end: getting in the car, driving up the West Side Highway, going and getting the dog... Other elements contribute to this sense of flaccidity. The character of Strega is not really sufficiently developed, and her psychology is not very convincing. Vachss's secondary characters - the Mole, Max the Silent, Michelle - are always fun, but they tend to border on parody; and while I always enjoy them in themselves - especially Max - Vachss flirts with the risk of undermining his credibility with their over-the-top portrayal. The net result is a lack of the tension that is what a book like this is supposed to be about. There's really very little suspense, and while I will continue to follow the series for at least another book or two, I'll be hoping for a bit more of a payoff.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of strength of story, a little weak on presentation
Review: This book definitely held my interest and had a number of qualities that I like in a crime novel - tough characters, a moral direction, gritty urban scenes, a clear conclusion, etc. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is that I didn't feel that the author did a very good job of character development on the main character or some of the supporting characters. I also found the scene descriptions to be less vivid in terms of what the surroundings were like than they could have been. In other words, an interesting story, but one not presented as well as some other authors (Pelecanos, Turow, Leonard) might have done. I plan to read at least one more Vachss book before I decide to continue with his work or move on to other authors.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of strength of story, a little weak on presentation
Review: This book definitely held my interest and had a number of qualities that I like in a crime novel - tough characters, a moral direction, gritty urban scenes, a clear conclusion, etc. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is that I didn't feel that the author did a very good job of character development on the main character or some of the supporting characters. I also found the scene descriptions to be less vivid in terms of what the surroundings were like than they could have been. In other words, an interesting story, but one not presented as well as some other authors (Pelecanos, Turow, Leonard) might have done. I plan to read at least one more Vachss book before I decide to continue with his work or move on to other authors.
Rating:
Summary: Vachss at his best
Review: While later on in this series he takes an unfortunate turn into action novel territory (from which he's slowly recovering), this is probably the best book in the whole series. If you're looking for the hardest noir out there, this is the farthest you'll get before having to raid the small presses. This comes after "Flood" in the chronology, although I don't think it's necessary to read that novel first (although it too is quite good.) "Strega" is not a wonder of the English language, but it is razor sharp in terms of characterization and visualization. Vachss doesn't think much of himself as a writer, but here he shows he has chops. His spare descriptions are vivid. It should be noted, however, this book is not for the weak of stomach. It's not gory so much as...you see more of the evil side of humanity in this book than you ever want to in real life, let me put it that way. Not a beach read, but an excellent book.
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