Rating: 
Summary: Another great Burke Novel
Review: "Only Child" is a return to what makes the Burke novels great. Andrew Vachss is giving us the message through great characterization and great plot when Burke goes back to New York. His great supporting cast is one of the best I've encountered and it's great seeing Mama, Max, Prof, Clarence, the Mole, Terry and Michelle back in the mix. Some of the fringe players are back as well when Burke is hired to investigate the murder of a young girl. As with all Burke novels, this book takes place in the present and incorporates recent events both above and below ground. People who read it will definitely draw comparisons to the underside of some themes in modern movies like Vin Diesel's XXX (though this book is obviously not an extreme sports action/adventure international spy story, it won't be hard to notice the topicality of some of the themes in this book.) For Burke fans, you won't be disappointed. For newcomers, there's plenty enough in this book to make you want to read the entire series from front to back.
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Summary: the hardest writing author in the world
Review: Andrew Vachss is a superb writer and a hell of a human being. I've watched his style evolve from his 1st published novel, FLOOD, to his recent books and his writing just keeps getting better and better. Charles Bukowski once said that the most difficult thing in Art is to create something simple. Vachss can say more in one sentence than most writers can say in a whole page; his prose is as lean and spare as a haiku. All of his books are worth owning. I was fortunate enough to have 3 autographed copies of his work, including ONLY CHILD, sent to me while I was a prisoner in the Washington State prison system and to see his handwriting extolling me to "Stay Strong" and "Come Home Soon" was a genuinely moving experience. He's the greatest.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than the Last, But still Flawed
Review: Andrew Vachss lost the thread of his Burke books about five years ago. What he needs is a good editor again to tell him what's working and what isn't. I have to say, though, that he seemed to be getting back on track with this one, although there's about 80 pages of padding. I kept saying to myself, "Get to it, Vachhs, and stop babbling!" Finally I gave up and just couldn't finish. Still, I remain a fan of the man's work.
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Summary: Vachss Fascinates ...
Review: because each book shows the reader the insidious new trends that prey upon us all. Only Child exposes us to the vicious new world of "reality film" -- it's Fight Club meets Candid Camera, all draped in noir. No one is better than Andrew Vachss in laying out the problem, then making us mad enough to think about a solution. He's the only novelist that forces me to think about how to make my reality better as soon as I finish the book.
I have all his books, which are *all* eminently collectable. And all his titles are so popular you can find them in any general bookstore, besides online services like amazon.
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Summary: Try To Put It Down, I Dare You!
Review: It is 4:30 in the morning.
Now that we have established that little fact, let me tell you a little bit about my reading habits. I have a library full of books. Heck, I work in a book store. I adore books. A nice little chunk of every day is spent reading something. Since my son was born almost a year ago, this reading mostly takes place at the foot of the stairs to my apartment while I draw on a pipe so the smoke won't offend anyone else in the house. I usually read in twenty to forty minute sessions, usually enough for a bowl or two of Vanilla Cavendish. After that I put the book down and go about my day (or night as it usually turns out). It is like my own little sanctuary, and that is where I leave it. There is a stack of books at the foot of the stairs I am currently working through. In the last year I have never brought a book back up with me to continue. There is always a good spot to put a book down, believe me. At least I thought so until I started Only Child today. I read while I smoked, then I came up to the living room and read while my wife watched TV, then I returned to the spot and smoked some more (at least with a pipe I am looking at lip and throat cancer rather than that lung stuff), followed by a stint in the rocking chair and finally finishing with a last smoke while the book raced to its conclusion. I am not a fast reader either. I tend to savor books. The closer this book got to the final pages, however, the faster I read. I read as I walked up and down the stairs. I read as I went to the kitchen for a soda. I just couldn't look away from this book. In my younger days, I might have read a book straight through, but age (and being an aging father) has caught up with me. Now it is an unknown experience. Until I started Only Child today.
I am not going to go into plot elements and how wonderful and engaging and hard Mr. Vachss writing is or even how amazing the character of Burke is at he has evolved over the years and in the pages (and you should read the Burke novels in order as there is definite evolution and continuity). You probably know all that. I am simply going to tell you that in years of reading some really wonderful books, the experience of having found one so intriguing that I couldn't put it down until it was done is an experience I haven't had in a very long while.
It is 4:30 in the morning, and I couldn't be happier. Or more blown away.
Rating: 
Summary: Burke, Back in Town
Review: It took Andrew Vachss nearly two full novels to get his tarnished hero, the underworld figure Burke, back to his native New York from his exile on the West Coast. Burke's return is more than wlecome, for it pumps new life into a series that was growing somewhat stale heading into its 15th volume. Though bringing Burke home causes "Only Child" to start a little slow, it picks up the pace after about pasge 25, and is ultimately one of the better entries in the series. This time out, Burke is hired by a closeted homosexual gangster to investigate the murder of his teenage daughter. Burke enlists his usual crew: The Mole, The Prof, Michelle, Mama, Max the Silent, etc., to help him track the killer. The investigation eventually leads to a video ring that is taping violent "reality" encounters featuring local teenagers. Once again, Vachss has managed to mine the depths of human depravity to lend additional weight to his story. Crime novels simply don't get much grittier than this. Though some of his dialog still tends to be a bit over the top (the worst offenders this time out are the two lesbian porno queens), no other mystery writer working today writes with such cuttingly sharp prose or with a better feel for the streets. Overall, "Only Child" is a winning entry in a veteran mystery/crime series.
Rating:
Summary: Burke, Back in Town
Review: It took Andrew Vachss nearly two full novels to get his tarnished hero, the underworld figure Burke, back to his native New York from his exile on the West Coast. Burke's return is more than wlecome, for it pumps new life into a series that was growing somewhat stale heading into its 15th volume. Though bringing Burke home causes "Only Child" to start a little slow, it picks up the pace after about pasge 25, and is ultimately one of the better entries in the series. This time out, Burke is hired by a closeted homosexual gangster to investigate the murder of his teenage daughter. Burke enlists his usual crew: The Mole, The Prof, Michelle, Mama, Max the Silent, etc., to help him track the killer. The investigation eventually leads to a video ring that is taping violent "reality" encounters featuring local teenagers. Once again, Vachss has managed to mine the depths of human depravity to lend additional weight to his story. Crime novels simply don't get much grittier than this. Though some of his dialog still tends to be a bit over the top (the worst offenders this time out are the two lesbian porno queens), no other mystery writer working today writes with such cuttingly sharp prose or with a better feel for the streets. Overall, "Only Child" is a winning entry in a veteran mystery/crime series.
Rating:
Summary: Another Outstanding Installment in the "Burke" Series
Review: Mr. Vachss has done it again ... focused a novel on an issue/phenomenon years, perhaps decades, before the media or the general public become aware of its existence (previous examples include: predatory pedophiles using computer bulletin boards and piquerism ... there are many more). In ONLY CHILD Mr. Vachss' hero, Burke becomes embroiled in an investigation which uncovers a new and quite terrifying form of "film-making." To gain information about this new and deadly "art-form" Burke and his family (Max, Mole, Michelle, Terry, Prof, Clarence, Mama, et al. are reunited in this exciting and complex tale) must infiltrate the exclusive and close-mouthed teenage cliques of a suburban high school. The techniques used to accomplish this "infiltration" are brilliant in their intricacy and inventiveness. An excellent, action-filled crime drama made all the more chilling as it is so firmly grounded in reality.
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Summary: Read this book!
Review: This book is the greatest! The author's critique of movie worshippers is the best ever.
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Summary: "Classic" Burke
Review: This is a return to the sort of Burke story that got me hooked on the series in the first place. It was great to have Burke reconnected with his New York "family". I'm always impressed with Mr. Vachss' abilities as a writer on every level, plot, dialouge, texture and (especially in this instance) a killer ending - he certainly doesn't disappoint here. If you are unfamiliar with the series, this would be a good place to jump in, if you are already a Vachss reader, you can be sure that a great series continues to thrive with this installment.
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