Rating: 
Summary: Vachss & Burke are back! And they are better than ever
Review: Vachss is a man true to his passion, standing up for the abused children of New York or wherever he is called to help and he is one of the most intelligent people I have met. He uses his intelligence to create a way to make everyday people aware of the abuse that exists, call attention to his cause by using the written word and creating Burke, an instrument of revenge, seeker of the truth survivor of the night. Stepping into Vachss' dark, raw world is like going to a place where I would not be able to survive. He takes us there for a reason: weaving true life horrific events so the reader can briefly and safely see his day to day world with the abuse raging in all its horrifying reality. The new Burke book, number thirteen, titled Only Child, signals the return of the hero Burke. Upon returning to New York after a long absence and having recovered from injuries sustained in an attempt on his life, he must now cope with the loss of his love Pansy. Burke assembles the usual crew to investigate the murder of a Mafia man's sixteen-year-old love child. The fast paced, sharp dialogue, twists, and eventually the path Burke's investigation takes brings to mind the one of the most recent video horror of The Bums Fights. So weaving Burke's investigation with the truths that we, the citizens of the world know nothing of, Vachss takes us to a darker place indeed! The story delivers with his trade mark bluntness and leaves the reader coping with thoughts upon thoughts of bruised battered murdered children......and what can we do about this. I appreciate Vachss' single-mindedness, his raw story telling, the depth of his characters, their hurt damaged souls, still able to empathize feel and lash out trying to right a wrong, payback for so much damage. Vachss understand the dark and is talented enough to show us, to make us feel it. This book is a winner! Vachss' early works are collectable while his later works for some reason are not. This book puts him back here where he belongs: at the top; an extremely intelligent man with a lot to say.
Rating: 
Summary: "Watch me, watch me close."
Review: When it becomes clear at the end of 'Pain Management' that Burke has decided to return home to New York many readers breathed a sigh of relief. Burke's pain at his losses had created a world that was too nightmarishly bleak, even for Andrew Vachss. If the silent crusader had remained, the call of the zero would simply have become too strong. So the first part of 'Only Child' is a homecoming, one as joy filled as a Vachss story is ever allowed to get. Burke's family - Michelle the transsexual, Mama, the Professor, the Mole, Clarence, Max, Terry, and the countless others that Burke has helped all reappear. It is unusual to speak of love in the dark side of the city that Vachss' characters inhabit, but it is there, ready to lend one of the shadow knight all the strength he needs. The case Burke becomes a reflection of Burke's one need for family. Two men, both important in the organized crime world come to Burke with a grim problem. One of them had and interracial daughter at a time that is organization could not tolerate that behavior. He gave in to his fears and detached from the woman, and now, 18 years later she is dead, stabbed repeatedly and the police are useless. Giovanni doesn't know if the killing was a sex crime or an attempt at getting to him, but he wants revenge. And he and his lover want Burke to find the killer. The story turns into an intricate piece of detection, which is rare for a Vachss novel. In order to penetrate the world the girl lived in, Burke must hatch scheme after scheme, including an outstanding effort as a casting director. This is really one of Vachss more interesting plots, a shade less noir than usual. Think of it as an anti-heroic procedural. It has been a while since a Burke story has been this light on its feet, and the change is refreshing. The dialog is sharp, Vachss knack for making the reader feel the ghostly presence of the darkness is at a peak. As is his ability to penetrate to the essence of the victims and their predators. I think many old fans who have been less than happy lately will find this one a source of great delight.
Rating:
Summary: Another Splendid Read from Andrew Vachss
Review: _Only Child_ is full of all the wonderful things we love in the Burke series. Best not to plan anything else for the day you begin reading - Once this book is opened it will stay opened until the end!
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