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Burke #1
Flood
Burke's newest client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster for her—so she can kill him with her bare hands.
In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss's renegade investigator teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child's murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug, Flood is Burke at his deadliest—and Vachss at the peak of his form.
In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss's renegade investigator teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child's murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug, Flood is Burke at his deadliest—and Vachss at the peak of his form.
341 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 1985
About the author
Andrew Vachss
150 books871 followersAndrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for “aggressive-violent” youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a “children’s book for adults.” His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, the New York Times, and many other forums. A native New Yorker, he now divides his time between the city of his birth and the Pacific Northwest.
The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is
www.vachss.com. That site and this page are managed by volunteers. To contact Mr. Vachss directly, use the "email us" function of vachss.com.
The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is
www.vachss.com. That site and this page are managed by volunteers. To contact Mr. Vachss directly, use the "email us" function of vachss.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
May 31, 2012
I was a rabid fan of Andrew Vachss before I even got to page 1 of Flood...and not just because of the kick ass eye patch.
Vachss has devoted his adult life to protecing children from two-legged predators. In his introduction to this novel, he is unabashedly honest that his purpose in writing this story (and the subsequent books in the series) was to educate people about the brutal and wide-spread reality of child abuse, and of the need to protect our young ones before, in our apathy or ignorance, we create the next generation of “monsters.” He explains that when he first wrote Flood in the early 1980s, child abuse was rarely, if ever, talked about, and was certainly not given the attention it is today.
Thus, after writing a critically acclaimed, but largely unknown, non-fiction work on the subject, Vachss decided to present his case against a fictional backdrop, which telling a compelling story, in order to reach a wider audience. He ends his intro with the following:
For me, knowing Vachss’s motivation makes dealing with the disturbing subject matter found within these pages a little easier, though it's still a difficult read. Child rape and murder, bondage snuff films, and sick fucks like you wouldn’t believe wander the pages of this story. This is dark, heavy stuff that can leave your faith in humanity shaken, if not downright shattered. However, in my opinion, Vachss has created in Burke the perfect protagonist to navigate this world and deal with these human stains (yes, I finally getting off my Vachss soapbox in order to discuss the book itself.
Burke has quickly secured himself a spot on my short-list of favorite characters, though it’s not for his sparkling personality or rosy outlook on life. Burke is bleak, angry and utterly pessimistic. He’s an ex-mercenary, ex-convict, not-so-ex-scam artist, who runs a shady, quasi-detective agency that doesn’t screen to close for legal before taking on a client. Burke’s far too jaded to even have a motto, but if he did, it would be something like, ‘The world is a bloated corpse and people are the maggots oozing out of its rotting carcass.’
What Burke does have is a profound sense of justice (aka vengeance), and a belief that the only way to deal with the worst of the maggots infecting the human population is to step on them until they go squish. When reading a story like this, Burke’s “eye for an eye,” “brutalize the brutal” mentality is exactly the kind of character I want dispensing payback to these walking piles of depravity. I’m sorry if this sounds too harsh, but the daddy in me doesn’t want to see these guys do jail time. I want to see a badly mangled corpse that died regretting he ever touched an innocent child.
Anyway, Burke is approached by a woman named Flood, who hires him to locate a violent fuckopath who raped and strangled her best friend's little girl. Flood doesn’t want Burke to kill him, just find him...so she can kill him. You see, Flood is a Queen of Badassia who studied martial arts in Japan under a “Master” and can kill you with her little finger.
Once Burke begins tracking down the scumbag known as “the Cobra,” the story really takes off, and I was glued to the page throughout. The various savory and unsavory tactics employed by Burke to flush out the bad guy are all kinds of awesome and make for a very compelling to read. Rarely have I been as hooked on the actual machinations of solving a mystery as I was during this story.
While certainly not a book that could ever have a truly happy ending, I was very satisfied with the conclusion and loved the way it wrapped up. There is also a nod to Casablanca at the very end that I thought was terrific...you’ll see.
Before I wrap up, I want to give a special shout out to Burke’s comrade in arms, “Max the Silent,” who is my single favorite character in the entire book, and one of the best supporting characters of ALL TIME. Max is a mute, martial arts “Master” and a walking instrument of death and destruction, who lives by a rigid code of honor, and absolutely steals the scene whenever he is on the page (which is tough for a character to do when he doesn’t speak). Max is just that cool.
Overall, a smartly written, deeply compelling read about very dark subjects, but handled exceptionally well by a terrific author. I’ll definitely be reading more of the Burke series, however, given the story-lines, it’s not something I can do one after the other.
I need something shiny and happy right now.
4.0 to 4.5 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
Vachss has devoted his adult life to protecing children from two-legged predators. In his introduction to this novel, he is unabashedly honest that his purpose in writing this story (and the subsequent books in the series) was to educate people about the brutal and wide-spread reality of child abuse, and of the need to protect our young ones before, in our apathy or ignorance, we create the next generation of “monsters.” He explains that when he first wrote Flood in the early 1980s, child abuse was rarely, if ever, talked about, and was certainly not given the attention it is today.
Thus, after writing a critically acclaimed, but largely unknown, non-fiction work on the subject, Vachss decided to present his case against a fictional backdrop, which telling a compelling story, in order to reach a wider audience. He ends his intro with the following:
I don’t see myself as a writer, but as a soldier in the only holy war worthy of the name. This [book] was the first shot I fired.From that moment, I was sold.
For me, knowing Vachss’s motivation makes dealing with the disturbing subject matter found within these pages a little easier, though it's still a difficult read. Child rape and murder, bondage snuff films, and sick fucks like you wouldn’t believe wander the pages of this story. This is dark, heavy stuff that can leave your faith in humanity shaken, if not downright shattered. However, in my opinion, Vachss has created in Burke the perfect protagonist to navigate this world and deal with these human stains (yes, I finally getting off my Vachss soapbox in order to discuss the book itself.
Burke has quickly secured himself a spot on my short-list of favorite characters, though it’s not for his sparkling personality or rosy outlook on life. Burke is bleak, angry and utterly pessimistic. He’s an ex-mercenary, ex-convict, not-so-ex-scam artist, who runs a shady, quasi-detective agency that doesn’t screen to close for legal before taking on a client. Burke’s far too jaded to even have a motto, but if he did, it would be something like, ‘The world is a bloated corpse and people are the maggots oozing out of its rotting carcass.’
What Burke does have is a profound sense of justice (aka vengeance), and a belief that the only way to deal with the worst of the maggots infecting the human population is to step on them until they go squish. When reading a story like this, Burke’s “eye for an eye,” “brutalize the brutal” mentality is exactly the kind of character I want dispensing payback to these walking piles of depravity. I’m sorry if this sounds too harsh, but the daddy in me doesn’t want to see these guys do jail time. I want to see a badly mangled corpse that died regretting he ever touched an innocent child.
Anyway, Burke is approached by a woman named Flood, who hires him to locate a violent fuckopath who raped and strangled her best friend's little girl. Flood doesn’t want Burke to kill him, just find him...so she can kill him. You see, Flood is a Queen of Badassia who studied martial arts in Japan under a “Master” and can kill you with her little finger.
Once Burke begins tracking down the scumbag known as “the Cobra,” the story really takes off, and I was glued to the page throughout. The various savory and unsavory tactics employed by Burke to flush out the bad guy are all kinds of awesome and make for a very compelling to read. Rarely have I been as hooked on the actual machinations of solving a mystery as I was during this story.
While certainly not a book that could ever have a truly happy ending, I was very satisfied with the conclusion and loved the way it wrapped up. There is also a nod to Casablanca at the very end that I thought was terrific...you’ll see.
Before I wrap up, I want to give a special shout out to Burke’s comrade in arms, “Max the Silent,” who is my single favorite character in the entire book, and one of the best supporting characters of ALL TIME. Max is a mute, martial arts “Master” and a walking instrument of death and destruction, who lives by a rigid code of honor, and absolutely steals the scene whenever he is on the page (which is tough for a character to do when he doesn’t speak). Max is just that cool.
Overall, a smartly written, deeply compelling read about very dark subjects, but handled exceptionally well by a terrific author. I’ll definitely be reading more of the Burke series, however, given the story-lines, it’s not something I can do one after the other.
I need something shiny and happy right now.
4.0 to 4.5 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
January 1, 2024
BURKE
La prima apparizione di Burke, a cui ne seguiranno diverse altre: diciotto romanzi che lo vedono protagonista. Fino al 2008: poi basta, più nulla.
Burke, senza nome di battesimo, sempre e solo Burke.
Ma prima di parlare di lui, mi voglio fermare sul suo creatore, Andrew Vachss, che è un personaggio anche a prescindere dalla sua narrativa.
A ventisette anni, sotto le insegne dell’ONU, è in Nigeria durante la guerra che segna la nascita e la rapida scomparsa della sfortunata repubblica del Biafra: si occupa di aiutare vittime e profughi.
Quando torna negli States si laurea in legge: ma prima di diventare avvocato, da investigatore federale svolge indagini per il governo, da assistente sociale si adopera per aiutare ex detenuti a reinserirsi nella società, per un periodo è perfino direttore di un carcere minorile.
Poi si dedica alla carriera d’avvocato specializzandosi in maltrattamenti e violenze sui minori.
Burke è un investigatore senza licenza che vive e agisce in una New York scura e deprimente che conosce come le sue tasche, underground incluso. Nessuno conosce Burke, perché è un fantasma che si muove nell’ombra: ma qualcuno lo contatta e chiede il suo aiuto.
E chi lo cerca sa che Burke si occupa prima di tutto di combattere il male che viene fatto ai bambini, ai minorenni in genere, che sono i più deboli della società. Questa è la sua battaglia personale.
Andrew Vachss non ha mai saputo chi fosse suo padre ed è stato abbandonato alla nascita da sua madre, appena adolescente. È passato di istituto in istituto, da un affidamento all’altro, collezionando molestie violenze abusi. La sua storia personale rappresenta quello che il suo personaggio ha deciso di combattere. E quello contro cui da avvocato ha scelto di lottare.
Burke si circonda di una strana fauna umana. La sua famiglia adottiva, per così dire, è composta dal suo cane Pansy, una femmina di mastino napoletano; dal Prof, che forse vuol dire professore e forse profeta, l’uomo che in carcere lo ha aiutato a difendersi, capire, crescere, e, infine, uscire; da Max, un sordo muto autentico guerriero tibetano, la Talpa, un ebreo che odia i nazisti e i loro discepoli, è esperto di esplosivi, armi in genere, hackeraggio, effrazioni e furto con scasso; Michelle, un transessuale, e per finire, Terry, un ragazzo salvato dal suo magnaccia.
Sono un gruppo ben strano, autentici freaks, che condividono valori e principi, regole del gioco e obiettivi.
In questa sua prima avventura viene ingaggiato da Flood, una donna dal viso angelico e il corpo statuario, che gli chiede di trovarle un mostro che ha stuprato e ucciso un bambino. La caccia va in scena soprattutto nelle catacombe della Grande Mela
Burke è il classico burbero spigoloso dal cuore d’oro che si esprime e agisce in puro stile (noir) hardboiled, secco e incisivo: se questo personaggio protagonista non è il massimo dell’originalità, la sua personale battaglia a difesa dei minori cattura il cuore del lettore, vince ogni resistenza.
Foto ritratto di Andrew Vachss.
La prima apparizione di Burke, a cui ne seguiranno diverse altre: diciotto romanzi che lo vedono protagonista. Fino al 2008: poi basta, più nulla.
Burke, senza nome di battesimo, sempre e solo Burke.
Ma prima di parlare di lui, mi voglio fermare sul suo creatore, Andrew Vachss, che è un personaggio anche a prescindere dalla sua narrativa.
A ventisette anni, sotto le insegne dell’ONU, è in Nigeria durante la guerra che segna la nascita e la rapida scomparsa della sfortunata repubblica del Biafra: si occupa di aiutare vittime e profughi.
Quando torna negli States si laurea in legge: ma prima di diventare avvocato, da investigatore federale svolge indagini per il governo, da assistente sociale si adopera per aiutare ex detenuti a reinserirsi nella società, per un periodo è perfino direttore di un carcere minorile.
Poi si dedica alla carriera d’avvocato specializzandosi in maltrattamenti e violenze sui minori.
Burke è un investigatore senza licenza che vive e agisce in una New York scura e deprimente che conosce come le sue tasche, underground incluso. Nessuno conosce Burke, perché è un fantasma che si muove nell’ombra: ma qualcuno lo contatta e chiede il suo aiuto.
E chi lo cerca sa che Burke si occupa prima di tutto di combattere il male che viene fatto ai bambini, ai minorenni in genere, che sono i più deboli della società. Questa è la sua battaglia personale.
Andrew Vachss non ha mai saputo chi fosse suo padre ed è stato abbandonato alla nascita da sua madre, appena adolescente. È passato di istituto in istituto, da un affidamento all’altro, collezionando molestie violenze abusi. La sua storia personale rappresenta quello che il suo personaggio ha deciso di combattere. E quello contro cui da avvocato ha scelto di lottare.
Burke si circonda di una strana fauna umana. La sua famiglia adottiva, per così dire, è composta dal suo cane Pansy, una femmina di mastino napoletano; dal Prof, che forse vuol dire professore e forse profeta, l’uomo che in carcere lo ha aiutato a difendersi, capire, crescere, e, infine, uscire; da Max, un sordo muto autentico guerriero tibetano, la Talpa, un ebreo che odia i nazisti e i loro discepoli, è esperto di esplosivi, armi in genere, hackeraggio, effrazioni e furto con scasso; Michelle, un transessuale, e per finire, Terry, un ragazzo salvato dal suo magnaccia.
Sono un gruppo ben strano, autentici freaks, che condividono valori e principi, regole del gioco e obiettivi.
In questa sua prima avventura viene ingaggiato da Flood, una donna dal viso angelico e il corpo statuario, che gli chiede di trovarle un mostro che ha stuprato e ucciso un bambino. La caccia va in scena soprattutto nelle catacombe della Grande Mela
Burke è il classico burbero spigoloso dal cuore d’oro che si esprime e agisce in puro stile (noir) hardboiled, secco e incisivo: se questo personaggio protagonista non è il massimo dell’originalità, la sua personale battaglia a difesa dei minori cattura il cuore del lettore, vince ogni resistenza.
Foto ritratto di Andrew Vachss.
September 30, 2015
You say you want a hard-boiled gritty crime novel? Well, you can read Andrew Vachss’s series about Burke, but you better stock up on anti-depressants and be prepared to give up any faith in humanity you might have.
Burke is a lot of things. A former mercenary, a scam artist, an ex-convict, and an unlicensed sort-of private detective, but he thinks of his full-time occupation as survivor. Raised as an orphan in foster care and jail, Burke now gives new meaning to the word ‘paranoid’. His office/apartment is booby-trapped and guarded by his beloved attack dog, Pansy. He puts a huge amount of effort into false identities and living off the grid. Even his car is tricked out like the Batmobile.
Burke is approached by a woman named Flood. She had been studying martial arts in Japan but returned to the U.S. to avenge the daughter of her best friend who was the victim of a child predator. She came to the right guy because while Burke usually only cares about his dog, his money and his very small circle of friends, the one thing that will make him go to war are freaks who hurt children. To help Flood find the guy, Burke will use all his contacts in New York’s underground and call in his buddies for assistance.
The Burke novels are so intense and dark that reading them leaves me depressed and tired. Burke sees the world as a never-ending game between the smart survivors like him, the predators, and the plain citizens who are almost too stupid to live according to him. It makes for an interesting character, but his constant paranoia, and the idea that a criminal is lurking in every crack and crevice of New York wears me down.
Plus, almost all the books involve crimes against children. (No surprise if you go and check the biography on the author, Vachss. I especially like his eye patch in his older pictures.) But that makes all of the Burke books a tough read even though they're good crime novels.
On a side note: Ever notice how sometimes an author will seem to get stuck on a certain letter when naming characters? Vachss went absolutely nuts on the letter ‘M’ in this one. You’ve got: Max, Mama, Michelle, Margot, the Mole and the Mouse. After a while I started thinking the main character’s name was Murke.
Burke is a lot of things. A former mercenary, a scam artist, an ex-convict, and an unlicensed sort-of private detective, but he thinks of his full-time occupation as survivor. Raised as an orphan in foster care and jail, Burke now gives new meaning to the word ‘paranoid’. His office/apartment is booby-trapped and guarded by his beloved attack dog, Pansy. He puts a huge amount of effort into false identities and living off the grid. Even his car is tricked out like the Batmobile.
Burke is approached by a woman named Flood. She had been studying martial arts in Japan but returned to the U.S. to avenge the daughter of her best friend who was the victim of a child predator. She came to the right guy because while Burke usually only cares about his dog, his money and his very small circle of friends, the one thing that will make him go to war are freaks who hurt children. To help Flood find the guy, Burke will use all his contacts in New York’s underground and call in his buddies for assistance.
The Burke novels are so intense and dark that reading them leaves me depressed and tired. Burke sees the world as a never-ending game between the smart survivors like him, the predators, and the plain citizens who are almost too stupid to live according to him. It makes for an interesting character, but his constant paranoia, and the idea that a criminal is lurking in every crack and crevice of New York wears me down.
Plus, almost all the books involve crimes against children. (No surprise if you go and check the biography on the author, Vachss. I especially like his eye patch in his older pictures.) But that makes all of the Burke books a tough read even though they're good crime novels.
On a side note: Ever notice how sometimes an author will seem to get stuck on a certain letter when naming characters? Vachss went absolutely nuts on the letter ‘M’ in this one. You’ve got: Max, Mama, Michelle, Margot, the Mole and the Mouse. After a while I started thinking the main character’s name was Murke.
December 22, 2010
A woman named Flood shows up at Burke's office and hires him to find a child molester calling himself the Cobra so she can kill him with her bare hands. Can Burke navigate the cesspools of New York and bring in the Cobra?
You know a crime book is going to be good when the author has an eye patch. I've been aware of Andrew Vachss for a long time. Partly because of his work as a lawyer but mostly because Joe Lansdale based his Veil character on him. Does Flood live up to my eye patch-fueled expectations? You bet your ass!
Vachss knows how to write a hard boiled crime book like nobody's business. Burke is far from the detective cliche, the child of a broken home who grew up in orphanages and detention centers, an uber-paranoid guy bent on beating the system, getting by on various scams in addition to his detective work. The bad guys of the story are so much worse than Burke that they make him look like an angel by comparison. Then again, that's not hard when the baddies are pimps and/or pedophiles. Goldor and the Cobra are both despicable and you can't wait for them to get what they have coming.
The supporting cast was interesting. You have the deaf mute Max the Silent, the Prof, the Mole, Mama, quite a memorable cast. Like in Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series, New York is almost a character itself. Flood, the title character, is pretty believable for a kung fu master consumed with a desire for revenge.
Burke isn't a super-hero like some detectives. He's scared, not all that tough, and doesn't go in with guns blazing. He's a survivor, though.
The thing docking Flood a star? The ending involving the pimp seemed forced. I just didn't buy her relationship with Burke. Based on their backgrounds, I just didn't buy that they'd end up in the sack so fast. Other than that, I've got no complaints.
You know a crime book is going to be good when the author has an eye patch. I've been aware of Andrew Vachss for a long time. Partly because of his work as a lawyer but mostly because Joe Lansdale based his Veil character on him. Does Flood live up to my eye patch-fueled expectations? You bet your ass!
Vachss knows how to write a hard boiled crime book like nobody's business. Burke is far from the detective cliche, the child of a broken home who grew up in orphanages and detention centers, an uber-paranoid guy bent on beating the system, getting by on various scams in addition to his detective work. The bad guys of the story are so much worse than Burke that they make him look like an angel by comparison. Then again, that's not hard when the baddies are pimps and/or pedophiles. Goldor and the Cobra are both despicable and you can't wait for them to get what they have coming.
The supporting cast was interesting. You have the deaf mute Max the Silent, the Prof, the Mole, Mama, quite a memorable cast. Like in Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series, New York is almost a character itself. Flood, the title character, is pretty believable for a kung fu master consumed with a desire for revenge.
Burke isn't a super-hero like some detectives. He's scared, not all that tough, and doesn't go in with guns blazing. He's a survivor, though.
The thing docking Flood a star? The ending involving the pimp seemed forced. I just didn't buy her relationship with Burke. Based on their backgrounds, I just didn't buy that they'd end up in the sack so fast. Other than that, I've got no complaints.
April 7, 2014
What's the grimmest, bleakest, most depressing subject you could hope to visit in a noir novel? Yeah that's where Vachss takes you with his series of books featuring private eye, vigilante, loner, paranoiac, violent bastard, Burke.
As a first instalment, Flood takes you to places that you probably don't want to go, describes in depth things you probably don't want to think about and generally makes you feel like the world has fallen about as far from the light as it is possible without becoming a fully fledged dystopia.
Burke is introduced in all his gory glory, his moral compass established early and repeatedly, he may place personal survival above all else but following a very close second is the ending of all forms of abuse towards children (and to a lesser extent women) and in particular sexual abuse. To achieve his goals he is not above cold blooded murder but he'd rather not do it if he can help it. Burke inhabits this underworld of New York (and the world) as a permanent resident, he knows all the places and all the people we'd rather pretend didn't exist, and like some kind of fucked tour guide he walks you in to all of these places and tells you in detail about the peccadilloes of its denizens.
Flood is his client, she wants to take revenge on a baby killer and she wants Burke to find him. However there are two further subplots that Vachss ties in to the main plot in one way or another and with the help of a large cast of supporting characters destined to reappear in future episodes he takes on all comers in a laboured roundabout manner.
This book is not about entertaining with a crime story, for Vachss it was clearly a means to an end, he has a strong message he wants to get out to the people of the world, a dirty, sick and twisted black economy he wants to shine a light on, he wants his readers to be outraged that things like this can happen in supposedly enlightened times and sadly his enthusiasm allows this didactic attitude to detract from what would otherwise be a dark and gripping drama.
There are so many characters and so many ideas touched upon within the text that you get the impression that he didn't expect to get a chance to write a second novel to explore all of the ideas in his head for this world and Burke. I've read some later Vachss, not in the Burke series but just as bleak and just as hard hitting, and it's something that he definitely improved on and quite quickly.
For a rookie novel this is very impressive but it might be worth jumping in a little further down the line and coming back to Flood when you're already a fan of his work.
As a first instalment, Flood takes you to places that you probably don't want to go, describes in depth things you probably don't want to think about and generally makes you feel like the world has fallen about as far from the light as it is possible without becoming a fully fledged dystopia.
Burke is introduced in all his gory glory, his moral compass established early and repeatedly, he may place personal survival above all else but following a very close second is the ending of all forms of abuse towards children (and to a lesser extent women) and in particular sexual abuse. To achieve his goals he is not above cold blooded murder but he'd rather not do it if he can help it. Burke inhabits this underworld of New York (and the world) as a permanent resident, he knows all the places and all the people we'd rather pretend didn't exist, and like some kind of fucked tour guide he walks you in to all of these places and tells you in detail about the peccadilloes of its denizens.
Flood is his client, she wants to take revenge on a baby killer and she wants Burke to find him. However there are two further subplots that Vachss ties in to the main plot in one way or another and with the help of a large cast of supporting characters destined to reappear in future episodes he takes on all comers in a laboured roundabout manner.
This book is not about entertaining with a crime story, for Vachss it was clearly a means to an end, he has a strong message he wants to get out to the people of the world, a dirty, sick and twisted black economy he wants to shine a light on, he wants his readers to be outraged that things like this can happen in supposedly enlightened times and sadly his enthusiasm allows this didactic attitude to detract from what would otherwise be a dark and gripping drama.
There are so many characters and so many ideas touched upon within the text that you get the impression that he didn't expect to get a chance to write a second novel to explore all of the ideas in his head for this world and Burke. I've read some later Vachss, not in the Burke series but just as bleak and just as hard hitting, and it's something that he definitely improved on and quite quickly.
For a rookie novel this is very impressive but it might be worth jumping in a little further down the line and coming back to Flood when you're already a fan of his work.
Read
January 24, 2024absolutely wild mash-up going on here: at once taking pains to establish itself as the most-hard-boiledest ever (burke trawls abyssal pre-giuliani midtown, vibrating w/ disgust for the perpetrators of child sexual abuse, making life almost literally hell for the same) while accumulating trappings straight outta the sunday funnies (a mute tibetan enforcer yclept max the silent; a bouncing white-girl karate expert squaring off vs a villain called the cobra; an office booby-trapped w/ poison darts). you can just picture the little chester gould labels on burke's various gadgets & accomplices. exhilarating balancing act if you're willing to stuff your suspension of disbelief into the trunk of a beater pontiac & back it into the east river. extra brownie points for using the correct pronouns for a trans person (in 1985!)
September 3, 2012
When I finished reading Flood, I put the book down and said to myself, “I can’t read Vachss again and I want to take a shower to get the grime off me.” However, in retrospect how often does a book leave such a strong impression on your psyche? How often does a book leave such intense and raw feelings?
The subject, the exploitation of children including snuff films and pornography, was handled by Vachss with kid gloves, with very few literal descriptions. He gives you enough information to let you form your own impressions of the real subject matter. What he leaves to your imagination is quickly made up by his vivid description of the protagonist, Burke (no first name), the finest example of an anti-hero I’ve ever read. And Miss Flood, just Flood to the reader in this first person book, comes in a close second as an anti-hero.
Burke claims his parents were “the state” and he lived in foster homes a few times, he was delinquent, spent time in prison and is a private investigator, licensed or unlicensed, I’m not sure. But he’s a survivor of the city he knows so well. He knows how to talk to people, dresses for the occasion and takes very good care of himself. While he’s not a karate expert, he’s certainly centered and focused on people and his surroundings at all times.
Burke’s circle of friends is a strange (by my definition) group of people; Max the Silent (reminds me of Crais’ Joe Pike) and Burke’s spiritual brother; the Prophet, a little person who spouts prophecies among other things; Michelle, a trustworthy transsexual hooker; Mole, an electronic genius of sorts who lives underground; Mama, owner of Mama’s Wong, a Chinese restaurant who assists Burke whenever needed; and Pansy, Burke’s mastiff and protector of all that Burke holds dear, his office and abode, his privacy. There are others in this motley New York City crew but you get the picture. These people are a weird, strange bunch including Burke by my standards. But they’re all kind of likeable in their own way. How did Vachss get me to like them?
Flood has come to Burke with $1,000 to locate a man known as the Cobra who rapes and murders children. Burke takes the reader on a journey to the deep underbelly of New York City. I’m not familiar with NYC but sure there are some not so desirable areas that I surely wouldn’t want to visit. But I never thought much about how filthy and nasty they are and filled with people who were very similar to their surroundings. OK, some people, but not Burke’s friends, of course.
Burke is not above skirting the law or scamming others for what he wants and needs. For instance he never pays a phone bill because Mole set up his office phone to share a line with the hippies on the floor below who have a different schedule, up all night, sleep all day.
Everything about Burke is unique and different but he’s learned how to survive in the city; the city is his, he knows who and how to get things done. He’s imaginative, creative and a real badass. One I would want on my side definitely.
After finishing and thinking about the book I decided I was not going read another Vachss. It just made me feel unclean, dirty on the outside somehow. As I write this though, I’ve decided that I will probably read another because it was so very good, so powerful...not for a while though. I can read some authors back to back but Andrew H. Vachss, no way. I’m ready to read Pippi Longstocking or something to put some sunshine in my day since I was in darkness, noir, if you will, the entire weekend.
The subject, the exploitation of children including snuff films and pornography, was handled by Vachss with kid gloves, with very few literal descriptions. He gives you enough information to let you form your own impressions of the real subject matter. What he leaves to your imagination is quickly made up by his vivid description of the protagonist, Burke (no first name), the finest example of an anti-hero I’ve ever read. And Miss Flood, just Flood to the reader in this first person book, comes in a close second as an anti-hero.
Burke claims his parents were “the state” and he lived in foster homes a few times, he was delinquent, spent time in prison and is a private investigator, licensed or unlicensed, I’m not sure. But he’s a survivor of the city he knows so well. He knows how to talk to people, dresses for the occasion and takes very good care of himself. While he’s not a karate expert, he’s certainly centered and focused on people and his surroundings at all times.
Burke’s circle of friends is a strange (by my definition) group of people; Max the Silent (reminds me of Crais’ Joe Pike) and Burke’s spiritual brother; the Prophet, a little person who spouts prophecies among other things; Michelle, a trustworthy transsexual hooker; Mole, an electronic genius of sorts who lives underground; Mama, owner of Mama’s Wong, a Chinese restaurant who assists Burke whenever needed; and Pansy, Burke’s mastiff and protector of all that Burke holds dear, his office and abode, his privacy. There are others in this motley New York City crew but you get the picture. These people are a weird, strange bunch including Burke by my standards. But they’re all kind of likeable in their own way. How did Vachss get me to like them?
Flood has come to Burke with $1,000 to locate a man known as the Cobra who rapes and murders children. Burke takes the reader on a journey to the deep underbelly of New York City. I’m not familiar with NYC but sure there are some not so desirable areas that I surely wouldn’t want to visit. But I never thought much about how filthy and nasty they are and filled with people who were very similar to their surroundings. OK, some people, but not Burke’s friends, of course.
Burke is not above skirting the law or scamming others for what he wants and needs. For instance he never pays a phone bill because Mole set up his office phone to share a line with the hippies on the floor below who have a different schedule, up all night, sleep all day.
Everything about Burke is unique and different but he’s learned how to survive in the city; the city is his, he knows who and how to get things done. He’s imaginative, creative and a real badass. One I would want on my side definitely.
After finishing and thinking about the book I decided I was not going read another Vachss. It just made me feel unclean, dirty on the outside somehow. As I write this though, I’ve decided that I will probably read another because it was so very good, so powerful...not for a while though. I can read some authors back to back but Andrew H. Vachss, no way. I’m ready to read Pippi Longstocking or something to put some sunshine in my day since I was in darkness, noir, if you will, the entire weekend.
July 30, 2012
What did I think? This guy's the king of "Noir", is what I think. Andrew Vachss, a lawyer and author with a penchant for the welfare of kids and women - especially the kids - has created Burke to let some steam escape.
Burke's world is not the world you and I live in. Burke exists in NYC but he is not seen in it. When society mentions the name "Burke" it is in the fashion of a legend: a myth, someone who is not real. Burke likes it that way.
With unforgettable characters fully developed over a long series of books,we dive into the seedy, underground realm of the city. The rules are different, alien to someone such as myself. Life is very physical but full of kick ass psych ops aimed at evil.
These books are dark, very raw...and not easily set aside.
Usual disclaimer. There's no need to discuss plot. The books are excellent, period. And if you've read this review, you've read 'em all (save you some time)
Burke's world is not the world you and I live in. Burke exists in NYC but he is not seen in it. When society mentions the name "Burke" it is in the fashion of a legend: a myth, someone who is not real. Burke likes it that way.
With unforgettable characters fully developed over a long series of books,we dive into the seedy, underground realm of the city. The rules are different, alien to someone such as myself. Life is very physical but full of kick ass psych ops aimed at evil.
These books are dark, very raw...and not easily set aside.
Usual disclaimer. There's no need to discuss plot. The books are excellent, period. And if you've read this review, you've read 'em all (save you some time)
June 24, 2014
Para intentar corregir algo, primero hay que saber que ese algo está mal. Muy mal.-.
Género. Novela.
Lo que nos cuenta. Burke, investigador privado al que su experiencia le hace entender la ley como poco más que una sugerencia, es contactado por una mujer poco común que, con intenciones claramente ominosas, desea localizar a una persona. Primera de una larga serie de novelas sobre el personaje, que se pueden leer de forma independiente.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Novela.
Lo que nos cuenta. Burke, investigador privado al que su experiencia le hace entender la ley como poco más que una sugerencia, es contactado por una mujer poco común que, con intenciones claramente ominosas, desea localizar a una persona. Primera de una larga serie de novelas sobre el personaje, que se pueden leer de forma independiente.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
February 5, 2012
One of the most disturbing books I've read in a long time. Child rape and murder are at the heart of this very dark mystery thriller which is the first of the Burke series by Andrew Vachss. The writing is great and I really liked the main character Burke. He's not a white hat good guy but he is the right kind of character to go after the villains that exist in the story. In the end, I just found the subject matter to be so difficult that I couldn't rate it higher than three stars.
July 19, 2015
Ever-paranoid ex-con Burke is contacted at his uber-secret astroturfed office apartment by Michelle Flood, a young karate expert looking for a dude that calls himself the Cobra. Flood wants to kill the Cobra as revenge for raping and murdering a friend's child and wants Burke to help her find him. To this end, Burke and Flood descend into a dangerous, sordid pre-Giuliani 1980s New York filled with child molesters, snuff film producers and all manner of creeps & sadists. Sound kinda awesome? It is! Sound kinda fucked up and depressing? It is! There's a little levity with some black humor and some very comic-book-feeling elements like the likably cartoonish supporting ensemble and the EXTREMELY 80s obsession with martial arts, but still...
Yes, this has to be one of the most intense and dark hardboiled/mystery/crime/thriller series out there, which is saying something given that if you're writing this kind of book without any kind of darkness or intensity you're doing it totally wrong. Every piece of the construction of this book is dripping with some weird-smelling liquid. The characters are ALWAYS sketchy and often gross, the atmosphere is dense and stifling (only made worse by Burke's intense paranoia and the lengths he goes to to stay off the grid and out of sight) and the plot is...well, like I said it's about a complex and tense no-cops-allowed manhunt for this kind of wannabe mercenary racist child-molesting murderer.
As I mentioned earlier, I definitely like Burke's weird "family". By starting the Burke series with the third entry Blue Belle I had already met them but they stayed entertaining and fun and not too caricature-y. As usual we have Mama, the mysterious restauranteur; Max, the deaf-mute Mongol warrior; Michelle, the streetwise transvestite; the Prof, the homeless dude that sees more than most people think; and the Mole, a Nazi-hunting technical expert that lives under a junkyard. Yeah, these aren't particularly realistic or relatable characters but I think they add a genuine sense of fun to the series that really helps weather the unremittingly dark shit.
As usual Vachss conjures a very vivid NYC, which I always love. You can truly feel the grime of this world--I've never been to New York but I definitely know that the city today is very different from back then. Shit, the most grimy setting in this book was TIMES SQUARE! Apparently it hasn't always been the crowded, clean, fancy-looking tourist destination it is today--it comes off in this book as more of a giant intersection of jack shacks, strip clubs, pawn shops, and liquor stores with the occasional basement store dealing in child pornography. Really, the perfect setting for crime stories dealing with the underbelly of the underbelly!
I wanted to show people what hell looked like, and I didn't think an angel would be the right guide. You know, the standard protagonist in detective fiction is sort of better than everything — kind of looks at it, comments on it, but is detached from it. I wanted no membrane between the reader and the material. I wanted to make [Burke] as transparent as possible, so I had to make him part of it, instead of somebody simply investigating it.
-Andrew Vachss
That's certainly an interesting quote but I never get a true sense of this. Even the seedy parts of the world have standards, and usually raping and murdering children is far, far below them. Burke is certainly an anti-hero who lives outside of the world of what he calls "citizens", but he is definitely a good guy. The two books I've read featuring him have him consistently making good guy decisions and helping people, which I of course am into. I also like the fact that Vachss includes scenes of Burke dealing with fear and incipient panic. I can't overstate how much this humanizes him, and the parts where he's grappling with the urge to run and leave this fucked up world behind are some of the best writing Vachss has done that I've read. I also liked Vachss' willingness to include a female protagonist that is clearly Burke's better when it comes to beating the shit out of people. All of this is solidly against the tide of the cliched hard-boiled P.I. tough guy mold which shows there's always something new to bring to the genre (even though this came out in 1985...)
Overall I was surprised at what a solid first novel this is. All the people, places and features of Burke's world are pretty solidly established and gelled. There's a little bit of drag in the momentum when Vachss gets a little too caught up in Burke's almost OCD-like routines to ensure he's safe and anonymous or includes too much everyday minutiae, but it's never enough to really slow or stop the story. I happily recommend this novel to people who like thrillers, crime stories or even just stories where the good guy/gal ensures that the really, REALLY bad guy gets his shit fucked up good. Just be warned that Vachss clearly and strongly draws from his experiences as an attorney dealing with child abuse and juvenile deliquency when writing these stories.
Yes, this has to be one of the most intense and dark hardboiled/mystery/crime/thriller series out there, which is saying something given that if you're writing this kind of book without any kind of darkness or intensity you're doing it totally wrong. Every piece of the construction of this book is dripping with some weird-smelling liquid. The characters are ALWAYS sketchy and often gross, the atmosphere is dense and stifling (only made worse by Burke's intense paranoia and the lengths he goes to to stay off the grid and out of sight) and the plot is...well, like I said it's about a complex and tense no-cops-allowed manhunt for this kind of wannabe mercenary racist child-molesting murderer.
As I mentioned earlier, I definitely like Burke's weird "family". By starting the Burke series with the third entry Blue Belle I had already met them but they stayed entertaining and fun and not too caricature-y. As usual we have Mama, the mysterious restauranteur; Max, the deaf-mute Mongol warrior; Michelle, the streetwise transvestite; the Prof, the homeless dude that sees more than most people think; and the Mole, a Nazi-hunting technical expert that lives under a junkyard. Yeah, these aren't particularly realistic or relatable characters but I think they add a genuine sense of fun to the series that really helps weather the unremittingly dark shit.
As usual Vachss conjures a very vivid NYC, which I always love. You can truly feel the grime of this world--I've never been to New York but I definitely know that the city today is very different from back then. Shit, the most grimy setting in this book was TIMES SQUARE! Apparently it hasn't always been the crowded, clean, fancy-looking tourist destination it is today--it comes off in this book as more of a giant intersection of jack shacks, strip clubs, pawn shops, and liquor stores with the occasional basement store dealing in child pornography. Really, the perfect setting for crime stories dealing with the underbelly of the underbelly!
I wanted to show people what hell looked like, and I didn't think an angel would be the right guide. You know, the standard protagonist in detective fiction is sort of better than everything — kind of looks at it, comments on it, but is detached from it. I wanted no membrane between the reader and the material. I wanted to make [Burke] as transparent as possible, so I had to make him part of it, instead of somebody simply investigating it.
-Andrew Vachss
That's certainly an interesting quote but I never get a true sense of this. Even the seedy parts of the world have standards, and usually raping and murdering children is far, far below them. Burke is certainly an anti-hero who lives outside of the world of what he calls "citizens", but he is definitely a good guy. The two books I've read featuring him have him consistently making good guy decisions and helping people, which I of course am into. I also like the fact that Vachss includes scenes of Burke dealing with fear and incipient panic. I can't overstate how much this humanizes him, and the parts where he's grappling with the urge to run and leave this fucked up world behind are some of the best writing Vachss has done that I've read. I also liked Vachss' willingness to include a female protagonist that is clearly Burke's better when it comes to beating the shit out of people. All of this is solidly against the tide of the cliched hard-boiled P.I. tough guy mold which shows there's always something new to bring to the genre (even though this came out in 1985...)
Overall I was surprised at what a solid first novel this is. All the people, places and features of Burke's world are pretty solidly established and gelled. There's a little bit of drag in the momentum when Vachss gets a little too caught up in Burke's almost OCD-like routines to ensure he's safe and anonymous or includes too much everyday minutiae, but it's never enough to really slow or stop the story. I happily recommend this novel to people who like thrillers, crime stories or even just stories where the good guy/gal ensures that the really, REALLY bad guy gets his shit fucked up good. Just be warned that Vachss clearly and strongly draws from his experiences as an attorney dealing with child abuse and juvenile deliquency when writing these stories.
October 18, 2022
Very good, we get quickly attached to the characters. It's not my usual type of books, I'm not a fan of martial art or detective type of stories but I like dark thriller. I wanted more underground digging and less characters stories thought. But I still want to try Strega and Blue Belle. Just hoping it gets darker.
Edit: 4.7 stars I can't freaking stop thinking about it.
Edit: 4.7 stars I can't freaking stop thinking about it.
January 11, 2019
3.5 stars.
Flood is like a police procedural (only with a private eye). It involves the main character's efforts at finding a (truly disgusting) criminal. Where this book shines is its blend of humor and very dark themes, as well as its strong sense of noir.
Where this lost some points from me, however, is just how dated it is, and not just in its outdated technology and references. For some reason, everyone loved ninjas and the idea of a romanticized, "mystical" martial arts in the '80s, and Flood is no different. Oftentimes, I felt like I was reading one of Eric Van Lustbader's "ninja" novels rather than a dark and gritty noir. When people were "rising out of lotus position like smoke", bowing left and right, and throwing chops and kicks like they were going out of style, it took me right out of the story with how cheesy it all was.
Flood is like a police procedural (only with a private eye). It involves the main character's efforts at finding a (truly disgusting) criminal. Where this book shines is its blend of humor and very dark themes, as well as its strong sense of noir.
Where this lost some points from me, however, is just how dated it is, and not just in its outdated technology and references. For some reason, everyone loved ninjas and the idea of a romanticized, "mystical" martial arts in the '80s, and Flood is no different. Oftentimes, I felt like I was reading one of Eric Van Lustbader's "ninja" novels rather than a dark and gritty noir. When people were "rising out of lotus position like smoke", bowing left and right, and throwing chops and kicks like they were going out of style, it took me right out of the story with how cheesy it all was.
August 25, 2014
This was the first book I'd read by Andrew Vachss. The next was very much like a graphic novel without the drawings. This book carries the feel of pulp fiction but with a bit more blood. Sort of "Noir-Gritty Action-Pulp-mystery-Thriller"....
Clear as mud? Cool.
It might be sort of like if Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) and Ilona Andrews (Ilona Gordon) had a collaboration?????
Oh well...our "protagonist" Burke is contacted by our co-protagonist, Flood for help finding a man...a person...a monster.
You know, so she can kill him with her bare hands, or possibly a blade...whatever.
Of course Burke is an almost stereotypical P.I. who seems never to have any money and almost no paying clients. Yet...he always seems to have thousands of dollars for bribes, plans, equipment and so on. For a badly off guy with few "paying customers his office is equipped with a wide array of traps, alarms, gadgets, safeties and so on. His only true partner is a big mean (to everyone but Burke to him she's a puppy) dog...Daisy????
Flood of course is closed off, taciturn and hard to get to know. She also has the body of a porn-star/stripper and is a martial arts master who spends her time going through her "Katas".
Like I said, lots of predictable "stuff", lots of action and violence. So, "hang-up" your reality "hangups" and plunge in. Pretty good read, I'll probably try to get to another "Burke" read.
Enjoy, recommended.
Clear as mud? Cool.
It might be sort of like if Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) and Ilona Andrews (Ilona Gordon) had a collaboration?????
Oh well...our "protagonist" Burke is contacted by our co-protagonist, Flood for help finding a man...a person...a monster.
You know, so she can kill him with her bare hands, or possibly a blade...whatever.
Of course Burke is an almost stereotypical P.I. who seems never to have any money and almost no paying clients. Yet...he always seems to have thousands of dollars for bribes, plans, equipment and so on. For a badly off guy with few "paying customers his office is equipped with a wide array of traps, alarms, gadgets, safeties and so on. His only true partner is a big mean (to everyone but Burke to him she's a puppy) dog...Daisy????
Flood of course is closed off, taciturn and hard to get to know. She also has the body of a porn-star/stripper and is a martial arts master who spends her time going through her "Katas".
Like I said, lots of predictable "stuff", lots of action and violence. So, "hang-up" your reality "hangups" and plunge in. Pretty good read, I'll probably try to get to another "Burke" read.
Enjoy, recommended.
November 16, 2011
FLOOD by Andrew Vachss is 12 hours and 10 minutes in MP3 form. It is narrated by Christopher Lane. FLOOD is #1 in the Burke series.
Brief Description:
Burke’s newest client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster for her -- so she can kill him with her bare hands.
In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss’s renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child’s murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug. Flood is Burke at his deadliest … and Vachss at the peak of his form.
I loved this book. This is really a hardboiled or noir mystery with Burke being a private investigator that used street people to help him with his problems. He even takes cases from the street and helps those that help him with his problems.
I found Flood to be a very interesting if not complex person. I did like the interaction between Burke and Food and could see how the relationship was formed and what would become of it.
I loved Pansy the guard dog too. She is a very well trained guard dog too. Burke and she had a very special relationship.
Christopher Lane did a TERRIFIC job in the narration because all the characters were given special voices and I enjoyed his interpretation of the book.
I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars and plan to read more in the Burke series.
This is available in MP3 format from Audible.com.
Brief Description:
Burke’s newest client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster for her -- so she can kill him with her bare hands.
In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss’s renegade private eye teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child’s murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug. Flood is Burke at his deadliest … and Vachss at the peak of his form.
I loved this book. This is really a hardboiled or noir mystery with Burke being a private investigator that used street people to help him with his problems. He even takes cases from the street and helps those that help him with his problems.
I found Flood to be a very interesting if not complex person. I did like the interaction between Burke and Food and could see how the relationship was formed and what would become of it.
I loved Pansy the guard dog too. She is a very well trained guard dog too. Burke and she had a very special relationship.
Christopher Lane did a TERRIFIC job in the narration because all the characters were given special voices and I enjoyed his interpretation of the book.
I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars and plan to read more in the Burke series.
This is available in MP3 format from Audible.com.
January 29, 2021
Strega, un gran regalo de mi amigo Nicolás Ferraro, fue mi entrada al mundo de Andrew Bachs, un mundo de crook stories descarnadas, sombrías, sórdidas pero muy, muy entretenidas. Puesto a buscar alguna otra novela de este carismático autor, encontré la anterior -y primera de la saga de Burke, su particular y paranoico protagonista- y el armado, si se quiere, de este universo. Burke no es un detective privado aunque puede llegar a investigar cosas. Más bien es un busca, alguien con muchos contactos y conocimiento de cómo funciona la calle y la noche, con amigos en todas partes y una inmensidad de recursos propios. En esta ocasión, la Flood del título le encarga la poco sutil tarea de encontrar a un criminal -mercenario de alquiler, karateca y pederasta, para más datos- con la intención de concretar una venganza. El tipo está perdido en pleno Nueva York, por lo que es casi una aguja en un pajar, pero Burke tiene, cómo decíamos antes, la manera de que las cosas sucedan. En el durante, lo veremos cumplir otras tareas, vincularse con su elenco secundario -a cual mejor personaje: El Profeta, El Topo, Max, Michelle- y emplearse de una manera más que violenta en casi todas las situaciones. Un formato de novela negra hard boiled, potente, de lectura adictiva, muy entretenida. ¿Alta literatura? A buscar eso a otra parte, aquí nos pueden los tipos duros, los tiros y las navajas.
November 12, 2014
Vachss depicted a very dark and dirty underground New York in which every corner lurked danger and someone in distress. While the characters themselves are quite memorable, I found Burke’s dialogue a times over the top – I didn’t particularly see the need for him to reinforce just how bad he is every few pages. The story itself was ok, Burke (a quasi PI) is enlisted by femme fatale Flood to find a known ‘freak’ who preys on children. Along the way we’re introduced to Max the Silent, Mole and a few other bit players who all add a little something to the story and provide insight into Burke’s history. I give this 2.5 stars - an enjoyable story not quite as well executed as it could’ve been – I’ve read later Burke novels and Vachss does write more concise with far less filler content than this first outing.
February 11, 2014
I started in the middle of this novel series, and was extremely disappointed to find this first book almost nothing like I previously had read.
This was full of cliches and overly elaborate plots. There were unnecessary non-essential tidbits or side stories thrown in again and again. And the prose was rambling rather than the clean, short lines of his other novels.
No matter how much you like Vachss and the Burke series, I highly recommend skipping this one and starting later when the author's style is developed, and story telling much improved.
This was full of cliches and overly elaborate plots. There were unnecessary non-essential tidbits or side stories thrown in again and again. And the prose was rambling rather than the clean, short lines of his other novels.
No matter how much you like Vachss and the Burke series, I highly recommend skipping this one and starting later when the author's style is developed, and story telling much improved.
February 5, 2011
Burke is a private detective living in the dark netherworld of NY City. He is contacted by a relentless woman, skilled in martial arts but not worldly, who is seeking revenge on a killer/rapist. This is the first of 17 books by Vachss, and Burke has a diverse group of supporting characters, including the Prof, Mole, Michelle, deaf-mute Max, Mama, and two dogs, who who guards his office and the other, who guards his junkyard (co-owned with Mole.) Dark stuff, with a side order of violence.
January 12, 2015
Not really my cup of tea, but very well written. It bugged me that I never learned Flood's first name. Or maybe I missed it. It reinforces my idea that its very complicated to make your living outside the law. I think I will stick to library work.
December 25, 2021
I just finished listening to the audible version of this first book of the Burke series accompanied by the e-book. I had first read this book in the print version about nine years ago. I think my observations from my first experience continue to be true and I am not about to change the three stars I gave this book Wayback when. But since that time I have in fact read the entire book series more or less in order for the most part. That suggests that I was intrigued enough by this set of books to stick with it for the long-haul. Since that time there are a number of detective and crime books where the main character has a somewhat murky personality mix of good and bad. I am not sure if Burke what is the character who began that trend but he was certainly among the leaders in the mid-1980s.
Since this is the first book in the series it is where the author begins to develop a number of the characters that appear throughout the series. Additional characters are gradually added. And certain characteristics of the individual characters including Burke accumulate there strongly associated characteristics. The accumulation of things that will be familiar to the regular reader are part of what create an enjoyable reading experience. This book was in someways relatively simple compared to books later in the series. As I mentioned in the earlier review my positive feelings about this Siri‘s were created in part by a later book that I began with and as a result I bought a number of books in the series as used books probably for $.99 each! And once they were on my shelf, I was someone committed to reading them. At this point I am trying to sell my printed books on eBay and I wish this series was a little more popular so people would buy my books! Oh well!
——————
I think you have to be in a certain mood to read Andrew Vachss. I hope I can figure out what the mood is and replicate it since I have a half dozen more of his books to read. At some point I was pretty sure that I was going to enjoy reading him so I stocked up on cheap used books. I still have that hope. But I did not find Flood, first in the Burke series, as entertaining as I had anticipated based on reading Mask Market several months ago.
There are plenty of good reviews here by readers who like Vachss. And you probably already know that Burke is a pretty nasty guy in a righteous sort of way. He wails on the really bad guys. Undoubtedly you have heard of various crime stoppers who trend away from being nice guys. Burke trends severely into the bad guy column. But, as they say, you gotta love him.
The short version of the story: Mr. Burke and Ms. Flood team up to locate and eliminate a homicidal pedophile. Since this is the introductory volume of the Burke series, there is a good deal of information about Burke, his lifestyle, his habitat and his cohorts. There is also just possibly the weirdest love story you will come across for a while. Considering this was published in 1985, the various gadgets in his car and home are plenty amazing. Can’t wait until Burke has a computer and a cell phone.
I am trying to remember if there is anyone that could be considered normal in Flood. No, I don’t think so. There are characters notable for their violent idiosyncrasies, not their normality. No, for sure nothing normal!
Flood looses a star for the unnecessarily vivid description of a snuff film and for the martial arts that just are not my thing. Three stars. Hard to imagine this book being written such a long time ago when Reagan was president and banks paid 15% interest. (And don’t forget the Betamax!)
Since this is the first book in the series it is where the author begins to develop a number of the characters that appear throughout the series. Additional characters are gradually added. And certain characteristics of the individual characters including Burke accumulate there strongly associated characteristics. The accumulation of things that will be familiar to the regular reader are part of what create an enjoyable reading experience. This book was in someways relatively simple compared to books later in the series. As I mentioned in the earlier review my positive feelings about this Siri‘s were created in part by a later book that I began with and as a result I bought a number of books in the series as used books probably for $.99 each! And once they were on my shelf, I was someone committed to reading them. At this point I am trying to sell my printed books on eBay and I wish this series was a little more popular so people would buy my books! Oh well!
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I think you have to be in a certain mood to read Andrew Vachss. I hope I can figure out what the mood is and replicate it since I have a half dozen more of his books to read. At some point I was pretty sure that I was going to enjoy reading him so I stocked up on cheap used books. I still have that hope. But I did not find Flood, first in the Burke series, as entertaining as I had anticipated based on reading Mask Market several months ago.
There are plenty of good reviews here by readers who like Vachss. And you probably already know that Burke is a pretty nasty guy in a righteous sort of way. He wails on the really bad guys. Undoubtedly you have heard of various crime stoppers who trend away from being nice guys. Burke trends severely into the bad guy column. But, as they say, you gotta love him.
The short version of the story: Mr. Burke and Ms. Flood team up to locate and eliminate a homicidal pedophile. Since this is the introductory volume of the Burke series, there is a good deal of information about Burke, his lifestyle, his habitat and his cohorts. There is also just possibly the weirdest love story you will come across for a while. Considering this was published in 1985, the various gadgets in his car and home are plenty amazing. Can’t wait until Burke has a computer and a cell phone.
I am trying to remember if there is anyone that could be considered normal in Flood. No, I don’t think so. There are characters notable for their violent idiosyncrasies, not their normality. No, for sure nothing normal!
Flood looses a star for the unnecessarily vivid description of a snuff film and for the martial arts that just are not my thing. Three stars. Hard to imagine this book being written such a long time ago when Reagan was president and banks paid 15% interest. (And don’t forget the Betamax!)
March 21, 2017
Burke's newest client is named Flood, a young woman, trained in martial arts but naive about the ways of the street who is hunting the man who killed her best friend's child. Flood hears of Burke and enlists his help to find a monster for her, so she can kill him with her bare hands. Flood is the first novel featuring the anti-hero Burke, and the best place to get to know him. Later novels build on top of this introduction. Burke is not a happy man and is filled with an emptiness he calls "The Zero." Abandoned as a child, he grew up hard in the system. Only now as he approaches middle age has he developed any sort of wisdom. He works the gritty streets of New York City and the atmosphere of the city seems extremely authentic.
Originally published in 1985, Flood by Andrew Vachss has been reissued by the Vintage Crime House of Black Lizard Publishing and written in first person, in a hard-boiled noir style. The writing may seem a little dated because it was written so long ago, but the story is quite compelling.
December 22, 2020
If you follow my reviews, you know that I prefer to go blind into my books. Title, author, genre is about all I know... But I have a number of expectations based on those. This book blew my expectations out of the water. First of all, there is no water 🤣🤦🏻♀️. Flood is the name of a client that hires Burke to find someone for her. I'm typical male author fashion, I have no clue if that's her first name, last name, or nickname. It's the only name we're given. She is NOT described in the way I would've expected. If anything, I think the words used to describe her are UNsexy and I found that very refreshing. Burke himself is a steel coated softie. He skirts the law at the best of times, he isn't afraid to use violence, threats, bribes, even theatrics. He leaves no eventuality uncovered... But everything he does he does for the right reasons. This author is ahead of the time for being sex work positive and trans positive. There are a few racial slurs I didn't care for but most of them are used by the "bad guys".
July 4, 2019
Gratuitous violence and an amoral sheen are qualities that easily substitute for real dynamism and high stakes in noir and hard-boiled fiction. Vachss doesn't have time for those weak measures. This debut novel is a white-hot torch song for the survivors, crooked but not corrupt, crafty enough to live in a deeply fucked-up world and pure enough to make their survival matter.
Burke is very far from a saint, but he's something of an avenging angel, teaming up with an angry young woman, called only Flood, out for lethal vengeance against a pervert who destroyed the two people who mattered most to her. Along the way, Vachss introduces us to a sometimes bewildering array of allies, enemies, scams and schemes. An overcrowded novel, the first work of a passionate author, but so rooted in grim experience and genuine compassion as to be a compulsive read, and, for all its grimness, even heart warming in a way.
Oh and there are dogs. Wonderful, scary, good dogs.
Burke is very far from a saint, but he's something of an avenging angel, teaming up with an angry young woman, called only Flood, out for lethal vengeance against a pervert who destroyed the two people who mattered most to her. Along the way, Vachss introduces us to a sometimes bewildering array of allies, enemies, scams and schemes. An overcrowded novel, the first work of a passionate author, but so rooted in grim experience and genuine compassion as to be a compulsive read, and, for all its grimness, even heart warming in a way.
Oh and there are dogs. Wonderful, scary, good dogs.
December 8, 2017
The first entry in the respected and often controversial series. And it was my introduction to it. Written, as I understand it, as the author’s attempt to bring things like child abuse to light by stealth when he could get no one to listen otherwise. The novel failed to do this as well, at least initially. Publishers loved everything about the book except where it dove too realistically into the disturbing and morally corrupt side of life. Today we know Vachss was right, that things like this existed--and, sadly, still exist. At least he no longer fights the fight alone. And in the meantime, he produced a superior novel. We are the better for it.
August 24, 2014
4 Stars
Very dark, gritty,detective-noir featuring our man Burke.
Burke is sought out to find a child predator, killer, stalker, creepazoid. This book follows that journey and then some.
I had no idea what I was reading. There is a creepy feeling I get when reading this, and it has nothing to do with monsters and things that go bump in the night. Child predators bring out the creep factor. Pimps, scuzzballs and foul-ass criminals with no sense of honor.
I will continue to read this series. Enter at your own risk.
Very dark, gritty,
Burke is sought out to find a child predator, killer, stalker, creepazoid. This book follows that journey and then some.
I had no idea what I was reading. There is a creepy feeling I get when reading this, and it has nothing to do with monsters and things that go bump in the night. Child predators bring out the creep factor. Pimps, scuzzballs and foul-ass criminals with no sense of honor.
I will continue to read this series. Enter at your own risk.
January 19, 2015
This was pretty unique and by that, I mean peculiar. Burke is a great character, a top dog for this kind of literature and Andrew Vachss has an eye for creating smart plots. It's very bubblegummy by times though, almost comic-bookish. It feels a bit immature at times for a novel and borrowing from some weird places. But Andrew Vachss is a major talent, that I can't deny
August 25, 2016
Andrew Vachss is my favorite writer. This is his first novel and it introduces his most famous and enduring character, the mono-named "Burke" and his loyal crew of roughnecks.
September 29, 2022
This was an odd book for me. I ALMOST started it, initially, right after finishing Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America, but the intro to the book talked about how Vachss had worked to expose child predators and protect children from them, even writing a nonfiction book on the topic that got little attention, and caused him to move into the realm of fiction - leading to this book. And on the heels of the trauma I was still feeling after Dirty Work, I just could not delve into a child sex-trafficking crime thriller. So I went for uplifting and then a COMPLETE shift in story type, before eventually coming back to this one after a few weeks.
I'm still not sure how to review this. It was... seedy. And I mean that in possibly the best way I can. I liked it, for what it was and as much as one can like a very violent, very 'underground' investigation of the dregs of society in search of a child rapist and murderer. But I found the story compelling and I thought that the audiobook reader did a great job with all of the characters (except Mama - HOLY CHINESE STEREOTYPE).
But there were some things that I just felt... distracting to me. One of them was a big one, in that it's critical to Burke's entire way of life, and that's his attention to detail in preparation for going out. SO MUCH DETAIL and Go-Go-Gadget-gadgetry! It was like deus ex machina, but planned ahead and set up in advance, and all of the criteria for working out just happen to always fall into place. Except when they don't, but end up OK anyway. (This probably makes no sense. LOL)
Another one was the ubiquitous sexual relationship between the female client and Burke, and all that entails, and especially all that entails because of WHO this client is and what she's capable of. It felt awkward and shoe-horned in to the story to me. I would have very much preferred no love affair/sexual relationship/whatever this was.
But otherwise, I really did like this. I thought that the attention to detail in the street-smarts way Burke had, and that we are privy to from his perspective, was great, and I really liked the depth that it added. I liked the path the story took, and how it constantly surprised me with where it went and how it got there. I loved the varied cast of characters, including gang members, lawyers, prostitutes, transgender prostitutes, etc, and how NORMAL they were presented as being. There was a clear line as to who Vachss considered to be deviant - and it was absolutely none of those mentioned in my last sentence. We still struggle with that in 2022, so for this being published in 1985, I approve.
This was an interesting book, but I don't know that I would continue the series. This seems like a one-and-done type of book for me.
I'm still not sure how to review this. It was... seedy. And I mean that in possibly the best way I can. I liked it, for what it was and as much as one can like a very violent, very 'underground' investigation of the dregs of society in search of a child rapist and murderer. But I found the story compelling and I thought that the audiobook reader did a great job with all of the characters (except Mama - HOLY CHINESE STEREOTYPE).
But there were some things that I just felt... distracting to me. One of them was a big one, in that it's critical to Burke's entire way of life, and that's his attention to detail in preparation for going out. SO MUCH DETAIL and Go-Go-Gadget-gadgetry! It was like deus ex machina, but planned ahead and set up in advance, and all of the criteria for working out just happen to always fall into place. Except when they don't, but end up OK anyway. (This probably makes no sense. LOL)
Another one was the ubiquitous sexual relationship between the female client and Burke, and all that entails, and especially all that entails because of WHO this client is and what she's capable of. It felt awkward and shoe-horned in to the story to me. I would have very much preferred no love affair/sexual relationship/whatever this was.
But otherwise, I really did like this. I thought that the attention to detail in the street-smarts way Burke had, and that we are privy to from his perspective, was great, and I really liked the depth that it added. I liked the path the story took, and how it constantly surprised me with where it went and how it got there. I loved the varied cast of characters, including gang members, lawyers, prostitutes, transgender prostitutes, etc, and how NORMAL they were presented as being. There was a clear line as to who Vachss considered to be deviant - and it was absolutely none of those mentioned in my last sentence. We still struggle with that in 2022, so for this being published in 1985, I approve.
This was an interesting book, but I don't know that I would continue the series. This seems like a one-and-done type of book for me.
March 5, 2024
a hard boiled noir, thick with grit and grime, which someone turns into a found family narrative around a bunch of outcasts who basically hunt child abusers, AND it had a fairly well written trans character (written in the 80s!!!!) who is correctly gendered???? vachss was a strange ally, but i'll take it. i also like his noir twist of making the femme fatale a karate revenge ninja 😂 if you can get past some clunky male writing (lot of butts bouncing in this) its actually kind of sentimental? will continue the series
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