[.ca] Down Here: A Burke Novel (ISBN 1400076110)

Powerful Entry in a Groundbreaking Series:
The power of Andrew Vachss's writing and the appeal of Burke, his urban outlaw/vigilante protagonist, has seldom been on better display than in DOWN HERE, the fifteenth entry in this groundbreaking series. Like Burke, Vachss has a driving passion to squeeze off the poison being pumped into the veins of our society by predatory abusers of the young and weak, and these books are a vehicle for delivering his messages and their lessons. It is Vachss's passion and commitment that keep the series so vibrant, and his skills as a writer --- the lean, spare prose, the on-the-mark characterizations, the wincing realism --- that make them so damned readable. DOWN HERE is more is more a straightforward tale of deduction and discovery than earlier books in the series. Burke --- back from the "dead", returned to the fold of his "family" of choice, once again prowling the streets and shadow-worlds of New York City --- is on a mission to prove the innocence of Wolfe, former sex crimes prosecutor, now falsely accused of the attempted murder of a vicious serial rapist freed on a technicality. Burke's long-smoldering though unrequited love for Wolfe pushes him to pursue this proof past the understanding of those closest to him, past the wishes of even Wolfe, perhaps past Burke's own understanding as well. This relentless, beyond-reason, beyond-profit motive quest manages to humanize Burke to a degree we haven't seen before. What's more, we find him to be a somewhat more subdued Burke than in the past. Subdued like a napping pit bull. When it counts, he is as focused and methodical and grimly determined as ever. The plot of DOWN HERE is tight, the ending solid with a timely, unnerving twist. But its real strength is in the writing, the deepened layering of characters we have come to know and care about --- most notably, in this outing, Burke and the city. Yes, the city of New York, which is presented here as very much a living, breathing character. After exiling Burke to Oregon when he was "killed" in DEAD AND GONE, and then gradually reconstructing and re-connecting him there until his eventual return, Vachss seems to be re-embracing and re-experiencing the city with alterntely scathing then loving thoughts and observations. You may think you've seen New York before; in movies, on TV, via other books and the news media. But there is only one way to see it like Vachss presents it --- through the sensibilities of Burke. And like everything else we've experienced from that vantage point, what you get may not always be pleasant but it is sharp-imaged, dead-on accurate, and fascinatingly memorable.

Excellent, but the ending was weak:
Burke, as always, is a fascinating character. This book kept me turning the pages but the ending was hard to swallow. It did make sense but was just a little too pat, almost coincidental. I also did not like the way the Wolfe connection just petered out. But all that being said, I'm looking forward to the next one and I suppose that's a pretty good summation of my feelings.

Burke is back in the neighborhood:
Rebeccasreads recommends Burke's latest incarnation as he sets out not only to prove the beautiful Wolfe innocent of attempted murder, he wants to skewer the creep Wycheck & get him for the string of brutal rapes that has Manhattan in a nightmare. That redemption comes at a terrible price, is part & parcel of living DOWN HERE in the underbelly of the City. Could not put it down!

All In The Family:
Andrew Vachss' stories about Burke have covered a lot of ground since I started reading them. The early novels were deeply tortured, tales of an anti-hero scarred down to his core by a legacy of pain and abuse. Surrounding Burke are the members of his 'true' family. All children of the 'secret,' all people driven to living on the fringes of society, all finding meaning in their shared companionship. In this world Burke is both feared and loved. Loved for his fierce loyalty to those he shares a bond with, and fired by those who have made abuse a landmark in the corridors of darkness. Burke is inteliigent, but not an intellect. He has friends like the Professor and the Mole for that. But he is street smart to the nth degree. While no longer the automatically violent character of the early novels, Burke has no qualms about the use of violence when his version of justice requires it. Down Here is a novel of complex interlocking plots, but the edge is still there as he searches for a way to unravel a plot to frame Wolfe, a woman he has long admired, for shooting a serial rapist she once convicted, who has now gone free on a technicality. The more Burke digs into the accusations and the stonewalling by the district attorney's office, the clearer it becomes that there is more involved than the accusations against Wolfe. The FBI has become involved, as well as white supremacists and terrorists. Wolfe is a pawn in a deeper game. And while she fights to beat the case against her, it is not all that clear that she welcomes Burke's involvement. To me, Down Here marks Burke's real return to the city and his friends. Previously, right after he returned from his 'trip' to the West Coast, his membership in New York's underground felt awkward and stilted. The entire cycle from the attempt on his life and his revenge was never entirely satisfactory, but with this story we are completely immersed again into Burke's milieu, moving through the edges of the shadow city, meeting a caste of characters that at once familiar and strange. Vachss' writing is at a peak. We are used to a lot of action in a Burke story, and Down Here is a change of pace, focused on Burke's interior development and the intricacies of the plot development. In a way this is more like a police procedural than the pure action and suspense that Vachss often uses. With many volumes written in this series, the characters are tightly defined. While the story is completely readable on its own the newcomer will benefit from taking the time to read several of the earlier novels.

A kindlier, gentler Burke?:
Burke is lost without his dog Pansy. But he is doing better. If you would like to see how he has changed, go back to Hard Candy or Blossom. The other reviews give you a plot summary. I just want to say that Vachss does an excellent job of telling a believable tale of a violent, criminal culture with its own view of reality and morality.