- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Books; Reprint edition (10 July 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679760660
- ISBN-13: 978-0679760665
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.5 x 20.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,128,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Andrew Vachss has reinvented detective fiction for an age in which guilty secrets are obsolete and murder isn't even worth a news headline. And in the person of his haunted, hell-ridden private eye Burke, Vachss has given us a new kind of hero: a man inured to every evil except the kind that preys on children.
Now Burke is back, investigating an epidemic of apparent suicides among teenagers of a wealthy Connecticut suburb. There he discovers a sinister connection between the anguish of the young and the activities of an elite sadomasochistic underground, for whom pan and its accompanying rituals are a source of pleasure—and power
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15 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Andrew H. Vachss, Esq. - Master of the Dark Side
19 Sep 2000
Format:Paperback
By "Dark Side," I don't mean the occult. Real-life attorney Vachss has an intimate grasp on all that that is offensive to the majority of us who live quiet, (semi-)organized lives. We gasp and recoil at the real-life occurrence of a brutal act by one human against another. The world of Vachss is the opposite. Therein we are non-plussed by an act of kindness. His world is real; it is simply a world that most of us chose to deny the existence of. (<-Dangling participle - sorry!) Vachss' fictional characters and situations are damn close to reality. And it's often tough to take.
In this latest outing, Vachss takes his main character, Burke, to the upper class suburbs to fulfill a longstanding "debt." Burke, an abandoned and abused former ward of the state, (both in childhood and occasionally in adulthood) is a urban survivalist, con artist and city animal. He is also presently mourning his "accidental" killing of a small child. (I told you it was tough stuff to take!) But he adapts to this new, ritzy environment as only a true survivor can. (Vachss' fans will recall that he pulled this off before, in exurban Indiana, in "Blossom.") And, as always, he solves the underlying crisis through a combination of detective work, technological assistance, sheer bravado and unrelenting violence.
The common theme to all Burke novels is moral outrage. Once Vachss has overwhelmed us with the horror of the situation (and it always involves the sexual and physical abuse of children), we applaud his character as a vengeful angel. Burke consciously believes that he does what he does for the money. Nonsense. He's driven by the demons of his own abusive upbringing. And I wouldn't want him "cured' for the world...
Keep writing 'em, Andrew. I'll keep reading them and recommending them.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Burke in the 'burbs
16 May 2000
Format:Paperback
I have read all of the Burke novels, and this is not one of the better ones. I guess after the absolute horror at the end of the previous book, "Sacrifice," it is understandable that Burke had to back off a bit. But his adventure in suburban Connecticut just isn't terribly compelling and leads to perhaps the least satisfying climax of the whole series. Who would have thought that Burke's legendary "Zero" is situated among the strip malls and housing developments! Burke beginners should start elsewhere (I recommend "Flood" or "Blue Belle"). This one's for hard core fans only.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A dark and fascinating psychological thriller
11 May 2000
Format:Paperback
Those who have not read anything by Andrew Vachss have missed out on one of the really original voices in contemporary mystery writing. His recurring hero, Burke, has a shadowy past and an even more shadowy collection of friends and 'family'. The writing style is spare, the atmosphere is tense and the plots tend to emphasize a combination of quick violence and brooding psychological insights.
In Down in the Zero, Burke moves to somewhat unfamiliar territory in tackling the mystery of a rash of teen suicides. The action, while less ugly than in many of Vachss books, is typically emotionally charged. Burke is a unique hero - sensitive, flawed and competently violent when need be.
If you've never read Vachss and enjoy thrillers with a dark edge, give this one a try. It might give you a taste for more - and he has seven or eight Burke novels, all deserving of attention.
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