Burke, the peculiar protagonist who embodies Andrew Vachssí voice, is still trolling the streets of New York in this, his 12th appearance in a Vachss novel. Burke lives his life as a hunt for revenge against those who abuse children, having lived through the horrors of child abuse himself. That Burke is an ominous, criminal character is not just a quirky plot device. Rather, he is intentionally contrasted to the ìmorally superior white knightî you might expect to find standing up for abused children because, Vachss says, ìI wanted to show you what hell looks like and I didnít think an angel would be the appropriate guide.î

This time we join Burke trading money for the return of an abducted child. He is the middleman, going between the abductors and the Russian ÈmigrÈ parents who are desperate to get their child back. The deal is a set up, and Burke and his dog each take a bullet. Burke survives, the dog does not. After escaping the hospital, and getting a new face and new name, Burke is bent on avenging the death of his dog. He hunts the killer, aided by his family of choice and their underworld connections. His search leads him back through his childhood, back to his days learning to endure life, back to Lune, a fellow mental hospital inmate whom Burke taught the tricks of surviving on the run. Ultimately, Burke discovers someone else from his past, someone who is preying on the same low-life characters as he is, but for purely selfish reasons. The villain is a con-man and pedophile, currently selling the bogus dream of an independent nation called Darcadia to hard-core pedophiles searching for a place to practice their lifestyle without persecution. As Burke reels in this monster, he learns more and more about who killed his dog and wounded him, and why. Revenge is sweet, but afterward itís time for Burke to move on. He may be in a new location, but his objective will remain constant throughout his life.

By his own admission, Andrew Vachss is not a writer. His books contain more dialogue than anything else, but it is enough to carry the story on its own. Perhaps he doesnít need the descriptive powers of a more poetic novelist because he writes from his personal experience, both that of his childhood and of his adult life, spent defending children in the court system. The lean, terse style seems to suit the nature of the subject matter better anyway. The sex and violence that permeate his novels have the gritty realism that can only be attained by someone who writes from the depth of personal experience. If your stomach turns at the mere thought of a child being taken advantage of, not cared for, assaulted, unloved, it will be sick at some of the graphic episodes in this book. Your heart will be sick, too, when you remember that these episodes are pulled from Vachssí memory of things that have either happened to him or to children he has defended. This is just as Vachss intended. ìWhen I write about child abuse, people need to pay attention,î he says. ìI am paid to learn the truth, and I know what Iím talking about.î Burke came close to death in this novel, but readers who appreciate this series need not fret. ìBecause the material from my actual life is so deep, I probably have enough for another 50 books, if I live long enough to write them,î says Vachss. It sounds like Burke will be around for a long time.

Itís worth a trip to Little Professor on the 15th to get this book and meet the intriguing author who penned it. For more information on the author or the book, go to his website at www.vachss.com.