246th out of 341 books
—
13 voters
Dead and Gone (Burke #12)
by
Andrew Vachss (Goodreads Author)
From the modern master of noir, Andrew Vachss, comes this heart-topping and bestselling new thriller that completely reinvents the Burke series.
Urban Outlaw Burke barely survives an attack by a professional hit squad that kills his partner. With a new face, Burke goes into hiding. And on the hunt. Dead and Gone takes him from the streets of New York City through a cross-...more
Urban Outlaw Burke barely survives an attack by a professional hit squad that kills his partner. With a new face, Burke goes into hiding. And on the hunt. Dead and Gone takes him from the streets of New York City through a cross-...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
September 11th 2001
by Vintage
(first published September 11th 2000)
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'Dead and Gone; features Vachss' penultimate hard man, Burke, on a quest for revenge following an attempted hit on his life. What originally loomed as a single cash for kid exchange soon turned sour when the kidnapped kid seemingly turns on Burke leaving him permanently scared and pi$$ed off. In a slow methodical build up, Vachss takes us through a great many of Burke's criminal acquaintances and introduces another in Gem - a fiesty mysterious women whose lust for the extreme is matched only by ...more
I always forget why it is I don't like Andrew Vachss novels. I will go years without reading one and then think, "Hey, why don't I read another Vachss novel?" Then I'll read one and remember, "Oh yeah, his endings are always inexplicable and unsatisfying and never seem to tie up a single loose end. And don't forget how rushed they are."
I think about that and then I think, "Oh man, his female characters are also caricatures. No one writes women worse than Va...more
I think about that and then I think, "Oh man, his female characters are also caricatures. No one writes women worse than Va...more
In “Dead and Gone” (2000), Burke facilitates what appears to be the trade of a boy who had been abducted from his parents years ago. But actually, it was all designed to be an assassination attempt on Burke. He ends up in the hospital with a bullet through his brain, an eye missing, and severe disfigurement. Even worse, to Burke: he watched Pansy, his dog, get killed.
Once out of the hospital, Burke strikes out to find who set him up. The quest takes him to Chicago, Oregon, New Mexico, ...more
Once out of the hospital, Burke strikes out to find who set him up. The quest takes him to Chicago, Oregon, New Mexico, ...more
O.K., this is the last of the Burke books for me to read. For sure this time! Being an earlier book it is one of the better books to read. A plot that really includes the changes that take place for the rest of the series. Fun read.
It is unusual for an author to take a chance on making a major changed in their signature character. That happens in this book and I think Vachhs pulls it off rather well. A lot of the typical Burke things happen in this book but a lot changes as well. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here and how Burke fares going forward.
Con man and unlicensed private investigator Burke is cut down in a double-cross and in nearly killed. Left for dead in an abandoned lot, everyone thinks Burks is long gone... just as he wants them to. His quest to find his would be assassins leads him father afield than he has ever been. This was another fascinating Burke novel. You would think after 12 novels, Vachss would start running out of gas, but it just isn't so. We learn more and more about the incredible depth of Burke's character, and...more
Jami
added it
The titular opening scene marks the end of one era and the beginning of a brand new Burke.
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This is probably my favorite of Vachss' novels. It takes Burke, his setting, and his family and totally upends the status quo. Some super brutal shit goes down in this book, and it introduces a totally new convention for Vachss novels that I love-- Burke's flashbacks to his time in the orphanage and how he was friends with insane Lune and killer-in-the-making Wesley. These scenes are probably the most powerful of anything Vachss has written and pay off perfectly in the end.
Jonquil
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Andrew 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 varie...more
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