48th out of 137 books
—
55 voters
Strega (Burke #2)
by
Andrew Vachss (Goodreads Author)
Andrew Vachss's implacable private eye has a new client, Strega. She wants Burke to find an obscene photograph—and that search will take him into the ocean that flows just beneath the city, an ocean whose currents are flesh and money, the anguish of children and the pleasure of twisted adults. It is a place that Burke can visit only at the risk of his sanity and his life....more
Paperback, 293 pages
Published
February 1996
by Vintage
(first published February 12th 1987)
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Feb 23, 2012
Stephen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
1980-1989,
crime,
dark-and-gritty,
mystery,
ebooks,
audiobook,
hardboiled,
noir,
detectives
Underneath the violent but familiar veneer of murders, beatings and robberies that cake the surface of life on the nightly news there lies a far darker, far more depraved world of evil. A world of:
-snuff films,
-child pornography,
-sadistic sexual fetishes...
and vomit-inducing combinations of all three of the above.
This sick, rancid underbelly is where Burke (no first name) spends his time waging a “no holds barred,” one man war against those who prey on children. Burke is a bad guy. He’s an ex-...more
-snuff films,
-child pornography,
-sadistic sexual fetishes...
and vomit-inducing combinations of all three of the above.
This sick, rancid underbelly is where Burke (no first name) spends his time waging a “no holds barred,” one man war against those who prey on children. Burke is a bad guy. He’s an ex-...more
I’ve read a few of the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss so I knew there was a good chance that this book was probably as depressing as watching a puppy die from cancer. So I decided to brighten it up by scoring some black market anti-depressants off the internet. Here are my observations after taking a double handful of pills along with a couple of shots of Wild Turkey and then reading:
- Why did I think this would be depressing? Burke’s New York is a magical city filled with kind, helpful people an...more
- Why did I think this would be depressing? Burke’s New York is a magical city filled with kind, helpful people an...more
A woman calling herself Strega hires Burke to find an obscene photograph of her friend's five year old son. As Burke's quest takes him through a web of Nazis, pimps, and kiddie porn dealers, Strega gets her hooks deeper into him. Can Burke find the photo and escape Strega's grasp?
As I said in my review for Flood, Burke's adventures are so dark it took a man with an eyepatch to write them. Vachss takes Burke on another journey through hell and back.
The thing about Burke is that even though you kn...more
As I said in my review for Flood, Burke's adventures are so dark it took a man with an eyepatch to write them. Vachss takes Burke on another journey through hell and back.
The thing about Burke is that even though you kn...more
Disturbingly Great Book
Put on old ratty ass dirty clothes and then begin reading the second in the Burke series. You’ll be glad you’re in old clothes because this story will definitely make you feel like you’ve been pulled through the gutter or walked around the subway tracks looking for aluminum cans.

New York City Subway Tracks
But to me, that is one sign of a fantastic writer even if it makes you feel dirty and the subject matter is gut wrenchingly disturbing. But here is a line from the boo...more
Put on old ratty ass dirty clothes and then begin reading the second in the Burke series. You’ll be glad you’re in old clothes because this story will definitely make you feel like you’ve been pulled through the gutter or walked around the subway tracks looking for aluminum cans.

New York City Subway Tracks
But to me, that is one sign of a fantastic writer even if it makes you feel dirty and the subject matter is gut wrenchingly disturbing. But here is a line from the boo...more
Even though this noire crime novel starts off in an entertaining and arresting way, it becomes something as a bore at the end. Former inmate Bruke, is a sometimes private eye, but still living the life of little scams, unregistered cars, guns, and untraceable phones, and living in a hovel no one can find. He has taken the wrap and done time for 3 of his buddies, when the stealing of heroin from the mob, went wrong and they try to sell it back only to be caught by cops. There are many bizarre cha...more
I am not sure if you can say “the normal cast of characters” when it is only the second book in a series! Max the Silent, Mole, Michelle, Mama Wong, Prophet, Pansy, the trust-fund hippies, even Flood in retrospect. Not a normal person in the bunch!
This is a book of fiction with some doses of reality: sexual perversion involving children. You meet victims and perpetrators. Vachss styles himself as a crusader against child sexual abuse and his books allegedly have a goal of combating that social i...more
This is a book of fiction with some doses of reality: sexual perversion involving children. You meet victims and perpetrators. Vachss styles himself as a crusader against child sexual abuse and his books allegedly have a goal of combating that social i...more
Good but not as strong as the first installment (though it does finish well). This story follows Burke and his crew searching for an indecent picture of a little boy. Strega, the woman they've hired to find it, casts a "spell" on Burke making him question his sanity and his loyalty to Flood on more than one occasion. We meet a love interest for Max the Silent and in turn, a permanent character, Immaculata, is added to the family. In addition to Mac, Michelle adopts street kid Terry after Burke p...more
I much prefer Burke #2 to his introduction in 'Flood'. 'Flood' is not as robust as 'Strega' but they're both worthwhile because by the time you get to 'Blue Belle'; Vachss is taking no prisoners. That's where he really hits his stride. Still--of these two earlier outings-- 'Strega' is definitely more memorable.
'Flood' --as a character--is just somewhat of a crudely-drawn concoction; there's some things which don't quite gel; her martial arts background; her vengeance and its execution strains c...more
'Flood' --as a character--is just somewhat of a crudely-drawn concoction; there's some things which don't quite gel; her martial arts background; her vengeance and its execution strains c...more
I started the Burke journey with this book...Flood followed and then...hooked. Mr Vachss is a very dedicated man (Protect.org) and his writings may unsettle the squeamish, but they are always relevant. I like that word. I like the short terse writing style and the hard hitting punches Mr Vachss throws in every book. Bought this book back in the 80's (I believe) and it still adorns my shelves along with the rest of the offerings in this series. Start with Flood, get acquainted, and you won't look...more
The second in the series of Burke.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first one. And it's not real enjoyment, more fascination.
Strega was a hard book, with hard things going on, but somehow Mr Vachss decided to add some fluff into the book and I'm not really sure how I took that. Mr Vachss has made it clear the evils out there, and to the point, shoved it in our faces in Flood. So why now is he trying to show us a softer side? Give us a breather from all the maggots? I don't get it, nor...more
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first one. And it's not real enjoyment, more fascination.
Strega was a hard book, with hard things going on, but somehow Mr Vachss decided to add some fluff into the book and I'm not really sure how I took that. Mr Vachss has made it clear the evils out there, and to the point, shoved it in our faces in Flood. So why now is he trying to show us a softer side? Give us a breather from all the maggots? I don't get it, nor...more
* The second Burke novel.
* I have the Down Here omnibus, which includes the second, third, and fourth Burke novels. In his Introduction, Vachss says about Burke, "I wanted to show people what Hell really looked like...and I didn't think an angel would be the best guide." And he's right, I think. Yet Burke is much like Eastwood's character, The Man With No Name. And what is he but an avenging angel? And what's Burke's only religion? Revenge. So, yeah, Vachss was right; he just didn't think it thr...more
* I have the Down Here omnibus, which includes the second, third, and fourth Burke novels. In his Introduction, Vachss says about Burke, "I wanted to show people what Hell really looked like...and I didn't think an angel would be the best guide." And he's right, I think. Yet Burke is much like Eastwood's character, The Man With No Name. And what is he but an avenging angel? And what's Burke's only religion? Revenge. So, yeah, Vachss was right; he just didn't think it thr...more
New York city private detective and con man Burke nearly meets his match in a femme fatale who calls herself Stega, the Italian word for witch. An old jail house acquaintance of Burke's tracks him down and introduces him to this woman, who asks him to find and incriminating photograph. Burke's answer is priceless:
"I don't like the way you smell, lady. You stink of trouble, and I've got enough of my own."
But against his better judgment, he takes on the case, aided by his crew of motley accomplice...more
"I don't like the way you smell, lady. You stink of trouble, and I've got enough of my own."
But against his better judgment, he takes on the case, aided by his crew of motley accomplice...more
Strega (Burke #2) by Andrew Vachss (Alfred A. Knopf 1987)(mystery - fiction)is the second book in the Burke series. In this novel, a witchy woman hires Burke to find a child pornographer and recover a photograph. This was nowhere near as well done as the first Burke book, Flood. My rating: 3.5/10, finished 3/22/11.
With an Italian witch haunting his trail, Burke has to figure out what needs to be done before she owns his soul. As in all his stories, Burke is on the trail of someone who abuses children. And that is only going to end one way - they are going down. One of the best book series that I have ever read.
Some novel series fade with time, causing the reader to wonder what we saw in them the first time. But the Burke series is as fun the second time around. A part of it is the comic-book/graphic-novel sleekness: these characters know their roles and they never stray from them. Another aspect is the strength of conviction. Whatever it is, I romped through this second novel in the series and look forward to more.
You could say that I consumed this novel. It's not the first time I have read Burke number 2. Or the 3rd or 4th for that matter. I suspect it may not be the last. Burke has to find a way to deal with Strega and find a solution to help an abused little boy. And he does so in the only way he knows how. And some. Vachss is not writing an all out thriller. He is telling a moral tale and a story. Holding up a million watt light to the underbelly and saying 'see this? See this shit? This is happening....more
Here I go into the second book. I'm liking it already. Nice to have most of the same characters back. New narrator on Audible. I don't like him as well as the first guy.
I ended up liking the narrator by the end. This was a pretty good story. It's about sexual abuse of children. And evil clowns. Burk is a great character. I'll read the rest of the series.
I ended up liking the narrator by the end. This was a pretty good story. It's about sexual abuse of children. And evil clowns. Burk is a great character. I'll read the rest of the series.
I always assumed Vachss was genre in the vein of Patterson and Grafton and the like, but a student recommended this as more noir than straight-up mystery and she was right. Solid language and characters and so gritty that I actually felt disturbed at times (child pornography/abuse figures heavily in the plot). Felt pretty authentic to me, too. Thumbs up.
He's still writing well, very precise and unemotional, but from my Christian perspective I'm uneasy during descriptions of the sexual acts in which his character engages. Considering the milieux in which his main character operates, the author does not overplay this particular hand, and I am grateful for his restraint.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11551602
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11551602
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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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Feb 23, 2012 10:10am
Feb 25, 2012 01:30am