Customer Reviews

Down in the Zero (Vintage Crime / Black Lizard)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I'm in the process of reading all the Burke novels (I'm a BIG fan) and this one just didn't do it for me. The story was not very compelling and, unlike in Blossom, taking Burke out of NY made everything feel strange and disorienting. The interactions between Burke and the main female character seemed really fake to me and it felt very out of character for Burke in general. Anyway, not nearly as good as the other Burke novels.

Despite its laid back approach to a mystery, I liked its down-to-earth descriptions of how the rich think and feel. I would have liked it better if they had spent a little more time on Burke, but I'm sure I'll get that in other books. All in all an enjoyable adventure.

This book is a terrific introduction to the world of Burke. He's got his own way of thinking, his own way of loving, and a heart much bigger than it appears in the steel-caged life he has to lead. All the women in this book are are strong characters, but the one who joins him is also sensuous, dangerous, and absolutely addictive. It's a great read, and I plan to read the rest of the series as well.

"Down In The Zero" is Andrew Vachss' seventh novel featuring Burke, the hard-boiled, in-your-face, ex-con detective, who still isn't sure on which side of the law he prefers to operate. Abandoned at birth, father and mother unknown, Burke has no real first name. "Baby boy" is the name on his birth certificate. He is a survivor. He's also a standup guy. The novel is set in early 1990s NYC, just after Mayor Guiliani came to office with the intent to clean up the City's mean streets.

I have read the six previous Burke books and have became so fascinated with this complex character, and with the strange folks who people his world, that I will probably go on to read the entire series. I am addicted. If you are a Vachss/Burke fan, or have the potential to become one, I would suggest that you try to read the books in order. Of course, every novel stands on its own, independent of the others, but the growth and development of the characters are continual. There are also references to past events, and for a richer reading experience it is helpful to know the history. If you're just looking for a good read, and not interested in becoming a Burke maven, then by all means, read at random.

Throughout this book Burke mourns the horribly violent death of a little boy for which he feels responsible, (these events took place in a previous novel). He finds himself in a black place - the Zero, he calls it - "a deep black hole you dive into," and he is unable to climb out. It is not death, but this abyss may be worse than death because one still feels the intense pain of the living.

Then he receives a phone call from a troubled teen who fears for his life. The boy, a rich kid from the Connecticut suburbs is the son of a woman from Burke's past - a ghost from long ago who once saved his skin. He feels like he owes her a favor and so takes a trip to the burbs and the world of the super wealthy. Here he discovers a string of inexplicable teen suicides all linked to a common experience at a psychiatric clinic.

Burke also becomes involved with a woman, Fancy, a friend of his friend and a member of an elite private sex club. She is definitely not a "vanilla sex" lady. Fancy introduces Burke to the world of S&M, D&S, and encourages him to participate. She is even willing to switch for him and play the submissive. This kinkiness all eventually links-up to the suicides in an extremely convoluted way.

P. I. Burke, as always, is the narrator. And the narrative, at times, goes off on a tangent, like Burke's thought processes. This occasional stream of consciousness has always been extremely effective and enhances the detective's persona. However, here Vachss wanders a bit too much and his usual tight writing style suffers for it. While "Down in the Zero" is strong on character development, the storyline is not the best. However, I am into these novels because of my man Burke and the characters who form his "real family." In this area Vachss does not disappoint.

So...if you are a Vachss/Burke fan, don't miss this, although your patience may be tried at times. If you are just looking for a good read, check-out one of the author's earlier books.

JANA

Burke out of NYC and away from his running mates is like a fish out of water. I am a huge fan of Burke but in a weathly area, out of state and mourning from the last novel, well, this wasn't it for me. I will read the next one but this was weakest of the seven.

I feel a little disloyal critisizing one of Andrew Vachss' books. I wasn't sorry I bought this because I like contributing to his cause, but this one bugged me a bit. The sado-masochistic sex seemed disturbingly gratuitous. It almost seemed thrown in to titillate the reader -- ironic, since Vachss abhors the connection "freaks" make between sex and violence. And listen here, Burke: You love Judy Henske,you love women with big butts (want my number?), and you respect dogs more than you respect most people. I got it. Again. Actually, I love Burke. Keep it up.

I first picked up Andrew Vachss because I heard
his name mentioned in connection with Batman.
Figuring it was going to be fiction in the Raymond
Chandler vein, I picked up one of his books.
Needless to say, the hard steel nightmare that
Burke and his "family" live through daily floored
me.
Down In the Zero is a very good book in that we
get more of an insight on Burke. Vachss refers to
events in other novels; it helps if you read the
whole series in order. We get an insight into Burke's
soul that is both entrancing and disturbing.
This isn't a poetic book, and Burke is not a
likable person. The entire novel is told from
Burke's point of view, that of a hardened, callous
criminal. And any poetry would get in the way.
The novel is sharp, quick, and to the point. The
cutting edge of detective fiction, well worth
reading.