Customer Reviews

Sacrifice

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

 

 

"Sacrifice" is the darkest novel in the Burke series. It is also a turning point. Since each Burke novel builds on its predecessors, Burke's figurative descent into hell at the end of the book was bound to have a traumatic effect on him. "Satan's Child" is arguably the most disturbing creation that Author Vachss has created in the entire series. I've read all of the Burke novels, and by and large I prefer the earlier books to the later entries. Overall, I would rank "Sacrifice" somewhere in the middle.

This was the first Vachss book I ever read, it was given to me when at the age of thirty I finally got that horrid childhood disease, chicken pox. While laid up with 104 for a fever and wanting to die, my father gave me a copy of Sacrifice to help pass away the hours.

Within the first 20 pages the pox were forgotten and a Burke fan was born for life.

I knew a pedophile. For years we tried to convince 'the right people' that this person was indeed a pedophile. Unfortunately no one listened and his money bought his release. How I wish I knew a Burke in the real world.

What impressed me the most about this book was its truth. It is evident from the start that Mr. Vachss has spent time in the trenches, that his stories are sadly based on a grim part of life most people would rather not acknowledge.

The message in his words is conveyed through the gruff gentleness of Burke. The loyalty between Burke and his group is a loyalty very few people share. His voodoo accurate as well, this is simply a high quality novel that will disturb the reader, make the reader think and introduce the reader permanently into The Zone.

Read this book.

Andrew Vachss, social worker, lawyer, author is a leader in the child protective movement. He calls it "a war," and considers his writing as powerful a weapon as his litigation. Vachss openly admits that he writes about the abuse of children because he wants to raise people's awareness of what's going on, and he'll reach a wider audience with fiction. His novels are powerful. He hits hard. His street tough dialogue and staccato-like prose lend authenticity to this raw, darker than noir world - a world where unspeakable horrors are perpetrated upon innocent children. "Sacrifice" and other books in the Burke series are not for the faint of heart. As heinous, almost far-fetched, as the narratives seem, (who could treat children like this?), the stories are, unfortunately, as real as case studies and the perpetrators prey on their young victims all over the world.

The author tackles a particularly difficult subject here. Luke is a wonderful little boy with a genius I.Q.. He is inquisitive, playful, friendly to the people he trusts - which are few. He has other personalities, however - and one is of a monstrous baby-killer filled with uncontrollable rage. Luke was repeatedly tortured, sexually abused and cruelly filmed in his agony by his parents and their friends, members of a Satanic cult. He is "Satan's child." One of the questions that arises from Luke's case is, after psychiatric treatment to merge his multiple identities, should he be charged with committing murder - or should those people who turned him into a fiend be held responsible - if they can be found...and if Burke doesn't get to them first?

Vigilantism and revenge are other issues that continually pop up in this series. Burke was an abused child raised in numerous foster homes and is a veteran of reform school and prison. "I live under the darkness, where it's safe. Safe from things so secret that they have no name. Under the darkness - it's not a territory you occupy - you take it with you - it goes where I go." And, "There's other's like me. Children of the Secret." Consequently, he himself is unable to control his anger when he deals with pedophiles. His violent acts of vengeance often save the courts the trouble of trying the suspects. But revenge, especially by murder, is against the law.

"Sacrifice" is far from my favorite Burke book. The subject matter really creeped-me-out...and that's hard to do. I know that crimes like these happen - I just don't know if I want to read about them in my leisure time. Also, the author really proselytizes here. And that is so unnecessary. He makes his points over and over again and each time more fervently. The reader gets it - how could one not "get it?" Here Mr. Vachss is too much the man on a mission. But his readers are with him from the get-go. Too much preaching to the choir.

The usual cast of extraordinary characters are all present, including: Max the Silent, a warrior and now a father; Pansy is a warrior of another species - she's a Neapolitan mastiff, just like the kind that came over the Alps with Hannibal; the Mole, a pasty-faced genius who lives in a bunker beneath a high-tech junkyard; the Prophet, a scam artist who speaks in rhyme; Mama Wong, group doyenne - a Chinese Jewish mother and restaurateur, "keeps her prices high and the ambiance foul to discourage yuppies." She cares for the gang, takes Burke's messages and holds his stash; Michelle, a gorgeous transvestite is absent here, busy dealing with the complications which have arisen around her life-changing operation; Terry, the "lost boy" adopted by Michelle and Mole is around to befriend Luke. Ms. Wolfe, a sex crimes prosecutor who Burke has the hots for, plays a bigger than usual role in this novel - which is a plus. And Queen Thana, voodoo royalty, is introduced here too.

This is not a bad book. I don't think Andrew Vachss has it in him to write poor fiction. But, be warned - read at your own risk of some sleepless nights.

JANA

Andrew Vachss has quitely become one of my favorite writers in the last few years....His book Sacrifice (like all the novels in the Burke series) is hard hitting and an excellent read. He pulls no punches and takes no prisoners. While the subject matter may be difficult to read, his stark writing style brings the point across brutally and simply. The character of Burke is a tough SOB and is a cross between a modern day Robin Hood and the Terminator. He may be a career criminal but you'll find yourself rooting for him to avenge the innocense and KICK BUTT!

Once again, I say...READ THIS BOOK.

This is definitely my favorite in the Burke series, for many reasons. Even aesthetically - if you were or are lucky enough to see the jacket of the original hardcover, you'll see that the artwork is beautiful and very distinct from Vachss' earlier jackets (which usually featured a photo representing the female title character). In fact, this book title is the first in the series that does not reference a female character.

Another element that distinguishes this book is how directly its drawn from real-life events. All of Vachss' novels are about the truth, but some specifics of the plot, the involvement of Wolfe, Chief of the Citywide Special Victims Bureau, and even the book's dedication page point to a very specific - and gruesome - real-life crime in New York prior to the book's publication.

But the most significant accomplishment of Sacrifice is that it's the perfect answer to all the hysterical - and inaccurate - cries of vigilantism. For years, the character, and Vachss himself, suffered through the assumptions and the labels (the "Rambo of Child Abuse" being one of them). But its all very clear with this book. Consider the carefully calculated schemes of the previous novels; the predators were dispatched bloodlessly, almost efficiently.

Now compare those things to the conclusion of Sacrifice. Without giving up too many details, Burke's reaction is off the cuff, completely unplanned - "Inside, they weren't the ones, but they'd do" is how he describes the targets of his fury. And he does wreak violence upon them. But someone else also pays the price for his rage, and he hadn't planned on that either. His vengeful rampage isn't satisfying and empowering; it's damaging and it changes him for good.

And that is the ultimate beauty of Sacrifice, both a depiction and an indictment of vigilantism. Its the perfect answer and its an excellent book.

SORRY ....you have to read these great crime books in order to get the most out of them. Go back and read FLOOD then work your way to the dark and violent SACRIFICE. I complained, a little about the last book taking Burke, an unlicensed detective, out of the city of New York. He Is Back. And the story is dark and oh so violent . Burke works with Wolfe a hot female DA to save Luke, an eight year old child abuser. He was turned into a small monster by a heinous cult and the cult becomes the target. The old faithful are back, Max the Silent, Burke's strong 'brother', Mama, Michelle and the Mole, the Prof, and of course Pansy. These characters are the best. This story has everything you can look for in a dark city mystery even voodoo. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I started this series with Flood and have worked my way up to Sacrifice. Vachss always was good at plot but the man is learning how to write. I cared about the people in this one. Im looking forward to the next one.

It seems when you watch New York City movies nowadays, it's a town of glitz and wealth, the nice land of posh Manhattan skylines. Not so in the grimmer days of the 1970s when the Big Apple was cinematically a cesspool: look at movies like The French Connection and you'll see what I mean. Though Andrew Vachss's Burke books are written in the 1990s and later, they keep alive a sleazy New York image that hearkens back to a darker but more interesting era.

Certainly, the city remains a pit in Sacrifice, the sixth Burke book. For those unfamiliar with the character, he is a hard-bitten semi-private eye who has no problem operating outside the law. Though he is always up for a good scam, he has nothing for contempt for the freaks, the child molesters and kiddie porn dealers who occupy his metropolis. In Sacrifice, Burke comes to the aid of Luke, a young child who's been so abused that he's actually developed split personalities, one of which is a baby killer.

Burke knows better than to fault Luke for the murders; the actual killers are the ones who damaged Luke, a little coven of molesters who impersonate Satanists but merely use that religion as a cover. While Burke hunts them down, he also has to keep Luke away from the aggressive DA who is even willing to prosecute an eight year old. He also has to contend with a voodoo cult and a separate case of abuser-turned-killer.

As is typical with a Burke novel, the strength is Burke himself, a tough guy who has his own demons to battle with. In addition, Vachss is good at creating a dark world where hope and redemption are rarely found and are even more rarely long-lasting. On the flip side, I continue to be troubled by the supporting cast of Burke's family who are often so off-beat as to be absurd; they are so unreal at times that it hurts the grim reality that Vachss is otherwise trying to portray. Overall, however, this is another good Vachss novel, not perfect but easily meriting four stars.

I've now read 3 Vachss novels, all early works, and at the end of each one I wrestled with the question of whether or not to read another one. I picked this one after reading the favorable reviews here and I did find it to be better than Blue Belle and Strega. All of these books have had some appeal to me. They present some hard boiled guys like the main character Burke who have been to prison and are still criminals, but who now mainly just take advantage of [child stalkers] and other creeps in various scams. This frees them to do what they really like to do which is bring certain of these creeps to rough justice. I find that to be an entertaining and appealing story theme. This book goes into an unusual direction in that there is an abused multiple personality child who is a killer. This leaves room for lots of interesting and edgy action.

My problem with these books is that while I admire the author as someone who works to help abused children and writes stories that can educate others about what kind of evil people operate in these areas, I just don't find his writing ability to be at the level of top crime authors. The word pictures just aren't as clear, the character development is so-so and there are usually a few over the top features that detract from the overall realism of the story. So, my 4 star rating is given mainly for the good features I listed, while my conclusion is that I'm not now leaning toward reading any more Vachss books.

Vachss delivers another slice of dark urban fiction, with Burke and his crew, as usual, poking their way down the darkest tunnels of human depravity. They've got their hands full, too, with a vicious and deadly child with multiple personalities, Satanists, and a baby-killer on the loose. As if that wasn't enough, Burke can only find his way forward on the case with the help of a Haitian voodoo cult ruled by a clairvoyant Queen, who knows more about Burke than he does himself. Stumbling around in places where even zombies won't go, Burke gathers his entire crew for an apocalyptic and blood-strewn assault of the Satanist headquarters. Violent, powerful and gripping.