Strega [Hardcover]

Andrew Vachss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 1988

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. But between the power of Strega and his own sense of justice, there is no turning back.

In Strega one of our most acclaimed crime writers gives us a thriller that might have been imagined by Dante. For this is a tour of hell with no stops left out, conducted by a novelist who writes with the authority of the damned.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first novel, Flood, attorney-turned-novelist Vachss introduced Burke, the ex-con investigator who's not averse to working either side of the law. The book captured the brutal atmosphere of New York's underbelly. This modern-day Robin Hood returns to that seamy world, complete with a merry band that includes a mute Mongolian strongman, a weird genius who lives in a junkyard, a transvestite prostitute and an intimidating dog named Pansy. Hired by a strangely alluring Mafia princess calling herself Strega ("witch" in loose translation ), Burke must find a certain photograph of a child forced into a sex act. Plunged into the world of kiddie porn, he wreaks havoc on the perverts, pimps and pedophiles he despises, the true "bad guys" in his view of things. Despite its action and fast pace, the book is less compelling than the author's first, lapsing into a sort of predictability and short on the pulsing energy a thriller must sustain. 50,000 first printing.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Streetwise and otherwise smart ex-con Burke narrates this second journey ( Flood ) through New York's garish underworld. The tough, unlicensed private investigator and his memorable cohorts work outside the law, but physically hurt only the true scum: street and subway punks, dope dealers and child abusers. With the help of Max the Silent (deaf-mute Chinese muscle), Michelle (fabulous-looking pre-transsexual hooker), Mole (thick-glassed demolition genius), Immaculata (sympathetic Vietnamese psychotherapist), and Pansy (malevolent Italian guard dog), Burke searches for a kiddie porn picture that will salvage the sanity of a cherubic six-year-old boy. This story fairly crackles with intensity, and the TV/p.i.-type narrator fuels the excitement with wry asides, gangster-wary movements, and cautious self-assurances. Great reading. Rex E. Klett, Anson Cty. Lib., Wadesboro, N.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (December 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517681838
• ISBN-13: 978-0517681831
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,566,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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 youth exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a "children's book for adults." His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, The New York Times, and many other forums. His books have been awarded the Grand Prix de Littérature Policiére, the Falcon Award, Deutschen Krimi Preis, Die Jury des Bochumer Krimi Archivs and the Raymond Chandler Award (per Giurìa a Noir in Festival, Courmayeur, Italy). Andrew Vachss' latest books include Heart Transplant (Dark Horse Books, October 2010), a collaboration with Frank Caruso that attempts to reset the cultural software as it pertains to bullying, and The Weight (Pantheon, November 2010), a crime novel. The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is vachss.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vachss--New York Haiku, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Strega (Paperback)

Strega, my first Andrew Vachss novel has definitely not been my last. One of the most intriguing and philosophically stimulating authors I've read; a rare find in this genre. Vachss delivers poignant insights into our modern society & human interaction. These insights are woven into an exciting story of good (sort of) vs evil (the vilest), populated with characters more bizarre than even Hiassen creates. There are only few authors about whom you can say 'I'd read anything he/she wrote'- Vachss is one of these.

It is film noir on paper. It IS New York Haiku. It is a delight.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch out for the witch, May 15, 2000

By 

Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strega (Paperback)

The opening scene of "Strega," in which Burke stallks a stalker, is as effective as anything he's written. The climax is so good, the rest of the book is almost a letdown. But never fear, beyond the opening Vachss sends Burke in pursuit of the subject closest to his heart, a child being sexually abused. You know that Burke is going to find and confront those responsible. How he gets there, with the help of the "witch" Strega, is well worth the price of admission. This is one of Burke's best adventures.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulls no punches., February 10, 2006

By 

Douglas Setter "D Setter" (Chilliwack, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strega (Paperback)

When I first read this book, I immediately read it again. It is about a private detective, ex-con who goes where the law cannot and seeks what citizens either cannot stomach or like to ignore. It is a crash course into the hard, sick industry of child-molesters and child abusers. The P.I. Burke is a few degrees above totally criminal, but righteous enough to seek justice. The story entertained but also opened my eyes to a world of just plain evil.