Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More super-charged Noir from one of the masters!, September 6, 2006
Andrew Vachss has carved himself an Ellroy-sized section of the American Noir highway. His Burke novels have laid down the asphalt, and such standalones as Shella, The Getaway Man, and the GREAT Two Trains Running have marked the lanes. He is a major American writer. Just don't tell him, ok? Please, it's for the best. If you've ever attended one of his "readings," you know what I mean.
There are reasons for this. Primarily is that Vachss writes not to tell stories, per se, but to send messages to affect behavior. And it's working. He has mobilized a virtual army in the battle against child pornography, and the visible result is PROTECT, the only child-protection PAC in the nation. They've overturned the heinous incest exception in many states, and have more in their sights [...].
But I'm here to talk about Mask Market, which is the latest in the Burke series. The good news, and a point I can't stress too lightly, is this is a GREAT jumping-on point for those who have never read the series before. Vachss, we can only assume, has taken it upon himself to educate readers who were drawn to this book after reading Two Trains Running by hitting the key events of events past in the universe that is Burke's world. Those first-timers will quickly understand the Manhattan Burke operates in, along with his family, his history and, of course, his demons.
And for those long-timers, think about going to a concert by someone you've loved for years, and how, in the midst of something new, you hear hints of something you recognize, and a few bars later, the song appears in its full glory. Vachss does that here, and it's exciting to read. You know the beats, you know the characters, and yet, he brings them to life as if new. Heck, he even plays those damn trotters!! Now THAT'S kicking it old-school!!
[...] Vachss uses this plot point as a device to bring readers up to speed, in highly entertaining fashion, on the history of the characters, and in many respects, the world--according to Vachss.
The other things you love to read Vachss write about--cars, music, and girls--are all well-represented here, to the point that if I didn't know better, I'd think Vachss actually "had fun" writing about this time. There is, dare I say it, near-joy in his writing this time through, and for those of us that have been with the series since the beginning, it's pretty cool to read.
But a Vachss novel is only sizzle/prose without the meat/message. Those "Trojan horses" he loves to write about, designed to galvanize thought into action. Mask Market has "Trojan ponies" scattered throughout, mostly relating to what constitutes a mask these days. The Big Horse will hit you like buckshot. It's an inversion of something that Vachss readers are very familiar with. Of course, it's concealed in a major plot point, so I'll leave it there for you to find.
Just remember this...for years, "critics" have blasted Vachss for writing about things "too gruesome to be true," when in fact, a few years later, they have become major issues on our landscape. From child pornography/trafficking to kids blowing up kids in schools, to twisted reality programming, Vachss has warned us of the evil that's coming, and dared/inspired us to try and stop it. He just happens to do it in highly entertaining fashion, with the Burke series. Which, with Mask Market, reclaims its place among the Great Series in Crime Fiction.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Burke's Law, October 16, 2006
Years ago I was told to purchase Vachss' novels by the Mysterious Bookstore in Manhattan. They said they were "hard core" novels. Great if I could stomach them. Each novel opened my eyes to a part of society that I was sure he was exaggerating...only to discover that they were indeed the underbelly of society. As the years progressed, the underbelly of society would come to the surface as a truism or a cause celeb. He would write a new book, delve to a deeper more hideous layer. Then voila, society would tread down the same path.
With his history, I do not know why I would have doubted the truth in his novels. Now I take them for fact. Everytime I pick up a book his staccato writing style drops me into a comfortable world. The comfortable world of Burke and his "family". Burke's world, although outside the law, is the world that you root for, the world that you want to win. You wish the real world worked in tandem with Burke's laws.
His books always, always, make you think. They skew your thoughts in a way that leave you wondering why you did not think of the situation in that fashion in the first place.
Thought provoking, disturbing, and very readable. If you haven't you will want to read the whole series.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't stop once you pick it up!, September 1, 2006
I received Mask Market, the newest Burke novel, from Amazon on Tuesday. By Thursday, I had gobbled it whole like a juicy burger.
The plot is *very* twisty and completely unpredictable, which contrasted very well with the warm familiar feeling I have when reading about Burke and his family-of-choice. Of course, the most interesting thing about Vachss' characters is that time doesn't stand still between books. By now, Max the Silent's daughter, Flower, (a baby during Blue Belle) has started college at Barnard!
But although they all age, none stops growing. Burke's thoughts and reactions throughout this book point to an entirely surprising kind of self-awareness I never thought would happen.
Mask Market will make a good starting point for new readers into the Burke series, as well -- the story stands by itself, and anyone who starts here will be all the more interested in where Burke started.
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