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Flood

Book 1 in the series:Burke

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Burke is a detective and con artist in New York City with a soft spot for cases involving abused children. When a mysterious woman named Flood hires him to track down a child killer for revenge, Burke delves into the gritty streets filled with memorable characters like The Mole and street corner prophets. Written in a hard-boiled noir style, "Flood" by Andrew Vachss follows Burke's journey through the dark underbelly of the city, tackling themes of child abuse and vigilantism.

Characters:

The characters are vivid, with Burke as a tough anti-hero and Flood portraying a determined yet inexperienced seeker of vengeance.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is characterized by hard-boiled noir elements, featuring sharp prose and a first-person narrative.

Plot/Storyline:

The story focuses on a private investigator navigating the dark streets of New York City as he tracks a child molester on behalf of a vengeful client.

Setting:

The setting is a gritty portrayal of 1980s New York City, immersing readers in a dark urban environment.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally quick, designed to keep readers engaged, though it occasionally experiences slow moments.
I GOT TO the office early that morning-I think it was about ten o’clock. As soon as the dog saw it was me, she walked over to the back door and I let her out. I went outside with her as far as the fir...

Notes:

The book 'Flood' was first published in 1985 and has been reissued by Vintage Crime House of Black Lizard Publishing.
The narrative is written in the first person and adopts a hard-boiled noir style.
The main character, Burke, is a private investigator with a tough past, including being an ex-con and ex-mercenary.
Burke is deeply distrustful and has a special hatred for child molesters.
Burke is hired by a woman named Flood, who seeks revenge on a neo-Nazi child molester responsible for her friend's child's death.
The setting is gritty New York City, captured authentically by the author, Andrew Vachss, who is also a qualified lawyer representing abused children.
Vachss aims to highlight real societal issues, including child abuse, through his storytelling.
Burke operates in a legal gray area, utilizing unconventional methods to solve cases.
The series is noted for its graphic depiction of violence and themes surrounding child abuse.
Burke is supported by a diverse set of characters, including his best friend Max, who is deaf and mute, emphasizing the theme of found family.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include high levels of graphic violence, themes of child abuse, and descriptions of sexual assault.

From The Publisher:

Burke's newest client is a woman named Flood, who has the face of an angel, the body of a high-priced stripper, and the skills of a professional executioner. She wants Burke to find a monster for her-so she can kill him with her bare hands.

In this cauterizing thriller, Andrew Vachss's renegade investigator teams up with a lethally gifted avenger to follow a child's murderer through the catacombs of New York, where every alley is blind and the penthouses are as dangerous as the basements. Fearfully knowing, crackling with narrative tension, and written in prose as forceful as a hollow-point slug, Flood is Burke at his deadliest-and Vachss at the peak of his form.

Ratings (3)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (1)
Liked It (1)

Reader Stats (14):

Read It (3)
Want To Read (9)
Not Interested (2)

About the Author:

Andrew Vachss, an attorney in private practice specializing in juvenile justice and child abuse, is the country's best recognized and most widely sought after spokesperson on crimes against children. He is also a bestselling novelist and short story writer, whose works include Flood (1985), the novel which first introduced Vachss' series character Burke, Strega (1987), Choice of Evil (1999), and Dead and Gone (2000). His short stories have appeared in Esquire, Playboy, and The Observer, and he is a contributor to ABA Journal, Journal of Psychohistory, New England Law Review, The New York Times, and Parade.

Vachss has worked as a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a caseworker in New York, and a professional organizer. He was the director of an urban migrants re-entry center in Chicago and another for ex-cons in Boston. After managing a maximum-security prison for violent juvenile offenders, he published his first book, a textbook, about the experience. He was also deeply involved in the relief effort in Biafra, now Nigeria.

For ten years, Vachss' law practice combined criminal defense with child protection, until, with the success of his novels, it segued exclusively into the latter, which is his passion. Vachss calls the child protective movement "a war," and considers his writing as powerful a weapon as his litigation.

 
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