From Publishers Weekly
Burke, the dark avenger of Vachss's ultra-gritty urban crime series, has been killing bad peopleAusually child molestersAfor most of his 40-odd years. Somebody was bound to catch up with him eventually, and that's exactly what happens in this 13th installment in the series. Professional killers ambush Burke late one night, putting a bullet in his head and killing his beloved dog, Pansy. Physically, Vachss's self-professed "outlaw" is a changed man when he finally sneaks out of the hospital. But he's still the same old Burke on the inside. He wants revengeAbut he has no idea who masterminded the attack. Thus begins a months-long odyssey that takes him all over the country. Tapping into his extensive network of gray-area lawmen, violent criminals, degenerates of all stripes, beautiful women and whacked-out geniuses, he slowly pieces together which one of his enemies (a) is still alive, and (b) has the resources to have engineered such a sophisticated hit. Vachss's voice, as always, is one of the most distinctive in crime fictionAlean and tough, heavy on vernacular, notable for what's not said rather than for what is. Yet his plotting here is ponderous, with vast stretches of story devoted to Burke's self-analysis and a strange love affair he develops with Gem, a Cambodian woman he meets in Portland. Hardcore Burke fans may find the inner character work fascinating, as Burke reveals far more of himself and his sordid past here than in previous books. The novel's otherwise underwhelming finale does contain another nugget for fans: it appears likely that Burke will be leaving his longtime home, New York City, for the Pacific Northwest in coming books, just as Vachss did a few years ago. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In the latest novel from attorney and novelist Vachss (Choice of Evil), criminal character Burke is about to have his life changed forever. A child has been kidnapped, and Burke agrees to deliver the ransom. But this really isn't an exchangeDit's a set-up, and Burke is shot several times, then left for dead. Barely alive, he must recuperate for months to get back into fighting shape, always nursing the single goal of wreaking revenge on those responsible for his injuries. The action moves from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest, with Burke, as always, at an advantage because he is believed to be dead. Fans of previous novels in the "Burke" series will be shocked at some of the plot twists in this exciting addition. Recommended for all public libraries.DJeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Burke, the ex-con protector of children, accepts a job as the middleman in a ransom exchange; his assignment is to drop the money and return a child, missing for 10 years, to his parents. But it isn't really an exchange; it's a setup to kill Burke; and it almost works. Burke's beloved companion, a Neopolitan mastiff named Pansy, is killed, and Burke himself winds up near death in a hospital bed (his assassins believe he has died). After a long recuperative period, secreted away in the womb of his adopted "family" of cons, arms dealers, and assassins, Burke forges a single-minded plan for revenge, beginning with the Russian gangster who brokered the deal. With the aid of Gem, a beautiful Cambodian refugeee who speaks Russian, and Byron, a mercenary whose life Burke saved in Biafra, Burke confronts a bizarre international cadre of degenerates who prey on children and have hatched a plan to buy themselves immunity by establishing their own country on a remote island. The left-for-dead-but-back-for-revenge plot is an old one, but Vachss manages to give it new life. Burke isn't quite as dark as he's been in the past, finding time to wax poetic on Chicago bluesman Son Seals and to discuss hot cars with other gear heads. But the message is the same: no mercy for the exploiters of children. Vachss--in real life, an advocate and attorney for children--spreads his message effectively through the ever dangerous, relentless Burke. Crime fiction with a powerful moral. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"Red-hot and serious as a punctured lung."
--Playboy

"Dead and Gone opens enough narrative veins--and introduces enough colorful new characters--to insure that Burke will live on as one of contemporary crime fiction's most durable creations."
--New York Post


From the Trade Paperback edition.


Review
"Red-hot and serious as a punctured lung."
--Playboy

"Dead and Gone opens enough narrative veins--and introduces enough colorful new characters--to insure that Burke will live on as one of contemporary crime fiction's most durable creations."
--New York Post


From the Trade Paperback edition.


Book Description
It's not an unusual job for Burke -- ex-con, career criminal, and ultimate urban man-for-hire -- to act as middleman in an exchange of cash for a kidnapped child. But this time the only things exchanged are bullets. Burke loses his beloved partner, and lies in a hospital bed close to -- or maybe even past -- death, hovering in a netherworld of nightmares and hallucinations. When he finally escapes from the hospital, his appearance has changed radically -- and so has he.

Burke's religion is revenge, and he is eager to begin worship. Without the slightest clue as to who ordered the hit, he goes back to his original contact. When that meeting ends in homicide, Burke goes even deeper underground than ever before. He vanishes off every radar screen, and starts his hunt. In order to connect the dots, Burke enlists the aid of a pilot he worked with during the war in Biafra, a Russian-speaking Cambodian woman named Gem, and a mystical childhood friend -- the police would call him a "co-defendant" -- who finds patterns where others see chaos. Burke's search starts in Chicago and ends in the Pacific Northwest -- a foreign country to the New York City-bred orphan.

When a pattern finally emerges, Burke discovers truly foreign territory -- a place where pedophiles, neo-Nazis, abortion clinic bombers, and kiddie porn manufacturers expect immunity from prosecution, a safe harbor for predatory degenerates. And when he learns who is running the show, Burke must call upon a lifetime of training in the dark arts to do what he does best: survive.

Stunning in its execution, shocking in its conclusion, Dead and Gone gives us a new Burke, trapped out of his element -- and more dangerous than ever.


Download Description
When urban fringe dweller Burke goes on an assignment to trade cash for a missing child, he's drawn into a trap designed with bullets and blood. Now his beloved dog Pansy is dead and he lies in a hospital bed hovering in a netherworld of nightmares and hallucinations close to death, far from the family that loves and protects him. When the police issue a death certificate for Burke, the dark angel of the powerless goes deeper underground than ever before to find out who ordered the hit on him and avenge his faithful companion. The only trail leads through the Russian mob to the parents of the kidnapped boy. But in order to connect the dots, Burke needs the help of an ex intelligence officer, a Russian speaking Chinese girl named Gem, and childhood friend who finds patterns where others see chaos. At the end of this dark tunnel Burke discovers a world where the Russian mob, neo-nazi skin heads, and other low-lifes intersect and where the hit on Burke is a minor sideshow in a major scheme to create the ultimate sanctuary for the twisted and perverse.


From the Inside Flap
It's not an unusual job for Burke  -- ex-con, career criminal, and ultimate urban man-for-hire  -- to act as middleman in an exchange of cash for a kidnapped child. But this time the only things exchanged are bullets. Burke loses his beloved partner, and lies in a hospital bed close to  -- or maybe even past  -- death, hovering in a netherworld of nightmares and hallucinations. When he finally escapes from the hospital, his appearance has changed radically  -- and so has he.

Burke's religion is revenge, and he is eager to begin worship. Without the slightest clue as to who ordered the hit, he goes back to his original contact. When that meeting ends in homicide, Burke goes even deeper underground than ever before. He vanishes off every radar screen, and starts his hunt. In order to connect the dots, Burke enlists the aid of a pilot he worked with during the war in Biafra, a Russian-speaking Cambodian woman named Gem, and a mystical childhood friend  -- the police would call him a "co-defendant"  -- who finds patterns where others see chaos. Burke's search starts in Chicago and ends in the Pacific Northwest  -- a foreign country to the New York City-bred orphan.

When a pattern finally emerges, Burke discovers truly foreign territory  -- a  place where pedophiles, neo-Nazis, abortion clinic bombers, and kiddie porn manufacturers expect immunity from prosecution, a safe harbor for predatory degenerates. And when he learns who is running the show, Burke must call upon a lifetime of training in the dark arts to do what he does best: survive.

Stunning in its execution, shocking in its conclusion, Dead and Gone gives us a new Burke, trapped out of his element  -- and more dangerous than ever.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Our Review
A Dead End or a New Beginning?
Few literary characters are as remarkable or memorable as Andrew Vachss's indomitable antihero, Burke, a career criminal who kills with ease but has a huge soft spot in his heart for kids and dogs. In Vachss's latest effort, Dead and Gone, Burke is in more trouble than ever, which is saying a lot for a man who lives on the fringes of society and often looks death in the face.

It starts when Burke agrees to act as middleman for the ransomed return of a kid who was kidnapped a decade before. The child was only four when he was taken from his Russian immigrant parents, and the case, while still open, has long been cold. Burke takes every precaution in arranging the trade, but when it comes time to make the actual swap, he finds himself the victim of an unexpected ambush. His beloved dog, Pansy, is shot down in a hail of bullets, and Burke himself is shot several times -- once in the face -- and left for dead.

Days later, Burke awakens in a hospital with part of his brain shattered and his face altered so much by the bullet's impact that he's unrecognizable. But while he may be weak and disoriented, he has enough of his wits to remember who he is and that someone tried to kill him. Feigning a memory loss and pretending to be weaker than he is, Burke gradually rebuilds his strength and escapes from the hospital, eventually hooking up with his usual cadre of "family."

Swearing revenge, Burke sets out to find the man responsible for the ambush. At first he focuses on the only fact he has: that the killer knew and used Burke's greatest weakness -- endangered children -- to lure him into the trap. Several deaths, a score of dead ends, and a cross-country trip later, Burke finally solves the mystery and finds his man. But the outcome is one that no one -- particularly Burke -- could have foreseen or even imagined.

Once again mixing a thriller plot with social commentary, Vachss expands on the Burke legend in a whole new way. With a dozen books already out in this series, one might think the character of Burke is at risk of getting stale. But with Dead and Gone, Vachss finds a way to take the character and the stories in a totally new direction, one that is sure to keep fans delighted and devoted for many books to come.

--Beth Amos

Beth Amos is the author of several novels, including Second Sight, Eyes of Night, and Cold White Fury.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From the modern master of noir, Andrew Vachss, comes this heart-topping and bestselling new thriller that completely reinvents the Burke series.

Urban Outlaw Burke barely survives an attack by a professional hit squad that kills his partner. With a new face, Burke goes into hiding. And on the hunt. Dead and Gone takes him from the streets of New York City through a cross-country underground, and deep into his own tortured past. The violent journey ends in a place that exists only in the dreams of the darkest degenerates on earth.

SYNOPSIS

It's not an unusual job for Burke -- ex-con, career criminal, and ultimate urban man-for-hire -- to act as middleman in an exchange of cash for a kidnapped child. But this time the only things exchanged are bullets. Burke loses his beloved partner, and lies in a hospital bed close to -- or maybe even past -- death, hovering in a netherworld of nightmares and hallucinations. When he finally escapes from the hospital, his appearance has changed radically -- and so has he.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Burke, the dark avenger of Vachss's ultra-gritty urban crime series, has been killing bad people--usually child molesters--for most of his 40-odd years. Somebody was bound to catch up with him eventually, and that's exactly what happens in this 13th installment in the series. Professional killers ambush Burke late one night, putting a bullet in his head and killing his beloved dog, Pansy. Physically, Vachss's self-professed "outlaw" is a changed man when he finally sneaks out of the hospital. But he's still the same old Burke on the inside. He wants revenge--but he has no idea who masterminded the attack. Thus begins a months-long odyssey that takes him all over the country. Tapping into his extensive network of gray-area lawmen, violent criminals, degenerates of all stripes, beautiful women and whacked-out geniuses, he slowly pieces together which one of his enemies (a) is still alive, and (b) has the resources to have engineered such a sophisticated hit. Vachss's voice, as always, is one of the most distinctive in crime fiction--lean and tough, heavy on vernacular, notable for what's not said rather than for what is. Yet his plotting here is ponderous, with vast stretches of story devoted to Burke's self-analysis and a strange love affair he develops with Gem, a Cambodian woman he meets in Portland. Hardcore Burke fans may find the inner character work fascinating, as Burke reveals far more of himself and his sordid past here than in previous books. The novel's otherwise underwhelming finale does contain another nugget for fans: it appears likely that Burke will be leaving his longtime home, New York City, for the Pacific Northwest in coming books, just as Vachss did a few years ago. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal