Location : Cleveland, OH
I don't know what drew me to this book. I was standing in the "mystery" section of a book store, looking for something new. I saw that there were several (16 to be exact) previous novels saying that they were "a Burke novel." I read the back cover of Terminal and was intrigued. And then I stood there, and read the first 13 pages. I was hooked.
Burke finds people, usually children. But, as he is career criminal, he is way outside the normal channels. He can also be a violent person, especially when he crosses paths with "freaks;" people who bring harm to children, through molestation, prostitution, or murder. In those cases, the perpetrator will meet his maker, but the trail never leads to Burke, he has learned much during his years behind bars. In Terminal, he is approached to do a little extortion. Thirty years ago, three kids raped and killed a 13 year-old girl. The case was never solved, but one of the people on the periphery of the crime has some evidence of the crime and has approached the ex-leader of a white supremacist prison group, "Claw," who sees a way to afford some experimental cancer procedures as he has been diagnosed as terminal. However, to pull off the scam, Claw needs a person he can trust, and that is Burke and his crew. The three kids have grown up to be wealthy and powerful men, and this job will take require all of Burke's skills. But if he can pull it off, he gets what he really likes: money and revenge for the murder of the girl.
Burke inhabits a part of society that is dark and violent. Vachss does an exceptional job writing about that world, you feel as though you are right there, next to Burke, as he goes about his business. The language, action, and characters are all believable, and, after 16 novels, well rounded. While this is my introduction to Burke, there is just enough backstory to help you with his relationships and past, that you don't feel as though you have missed anything in the previous novels. But Vachss makes it so that you want to go back and read them, as some references seem too good to miss. While moving toward an amazing climax, with a really nice twist, Burke will also educate you on the criminal justice system, politicians, and the plight of some children. It is the latter where you will find that Burke has absolutely no gray area. As an example, Vachss writes, using Burke as the vehicle, "Sex-offender treatment is like performing an exorcism on an atheist.." Quite a statement from a career criminal, but one that will make you reconsider "rehabilitation."
There is more to this novel than just a tale of money and revenge. Vachss has written a novel that has made me want to pick up the first novel in the series and read the rest of them.
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