Strega

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.

"Strega" is Andrew Vachss' second novel starring Burke, the hard-boiled, in-your-face, ex-con detective, who still isn't sure on which side of the law he prefers to operate. Abandoned at birth, father and mother unknown, Burke has no real first name. "Baby boy" is the name on his birth certificate. The novel is set 1980s NYC, before Mayor Guiliani came to office and cleaned up the mean streets - or tried to. "Strega" is also the first Andrew Vachss book I have read. I must say, I am very impressed by his writing style and storyline. Most of the Burke series deals with hunting down and prosecuting child molesters, as does this novel. Mr. Vachss has selected a noble cause, and deals professionally and knowledgeably with the topic. The author is a lawyer, specializing in prosecuting child abuse cases, so he certainly has the expertise to be an advocate. He openly admits that he writes about the abuse of children because he wants to raise people's awareness of what's going on, and he'll reach a wider audience with fiction. P. I. Burke is the narrator. And the narrative, at times, goes off on a tangent, like Burke's thought processes. The PI is a careful guy. He always returns to make his point. I think this occasional stream of consciousness is extremely effective and enhances the detective's persona. Vachss still manages to maintain a tight writing style throughout. Everything and everyone comes under Burke's cynical, seen-it-all scrutiny. I have never learned more about the underworld and life behind bars than in this novel. I find the descriptions of the seamier side of life, the one "citizens" rarely observe, to be fascinating. Burke's expert eye takes in details of life on the street that I never would. "The streets were quiet, but if you look close, you could see things. Two guys standing against the wall of a darkened gas station - the wool caps on their heads would turn into ski masks when they pulled them down, hands in their pockets. A lonely prostitute in a fake-fur coat with a white mini-skirt underneath, looking to turn one last trick before she called it a night. A van with blacked-out windows driving by slowly, watching the woman while the two men in the shadows watched the van. In New York, the vultures work close to the ground." Vachss populates his world with a colorful assortment of characters: Max the Silent, a mute Mongolian version of Conan the Barbarian with creative ways of communicating; Pansy, a vicious Neapolitan mastiff, just like the kind that came over the Alps with Hannibal; the Mole, a pasty-faced genius who lives in a bunker beneath a high-tech junkyard; the Prophet, a scam artist who has done too much time behind walls to care; Mama Wong, group doyenne and Chinese restaurateur, "keeps her prices high and the ambience foul to discourage yuppies." She cares for the gang and holds Burke's stash; Michelle, a gorgeous transvestite who needs to "break out;" and Immaculata , Max's Vietnamese love interest, a child ther

While later on in this series he takes an unfortunate turn into action novel territory (from which he's slowly recovering), this is probably the best book in the whole series. If you're looking for the hardest noir out there, this is the farthest you'll get before having to raid the small presses. This comes after "Flood" in the chronology, although I don't think it's necessary to read that novel first (although it too is quite good.) "Strega" is not a wonder of the English language, but it is razor sharp in terms of characterization and visualization. Vachss doesn't think much of himself as a writer, but here he shows he has chops. His spare descriptions are vivid. It should be noted, however, this book is not for the weak of stomach. It's not gory so much as...you see more of the evil side of humanity in this book than you ever want to in real life, let me put it that way. Not a beach read, but an excellent book.

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.

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.