The American Claimant (Large Print Edition) Book

There have been quite a few ups and downs over the novels leading to Burke's sixth outing, Sacrifice. Some of the downs include an overwhelming sense of loss inundating his second novel that the reader did not experience as the character lived the actual events in his debut. And then in the third novel there's the same unending emotional clash between lovers without any significant variation, repeated again and again and again. Also there's Andrew Vachss' preceding effort where he left behind a supporting cast he had spent considerable effort introducing and defining. And, lastly, through all his work so far--with the possible exception of Burke's debut novel Flood--Vachss has proven not to be the most streamlined of plotters. He actually acknowledges this in Sacrifice. After several days spent staked out in a park, Burke learns that a female jogger he has been talking to semi-regularly is an undercover cop. This may or may not have something to do with him and why he is there, but Vachss quickly makes it clear through the first person narrative of his protagonist that we are not going to find out:Belinda was a cop. In books, people are fascinated with mysteries. Can't let them slide. Books have plots--life has plotters.She is irrelevant to the plot of Sacrifice. Does that mean she should not be there? No. She is significant to the mindset of Burke.

I suspect Vachss to be a very self-aware writer. He has taken care to correct previous shortfalls like the ones mentioned above. The next time Burke suffered a loss Vachss made sure we felt it, going so far as to open the next novel with the punishment of an ancillary character who was responsible for much of the damage endured. He also seems to be expanding his supporting cast, making them so much a part of Burke that it does not seem feasible to leave them out of future stories. As there are eighteen books in the series, I guess I'll find out eventually.

So, yes, the downs are noticeable. Their significance is lessened considerably by the ups. The first of two in particular is Vachss' character work. His people have become more realistic with each appearance, often without the aid of overly dramatic situations but rather through the skill of Vachss' presentation; a major accomplishment granting that they began life almost comic book-ish in construction. Max the Silent is an unbeatable warrior. The Mole is a mechanical genius. All the characters have evolved away from their initial designs. There is no longer mention of the fanciful booby traps Burke has built into his office and car.

The other strength in Vachss' work is his superior skills as a storyteller. It's why readers gladly follow an unhappy man with no joys in his life and whose only purpose is his work. It's why some unwieldy plotting becomes merely a blip on the radar. With each book we are given a swatch of an intriguing life, the middle of which happens to contain a case.

In regards to Sacrifice, it's two cases. The first involves an eight-year-old boy who woke up traumatized next to his little brother, who had been hacked to death with a butcher knife. Both children had been abused. The second case is a search for a four-year-old boy who was taken by father, presumably to hand over to a cult. Yes, both cases are about children. With Vachss it's always about kids. The exposing of pedophiles and the protecting of children. He cares about the other elements of fiction--characters, story, etc.--and he is very good at it, but it has never been the ultimate goal. He has always been about dragging depravity out into the open. Subjects the world would not let him publish as nonfiction has been repackaged as entertainment.

With Andrew Vachss and Burke, there's one question readers always have to ask themselves: How dark are you willing to go? There are never detailed descriptions of child abuse; that would defeat the purpose. But Vachss views everything surrounding such abuse with an unflinching eye. Even scenes in broad daylight are tinged with gloom. Perhaps not as gloomy as when Sacrifice was published in 1991, as some of this subject matter has since come out. The characters, however, are living it in their present, so the reader still feels it.

The entertainment value in Sacrifice is superior and a return to form for the series. As always, it is meant to contrast with the arena in which it takes place, which is disturbing. Heightened maybe, in some cases magnified for effect and exaggerated for that very entertainment value. Its basis remains very real.

But that was always the point.