Dead and gone

Andrew H. Vachss

Knopf, Sep 1, 2000 - Fiction - 333 pages

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 discoverstrulyforeign 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 Gonegives us a new Burke, trapped out of his element -- and more dangerous than ever.

What people are saying

Review: Dead and Gone (Burke #12)

User Review  - Dave - Goodreads

This is a extremely dark novel, the protagonist lives and hunts in a world that is repugnant.

Review: Dead and Gone (Burke #12)

User Review  - Joe Pauwels - Goodreads

I love Burke, but this wasn't his best appearance. Still entertaining though. Nowhere near a total loss.

Contents

• Section 1: 3
• Section 2: 13
• Section 3: 15

About the author

Andrew Vachss is a lawyer who represents children and youths exclusively. His many novels include the Burke series and two collections of short stories. His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, The New York Times, among other publications. He divides his time between his native New York City and the Pacific Northwest.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Dead and gone; Book 12 of Burke Series; Borzoi book; Burke Series Book #12
• Author: Andrew H. Vachss
• Publisher: Knopf, 2000
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Mar 14, 2008
• ISBN: 0375411216, 9780375411212
• Length: 333 pages
• Subjects: Burke (Fictitious character); Burke (Fictitious character) - Fiction; Burke (Fictitious character)/ Fiction; Criminals; Criminals - Fiction; Criminals/ Fiction; Detective and mystery stories; Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Hard-Boiled; Missing children; Missing children - Fiction; Missing children/ Fiction; New York (N.Y.); New York (N.Y.) - Fiction; Private investigators