Synopses & Reviews
They meet in a no-name diner. A shadowy man hands Burke a CD dossier of someone he wants found. Minutes later, as Burke watches from an alley, his client is gunned down by a professional hunter-killer team. Burke slips away, unsure if he's been spotted. Later, when he examines the dossier, he discovers that the missing woman is Beryl Preston, a girl he'd rescued from a brutal pimp twenty years earlier when she was only thirteen and returned to her father. Now he has to find her again not only because she might be in danger, but also because he has to prove to himself that his rescue mission hadn't been financed by a predator who wanted his "property" returned. His search will force him to confront a new kind of human ugliness and, finally, to practice the survivalist triage that has marked and cursed his life since childhood. In
Mask Market, Burke the outlaw investigator finds himself searching for the truth: not only about a girl named Beryl, but also about himself.
This is classic Burke: dark, dangerous, and galvanizing, from the opening scene to the explosive climax.
Review
"Many writers try to cover the same ground as Vachss. A handful are as good. None are better." People
Review
"There's no way to put a [Vachss book] down once you've begun...The plot hooks are engaging and the oneliners pierce like bullets." Detroit Free Press
Review
"The New York Burke inhabits is not borrowed from anybody and shimmers on the page as gaudily and scarily as it does on the streets." New York magazine
Review
"Vachss's reverence for storytelling is evident in the blunt beauty of his language." Chicago SunTimes
Review
"Readers of the first few Burke novels very dark noir tales of abuse, revenge, and retribution will be surprised at the character's development." Booklist
Synopsis
Ex-con-for-hire Burke meets with a shadowy man with a CD-dossier of someone he wants found. Minutes later, Burke's client is gunned down by a professional hunter-killer team. Later, when he examines the dossier, he discovers that the missing woman is a girl he'd rescued from a brutal pimp 20 years earlier.
About the Author
Andrew Vachss is the author of many novels and of two short story collections. He has written for Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, and the New York Times, among other publications. He divides his time between New York City and the Pacific Northwest.