It often pays to follow your instincts. I was in a bookstore one day -- the day itself was nothing special -- when I spotted this book on a rack. I wasn't into any particular genre (I'm still not), and I'll never be able to tell you what one thing drew me to picking up BLUE BELLE. My instincts just told me to get it, even though I had never heard of Andrew Vachss before in my life, and I've seen far, far more appealing cover art than what was displayed of a glamorous blonde bombshell and the grim profile of a mystery man. The synopsis of the story on the back cover was intriguing enough, so I got it. I had no idea what kind of amazing yet relentlessly dark ride I was in for.Ever since, I've had nothing but the utmost respect for Andrew Vachss, and if in any way I can enlighten others about his novels and more importantly the good works he does, his mission to enlighten us about 'The Children of the Secret', I will without a doubt. Vachss has done many things in his life, but he's most committed to his work as a child lawyer and to increasing awareness about the hideous evil of child abuse, physical and sexual, a subject too many aren't aware of...at least, most aren't aware of how completely horrifying and overwhelming this evil is in our world today. His novels, in fact, have been some of his best weapons in getting out his message of what kind of dark, terrible things are happening in the shadows we refuse to really look into...and what we can do to make things better.BLUE BELLE, like most all of Vachss' works, enlightens us to the world we citizens can't see...it's a pavement-coarse, brutal world where survival is everything. This is the third novel in a long series of books featuring his signature hero, Burke. Unlike Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, though, Burke isn't a private investigator, altough he does fulfill the spirit of that role at times. Burke is the name most know him by and his past is a mystery to everyone but himself, although there's no doubt he's been to prison and he'll never go back. He's a thief and con artist who lives so far under the radar he even pays taxes under another name. He also has what can be best described as a truly extraordinary family, bound together by honor instead of blood relations. They're a singular supporting cast that includes Prof, a short, aged black prophet who taught Burke everything he knows about the streets and how to survive on them...Mole, a quiet and deadly-dangerous genius who lives under a junkyard...Max the Silent, a veteran enforcer and professional killer who is unable to speak, but he and Burke use a sign language only they both know...among others. If one of them is threatened, they all come together to do whatever is necessary to end the threat.Burke is sometimes an investigator when someone contacts him (they're few and far between because Burke doesn't advertise his services) to solve a problem that no one else can. Teenaged prostitutes are dying, murdered by those who drive a mysterious vehicle some have called the Ghost Van, and the pimps affected most want Burke to find and stop the killers. The reward they offer is more than enough incentive, but they also give him a childlike yet passionate stripper named Belle to support him. Burke and Belle fall into an intense, sexually supercharged love affair made all the more poignant when she tells him about her nightmarish past. That's enough to get the blood boiling for any man with a heart, but the stakes get raised to shocking levels when Burke discovers the Ghost Van is under the protection of a monster feared by the underworld...Mortay, a martial artist who wants something that will make things VERY personal for Burke...The atmosphere of BLUE BELLE is almost relentlessly bleak, especially when it comes to the subject of child abuse. It's a subject that the author knows intimately because of his passionate fight to make others aware of this evil. The story has a nasty, serrated edge to it that can only be called authentic. When you read a story by Vachss, you have no doubt you've glanced through a window briefly into society's underbelly, and it's never been presented in a way quite like it is here...it's never felt more real. The story is fast-paced, violent and sensual...the characters aren't just colorful and unique, we're driven to care deeply for them and what will happen next. It isn't perfect, though...things happen, especially at the climax, that could have been written better. Even though it's the third of Burke's novels, it's friendly to newbies...I had no problem jumping into his world a bit late, and it made me want to hunt down his first two novels. I've never regretted it, and you won't, either...hunt down BLUE BELLE and read it!
I bought Blue Belle pretty much motivated solely because I heard Vachss wrote good crime stuff and also because if the cover of this book was the cover to an album I would buy that album. It's wonderfully garish and mildly unsettling with an undeniable '80s flavor. The typeset seriously looks like mold. The matching cover to the next book Hard Candy is even better! Anyways...the point is that I really had no idea what to expect. Not only is it my first Vachss but it's the third Burke novel so a good deal of stuff and people have been established by this point. Thankfully, I was able to figure it out pretty quickly and had a good time with this novel, although I definitely felt like I needed a scalding psychic shower after.Burke is...I don't even know what to describe him as. I don't think the usual P.I. applies here. He definitely does some investigative work, but he's also a straight up criminal that did a stint in prison and has this very Punisher-like crusade of ripping off and ruining people who commit crimes against children. The theme of protecting and avenging wronged children and often women as well was prominent to me from within the first hundred pages or so. Burke is paranoid and lives off of the grid, but still has a surprisingly close-knit "family" of other outcasts and weirdos or "outlaws" as they call themselves (opposed to "citizens.) These range from Mama, a restaurant owner with extensive underworld connections to the transsexual lady of mystery Michelle to the Nazi-hunting Mole to the mute Mongolian warrior Max. If not fully fleshed out, the characters are always at least interesting. They kind of remind me of the people that inhabit Miller's Sin City comics, which was a plus because I love those.Yes, this series can be a bit over the top at times but all that really serves to do is keep things entertaining and provide a bit of fantastical respite from the utterly grim and often revolting world Burke inhabits. Vachss' apparently extensive life experience with the world of crime as an attorney only adds to the novel's weight, and his obvious close familiarity with New York provides a wonderful detail, mood and atmosphere to the surroundings. The story moves all over Manhattan and as someone who has never been anywhere near New York I loved that. Most authors will tell you the characters are on 53rd and 7th or whatever but like I said, I have no idea what 53rd and 7th looks like. I have trouble even envisioning having that many streets. My city goes up to like 30th at the most. With Vachss you get vivid descriptions of what's actually going on with each block the characters are visiting and it's awesome. Setting and atmosphere is vital with this type of novel and Vachss has it.The plot...you know, your basic "mysterious van murdering hookers around the city for a totally unknown reason" with some ill-fated love story thrown in. It certainly kept the pages turning. I'm not a fast reader by any means but I did finish it in a day or two. The villain was pretty goddamn creepy, which I always love, although I was kind of baffled by the occasional dips into martial arts stuff...I'm just gonna blame it on the general '80s obsession with karate and that kind of thing. I will say that this novel had a decent bit of gratuitous sex, what with the whole repeated descriptions of how overpoweringly buxom Belle was and the lovely cherry on top with the (view spoiler)[four-page anal sex scene. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Blue Belle (1995)?
My first Andrew Vachss books were Hard Looks and Terminal, both of which I really liked, so I decided to start the Burke series from the beginning. So far I'm kind of disappointed but I'm hoping the books will get better as I keep reading. A few things about this book in particular: I found Burke's love interest problematic-sure she has some ok qualities and she's hot, but he comments about her size constantly, which bugged me. A point was also made that Burke doesn't "go downtown" with women, but Belle can't seem to keep his dick out of her mouth for more than an hour or two at a time. WTF? Mainly though, their relationship came from out of nowhere and became uber intense with no real explanation. Burke has some decent strong female characters, but I often feel a hint of misogyny sneaking through regarding his love interests. Plus Vachss keeps writing how ugly Burke is but somehow all these stunning women want to fuck him as soon as they meet him. Again, WTF? Anyway-I'm going to keep reading. I already bought the first 2/3 of the series so I feel invested at this point.
—Andrea
I like Andrew Vachss quite a bit. He seems like an interesting cat. And he has an eyepatch! A rule I live by: if a dude with an eyepatch talks, you listen.Anyway, this is the third book in the long-running Burke series. I'd read a later entry in the series a while back, and I liked it enough to start from the beginning. GOY. Vachss started this series deep in the heart of the gritty NYC 80s, and wowee wow wow, does it show. Constant, disdainful references to yuppies, pot-smoking hippies and AIDS. You can't really avoid those pitfalls as a writer, but there are times when this REALLY seems like a period piece.By the third book, Burke's mysterious past finally gets filled in a little bit, and that's not exactly a great thing. All we've really known about him is that he's been in and out of prison, hates child molesters and tries to live 'off the grid' (while living in NYC, of course) while running small time scams with his lovable band of ex-criminals with hearts of gold. Finding out Burke's details? BLAH. Some other things that bugged me:-The titular (heehee) Belle, Burke's new love interest is crazy-annoying. Seriously. Like, NO ONE would put up with her bullshit, and the weird sex-fetishes are just bizarre. Also, she's a 'big girl' - a fact that's pointed out constantly - yet she's also a hot stripper. DOES NOT COMPUTE. Also, at the beginning, Burke is still lovesick with a chick from earlier in the series. But when Belle and her big ass enters the picture, that shit is never mentioned again. Annoying.-Burke's pals are all former criminals, yet they're all so loyal and good-hearted. Not a snake in the bunch. Burke's even willing to blow himself up to keep a buddy out of a fight. Whatevs. -The ending. What. The Fuck. I just might skip ahead to the 10th book in the series or so, after Vachss really finds his groove.
—Jake
The Ghost Van is hunting the lost children of New York City. The van pulls up to a child working the street and deals death in broad daylight, and unlicensed private eye and con-man Burke is hired to stop them. This is the third entry in the gritty series, with Burke facing his most formidable challenge yet, keeping his "family" of fellow hustlers and con artists safe on the mean streets of New York. There are twin narratives at work here, as Burke meets and falls for a voluptuous exotic dancer named Belle, and his relationship with her is described as well as his hunt for the killers. This was a bit of a mixed bag, Vachss's attempt to humanize Burke with the relationship with Belle doesn't really work as well as the tough crime narrative which is superb. Still, there there was enough meat here to make this recommended for hard-boiled crime fans.
—Tim Niland
