It has been a while since I have read a book in one day. This one I just couldn’t put down. Vachss created something like a textbook about child abuse and promoted Child Trauma Programs at the end of the book. I would say there is a blockbuster conclusion here. This is book #9 in the eighteen book Burke (http://www.goodreads.com/series/54555...) series. This book was published in 1996 so it has a few years on it. However the technology is not so out of date as to be distracting. There are cell phones and one of a kind Buck Rogers gizmos that are reminiscent of a James Bond 007 movie. We have the usual cast of characters that surround Burke with the addition from the last book of Clarence, a Jamaican who actually had a fairly positive upbringing as contrasted to the violent childhoods survived by many of the characters, especially Burke himself. As with many Burke books, there is a kinky woman in a major role, sexually active with Burke. As is routine with these Burke women, Bondi will not make it to the next book. The fact that she has an odd name is a Burke series tradition. As Bondi walks out the door about halfway into the book , in walks Heather. What? Someone with a regular name? But, trust me, she is as odd a duck as you will find in Vachss books.Part of my work history is that I was a child abuse and neglect worker in the 1970s. Child abuse was just beginning to enter the public consciousness at that time. So this book that really focused on proving or disproving child abuse cases really interested me. Over 400 people have rated this book but only 11 have reviewed it. That surprises me. As some observed this book has more talking and less action than early Burke books, but that was fine with me. I like that Burke is an anti-hero and is on the side of abused kids. It’s fine with me when he leaves his gun at home. One of the hardest things about abuse is that it is not unusual for the events of abuse to be repressed by the victim. This means it can be hard to prove when the facts come out years later. I think it is hard for most people to understand repressed memories. With all the publicity in recent years of adult sexual abuse of children it has certainly become a known quantity these days.As an aside about books about child abuse, I just recently read Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, the autobiographical story of a young girl who was emotionally, physically and sexually abused by her step father. A part of the intensity of the story is that when the mother became aware of the abuse, she sided with the step father, her husband. As we have seen in the news, known abusers have often been allowed to continue and even facilitated their serial abuse for years by responsible people withholding information or moving the abuser to a new unsuspecting location.I thought this was a great book. The fact that it was a little more cerebral than Burke books have been was a plus for me. The ending was not exactly a surprise to me and Burke stories never end in living happily ever after but I am looking forward to the next book in the series. At 229 pages, this is a relatively short book that makes reading in a short time period possible. Not having to stop reading except briefly for food, bathroom breaks and walking the dog kept the tension and intensity building.I am tempted to give False Allegations five stars and I might come back and do that after I read a couple more books in the series. I would go for 4.5 stars if that was an option but since it is not, I am going to choose to round down to four stars rather than up. I had to suspend my disbelief at times when I wanted to think that something like this could actually happen. I think that this book is the strongest one in the series so far.
When Burke gets hired by an albino lawyer named Kite, he finds himself investigating a woman who claims to have been sexually abused as a child to see if her allegations are true, hopefully giving Kite's methods validation. Is the woman telling the truth? And will Burke tell Kite the truth when he learns it?Andrew Vachss' books are as depressing as a room full of dead puppies and this one is no exception. Burke travels to places that make sewers seem like luxury hotels and meets people who make Charles Manson seem charming. Okay, that last bit might be a slight exaggeration but you get the point. These are some bleak books.False Allegations is more of the same. It was nice seeing the supporting cast again, even though it was light on The Mole and Terry. Clarence doesn't do a lot for me but I'm always a fan of The Prof.Other than a strong female that's inexplicably attracted to Burke, this doesn't feel much like the other Burke books. There's very little action and Burke actually does a fair amount of research and investigating. Kite was an interesting character and I have a feeling he'll be back.Still, there isn't much that sets this above earlier Burke books. Like I said, not a lot happened. The writing is good. Vachss' similes read like something Raymond Chandler would write after an all night bender with Jim Thompson. The Burke series is an engaging one but I don't know if I'm going to go the distance with it. I own one more and that might be the last one I read. Three stars but they aren't happy stars, that's for sure.
What do You think about False Allegations (1997)?
Ex-con and off the books private investigator Burke doesn't like being played for a chump, and when the abuse of an exotic dancer leads him to a so called “debunker” of child abuse accusations, he doesn't know what to think. The debunker hires Burke to make absolutely sure his client was telling the truth before taking the case to the court and the press. But the truth has so many levels, how can one man tell who's right and who's wrong amidst the changing stories and chaos? It's clear that this story was very important to Vachss, himself a lawyer and child advocate, and that he really wished to make a statement with this book. An that is it's Achilles heel. While most Burke stories rush along at a breakneck pace, filled with quirky characters, this one gets bogged down in monologue, as Vachss uses his characters to explain what debunking is and the science and skepticism involved in it. While this is a very important issue in society, these lengthy sections of dialogue interrupt the narrative flow, and keep the story from ever achieving a good narrative footing. The resolution comes as something of an anti-climax with a rote and predictable ending. While not a bad book, this was by far the weakest of the Burke series I have read so far.
—Tim Niland
SPOILERSA somewhat interesting installment in the Burke lexicon, False Allegations finds Burke in the midst of an investigation to prove the validity of a child abuse victim's claims. He's hired by a man named Kite, a strange "crusader" of sorts, who's convinced that most allegations of sexual abuse are in fact false. In this instance, Kite has hired Burke to prove that a victim is telling the truth, only to manipulate her into ultimately recanting her confession, thereby shattering the credibility of an abuse victim in a major national lawsuit.The story is research heavy and chock full of data relating to how victims change, internally and externally as a result of childhood trauma. That can make for some interesting reading but as you might guess, it's not what you'd call action packed. Regardless, if you've come this far in the Burke series, a slower installment is not likely to stop you from reading further (and it shouldn't, stories like this are just as important as those that feature guns blazing).
—Ramzi
While I personally found the insight into the practice -- and abuse -- of law fascinating, this is probably the slowest, least action filled Burke book ever, and is really only for folks who are going on the journey with the character, as opposed to just reading the books for enjoyment.I'm here for the ride through Burke's mad world, till the end--the character and the books and what they're about are all important to me. But the casual reader, someone who isn't so invested? Yeah, this is probably going to be a snoozer. It was very slow, if psychologically fascinating. Not Vachss' best work by far.
—Mandy
