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Hard Candy (Hardcover)

by Andrew Vachss (Author)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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3 new from CDN$ 84.31 8 used from CDN$ 1.73

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Product Details

Hardcover: 241 pages
Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition edition (Jun 11 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0394577914
ISBN-13: 978-0394577913
Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.3 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 590 g

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #1,717,662 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#53 in Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( V ) > Vachss, Andrew

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This is item 4 in The Burke Series.

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

At the onset of Vachss's fourth street-smart novel featuring unlicensed New York private eye Burke, word is out that the ex-con PI has become a gun-for-hire. Besides coping with this crazy rumor, Burke contends with two figures from his youth who suddenly turn up. One of them, Candy, now a miniskirted call girl fond of whips and leashes, wants Burke to rescue her teenaged daughter from a cult in Brooklyn; the other, Wesley, an Uzi-toting hit man, already has the cult's leader, Train, in his sights. When Burke learns that the cult safehouse is a baby-breeding operation, vigilante-style justice ensues. Burke's turf--the sleazy underbelly of New York, a world of street kids, drug pushers, mafiosi and crooked lawyers--springs to life in cinematic scenes. Fans of Vachss's previous hard-core crime fiction ( Flood ; Bluebelle ) will find familiar characters, among them Michelle, the transsexual hooker; Max the Silent, a mute Tibetan martial arts strongman; and electronics whiz Mole, who lives in a bunker under a Bronx junkyard. 40,000 first printing.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The characters and events are as sharply defined as if they were etched in steel. The prose is short and choppy, like the ticking of a time bomb about to explode." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Torrid, gritty, frightening, compelling." —The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Burke fills a void.... With his soiled white hat, this Lone Ranger...asks difficult questions while shining light into the darkest recesses." —Chicago Tribune

"There's no way to put a [Vachss book] down once you've begun.... The plot hooks are engaging and the one-liners pierce like bullets." —Detroit Free Press

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars the first one I read, Dec 3 2003

By	Raegan Butcher (RainCity, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hard Candy (Paperback)

In the summer of 1991 I picked up this book and before I'd read 10 pages I knew I'd really discovered something. Andrew Vachss is not only a great writer but he has probably done more than anyone in America to raise the consciousness of the public about the prevalence of child abuse and the ways in which to combat it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Realism with a Message, Aug 9 2003

By	Tim Smith (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Candy (Paperback)

If you want to spend an evening in the sleaze of New York City, pick up an Andrew Vachss and he'll give you quite a ride.

Give yourself the opportunity to be mesmerized with street tough dialogue and staccato-like description by sticking with the story until you get used to his writing style. You will also need to know the cast of characters, especially the women in protagonist Burke's past, in order to get the most out of each story. However, even if you haven't read the books in order, you can still piece together the relationships and the storyline.

All your senses will be put to use. Sights, sounds, and smells of the city will envelop you from the slobbering Pansy under a musty blanket in the back of the tank-like Plymouth transporting a rat to his death, to the consultation with Lily, the social worker who examines the physical damage done to abused Elvira.

Hopefully you get the idea. Vachss isn't for everyone but for those who like realism with a message, there are none better!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Candy Is Hard-Boiled!, Nov 7 2001

By	Mark A. Schreiber "scribe23" (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hard Candy (Paperback)

This is the fourth in the Burke series. I have been reading the series in order and so far, this is my favorite, along with "Strega." I do recommend reading the series in order, and I particularly suggest you don't start with "Hard Candy" as prior understanding of the characters is essential.

As a great fan of noir, I am devouring the Burke series. These books are so grim, so gritty. But in "Hard Candy" Burke is depressed and withdrawn from the events of the last book, so there is a whole new level of despair. As if Burke weren't already a hard case!

If you like Ellroy, if you enjoy minimalist prose that hits hard, if you like a hard-boiled noir that's ultra-bleak and smoky, Andrew Vachss is for you. And while you'll enjoy all of the first four books of the Burke series, you'll derive a special dark pleasure from sucking on "Hard Candy."

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars All I can say is wow.
A childhood sweetheart turned high priced call girl hires Burke to get her daughter out of the clutches of Train, a man who claims to be helping the lost and abused get off the... Read more

Published on Oct 11 2001 by Chadwick H. Saxelid

5.0 out of 5 stars Vachss at his darkest
The most compelling character in the Burke "detective" series, the assassain Wesley, is the star of "Hard Candy," one of the best books in the Burke series... Read more

Published on May 16 2000 by Brian D. Rubendall

5.0 out of 5 stars A walk on the dark side that leaves you haunted/horrified
If the world is fast going to hell in a hand basket then the Burke novels gives you a microscopic view of the scummy bottom of that basket. Read more

Published on April 30 2000 by Chadwick H. Saxelid

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best in the series . . .
Andrew Vachss has done it again. Picking up where "Blue Bell" left off, Burke is now a depressed recluse due to loss of his love. Read more

Published on Dec 3 1998