Pain Management

by Andrew Vachss

Book Overview

Burke is back, but still lurking in the shadows, unable to return home. He is prowling the unfamiliar streets of Portland, Oregon, in search of a runaway teen. By all accounts, Rosebud Carlin is a happy, well-adjusted girl. She doesn't fit the profile of the runaway kids Burke knows so well and once was. But there's something about her father Burke knows the street script, but the actors are all strangers. Cut off from his family and his network of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375726470
• ISBN13: 9780375726477
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Master of His Craft

Vachss has produced yet another insightful, enlightening work with his new Burke-series novel, Pain Management. The by-now infamous anti-hero/protagonist, Burke, greets this new book with yet another issue that will resonate with many readers on multiple levels--the concept that the war on drugs so beloved and embraced by the medical establishment and government alike, in actuality denies those suffering at the hands of interminably painful *terminal* illness without benefit of copious and much-needed old and newly experimental drugs due to the nonsensical idea that taking these drugs with abandon will only result in drug addiction. . . a strange proposition considering that individuals in this situation are more than likely going to face their makers any day now in any case. . .Vachss is known for writing with not only amazing knowledge and breadth of information, but entertaining while doing so, with dark humor, minimalist-style clipped sentences, that leave the reader alive with the prospect of what will come down the pike at the turn of the next page. . . although his subject matter is all inclusive of issues that are perhaps too directly hard-hitting for those not wanting to venture into the mean world of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, . . well, abuse of *any* kind, and would rather limit their diets to evening news snippets and mild conversations and move on to the rest of their lives, most readers and fans of Vachss' prose realize the import of these books. . .not only as a source of reading pleasure but, more importantly, an invaluable resource for enlisting those in the world population against the war on abuse, for children in particular, and anyone who is deemed defenseless. . . in this case, Pain Management scores highly, as do all of Vachss' preceding works of fiction. For the novice to Vachss' books, both his urban style and sophisticated level of humor might intimidate, but will surely bring the reader back for more. . And, for those inveterate Vachss' fans who await Burke's return to NYC, there is more than an intimation in Pain Management that that is precisely where his next book will take place, hopefully with his usual familial cohorts, and the always hard-edged streets of New York to keep the reader off-balance and panting in the race against whatever new villain(s) Vachss' conjures. The mere fact that the Burke series has endured for such lengthy period is nothing less than grand testament to its ineradicable nature to impart readers with more than just another book of crime fiction--it can anger, all the while displaying astonishing poignancy. . This book is yet another example of Vachss' uncanny ability to rope the reader in with headline-glowing issues, while maintaining unique intrigue and interest in characters and story alike.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Say the name "Vachss" and one immediately thinks of a champion of the weak, poor and down trodden. His fictional vigilante/super-hero named Burke goes the distance in trying to right the wrongs of our society in general and the ills of certain individuals specifically.PAIN MANAGEMENT is another no-holds barred crusade to help a young girl find her way around the pathological control of her father. It also is a vehicle for another woman operating in the gray zones to bring relief to those suffering from ailments that hospital administrators and accountants callously neglect in the quest to protect the bottom line. Burke is the catalyst helping to correct the wrongs of a father and bring relief to those suffering. His techniques may be unorthodox and questionable,but he always seems to prove that the ends justify the means.In these troubling and uncertain times we find ourselves in, Vachss vis a vie Burke gives us a sobering analysis of what is important in life and how to defend it. Put simply, Do the right thing. Help those in need. Respect your family and friends for they are all you have.PAIN MANAGEMENT is another quxotic adventure for Burke, but he is alawys prepared with the best hardware and stone cold conviction to combat the dark forces of our world.Students of Vachss will not be disappointed. Newcomers will want to study the evolution of Burke. And all will gain some degree of empathy and strength for the weak and exploited.

Burke stands alone

Long-time readers of Andrew Vachss's "Burke" series have come to expect certain things from the series, and "Pain Management" certainly delivers. As always, there's intriguing storyline, with Burke's search for a runaway teen bringing him into contact with vividly-depicted "minor" characters so true to life you might swear you'd met some of them, helping or hindering his tracking efforts for reasons of their own. Vachss fans have also come to expect unflinching social commentary delivered deadpan - and dead-on - by Burke, and they'll not be disappointed. As the threads of the story converge, Burke and the reader are drawn into the world of "pain management," in the form of a group of citizen-outlaws made fanatical through personal experience with suffering, and with being powerless to stop it...and in the form of runaway/throwaway street kids and the hangarounds seeking to help them or use them. A unifying subtext throughout is family, with the interactions of individual groups, traditional "nuclear" families as well as fiercely-bonded packs of strays making statements about loyalty and and trust, and security on many levels. It's an amazing book, and long-time readers who feel they've come to know Burke over the course of 13 books may be in for some surprises. New readers are in for a treat, and will be able to dive right in - the "backstory" is a coast away, haunting and shaping Burke in ways readily understandable to any reader who has ever loved loved someone, and missed them. Prepare to be blown away.

Lucky Burke -- 13th and best so far!

Burke is back on the job, scamming, stealing and doing what he does best: tracking a missing girl who may be running from a pain no one can imagine--except Burke. All while out of his native New York and without the protection of his family of choice. New friends and enemies abound in this "not always what it seems" story of betrayal and risk taking, that finds Burke trying to operate in a very different Portland than the tour guides depict.The search for the missing girl, Rosebud, is the obvious, but along the way are twists and turns that could cost Burke his freedom, and maybe even his life. Great characters, both new and old, bring a seemingly straight-forward story to life. But Vachss never fails to add an unexpected element to their motivations or their personal pain. Are the girl's parents being honest for why they want Rosebud back so badly? Who is the chameleon-like Ann O. Dyne ... friend or foe? And what of Gem, the woman who calls herself Burke's wife, is her past going to destroy Burke's future?More mystery than some of his previous outings, Vachss has done a fantastic job of weaving a story that you won't be able to put down. Definitely a must for Burke and Vachss fans and anyone else who wants a sharp, well-written and stunning in its conclusion story by one of the masters of the crime-fiction genre.

Top-flight as usual

Here comes Burke again, as resourceful, violent, tough, single-minded, stubborn and vengeful as ever, and always on the side of the angels (although it's not always easy to tell!). There has never been a more readable crime series or a more compelling protagonist. Don't look for the cliches of crime writing -- bam! wham! bang! bop! Subtlety and nuance abound in the work of Andrew Vachss, and there is always meaning behind his meaning. Every time I think Vachss and his work have topped out, he exceeds himself again.