Doing Life

I'd intended to wait for the trade paperback of Andrew Vachss' Another Life to come out before buying it. That way, it would fit with his other books I have in that format as well as being about half the price.

Then along came that blasted Borders Books & Music coupon in my e-mail, and, well, forgive me, reader, for I have sinned. I bought one hardback book for too much money.

Another Life is the 18th and final book in Vachss series about Burke, a career criminal and con-man who's spent some time as a mercenary and an unofficial private investigator. Earlier, I'd posted a blip about Terminal, the previous book in the series. I said that Vachss, a child advocacy lawyer and anti-abuse crusader, had begun unhitching his books' messages from their stories. They weren't woven together, and the sermonic monologues in different character's mouths made for a stumbling read. Vachss hadn't helped matters by using these passages to preach on whatever personal position he had about anything. Terminal, for example, offered his thoughts on the real cause of Iraq war, but absolutely no reason why I should care what a child advocacy lawyer thought about it.

Another Life offers some more of the same. You'll be glad to know that Eric Clapton is really not much of a blues musician. We also learn how those Nigerian e-mail bank account scams work, which is indeed shocking news in a book published in 2008. It also features one of Vachss' other annoying habits, the recycling of several pages from earlier books verbatim by way of flashback. Burke and his family of choice are given the task of finding the kidnapped infant son of a Saudi prince. Their client: The mysterious Pryce, who offers them the task in exchange for medical treatment for one of their own, critically wounded and likely to die. If they're successful, Pryce will also see they have a clean slate with the law, a chance at "another life."

NOTE: THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IS KIND OF SPOILER-ISH. SKIP IT IF THAT MATTERS TO YOU!

Longtime Burke readers might hope that Vachss could wind up some different storylines he's spun out over the years. Burke has had romantic involvements with several good women who might have offered him a path out of his criminal life, especially if his slate is wiped clean. A few of them have lingered across most of his career. But none of them even appear in the book, let alone cross his path. Vachss does toss us the bone of giving Burke a new dog to replace his beloved Pansy. He also, by virtue of a therapy ex machina session with a counselor he'd dealt with before, hammers out some personal issues that have troubled him his whole life. They're wrapped up in a weekend.

Vachss intends to continue writing, so I guess we'll see if the tendency to preach his plots instead of plot his preaching developed because the Burke characters were too well-set for him or for some other reason. Until then, happy trails to Burke, who's earned his rest.