Only Child: A Burke Novel (Burke Novels)
Andrew Vachss's series hero, an outlaw vigilante named Burke, is on the  trail of the man who murdered the teenage daughter of a Mafioso whose secret  affairs with a black woman and a gay crime boss make Tony Soprano's sub rosa  relationship with his psychiatrist seem inconsequential. More accustomed to  committing crimes than investigating them, Burke comes out of retirement and  reunites with his New York family, a group of criminals who join him in a clever  ruse to unmask the killer. The circuitous trail eventually leads to an  underground filmmaker whose disturbing brand of noir vérité was responsible for  the girl's death; as usual, Burke metes out vengeance with a steady hand. As  usual, Vachss turns in a suitably dark, violent thriller with a strong narrative  drive and an explosive conclusion.--Jane Adams