Burke (character)


Burke is the protagonist of the Burke Series, a series of 18 crime novels written by Andrew Vachss.
An anti-hero, Burke is a career criminal, an orphan raised by the State who was abused throughout his childhood in state institutions and foster homes. Vachss has described Burke as "the prototypical abused child: hypervigilant, distrustful" yet fiercely loyal to his "family of choice". Burke lives in New York City, always on the edges of society. He makes his money as an off-the-books investigator, finding runaways, locating criminals for bounty, and running other assorted scams aimed at fleecing child abusers, pedophiles and other "freaks".
An attorney who represents the interests of abused children, Vachss has described the Burke series as a means to raise money for his legal business and also as a way to publicize the ugly reality of the effects of child abuse on individuals and society:

Burke Series