Book #28 The Dramatist

The Dramatist by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack Taylor number four. I'm on a roll. More dark, disturbing, hard-boiled entertainment. Hang on just a minute. Lemsip and yoghurt. Daily fare for a re-invented Jack?! Not drinking, no drugs, virtually quit smoking and - yeah - that's correct - attending mass fairly regularly! Has Jack finally succumbed to a life less wired? Huh? So why the hell do you keep getting beaten up?! Are you still the 'finder' everyone admires, albeit in a rather disingenuous fashion? Who the hell are the Pikemen? Are they for real or just a fantasy of Irish imagination? And Cathy persuades you to visit your ex-dealer serving a six stretch in Mountjoy prison. He wants you to 'find out' about his sister's questionable death. Fell down the stairs and broke her neck. Really? How are things going off the booze, Jack? Coping? Your one redemption in life is being Godfather to the daughter of Jeff and Cathy. Serena May, a child with Down's syndrome. You love that child; you babysit and you read to her. A shining star in your bleak life.

And then, those last few pages. That stunning, horrific, conclusion. A few lines of prose that will rip your heart out. Left me gasping, distraught. Read those lines over and over. Oh dear God, no....

Ken Bruen has an undeniable talent for noir. His prose shines. This is entertainment, for me, of the highest order. It's black, it's Irish. But that ending. I have to move on to number five in the series.

What the hell happens to Jack.......

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