Book #67 In the Galway Silence

In the Galway Silence by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ken Bruen does it again - number 14 in my favourite series. Jack Taylor, ex guard, no saint, Irish noir that is at times hilarious, written in Bruen's inimitable style with paragraphs that more closely resemble verse than prose. It's original, unusual and continues to entertain as it appears that Jack might have at long last found contentment. Still loves the Jameson and still dabbles in uppers, but he has a new girlfriend, a new apartment with glorious views and little sign of trouble on the horizon...

...don't be daft. This is Jack Taylor, finds himself looking after his girlfriend's spoilt nine-year-old and trouble is heading his way. Wealthy Frenchman Pierre Renaud, a double murder, his ex-wife and an unfurling past.

In the Galway Silence - it's grim, dark, hilarious - it's unique. Love him or hate him - it's Jack Taylor.

I am definitely in the first camp...

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Book #22 The Ghosts of Galway

The Ghosts of Galway by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It has been a seventeen year journey. Jack Taylor first appeared in The Guards, published in 2001. Needless to say, Jack has aged. Very much alone now. No real friends. Some acquaintances and a solid fan base. The best in Irish noir. But how much longer will we shadow Taylor's stumble through life? An unsuccessful suicide attempt after a mistaken medical diagnosis. At an all-time low Jack has been hired as a night-shift security guard by a Ukrainian boss who has another agenda - he wants Jack to find the first true book of heresy, The Red Book, currently in the hands of a rogue priest hiding out in Galway after fleeing from the Vatican. Jack cannot turn down the money on offer.

Then Em reappears - she seems to be entangled with the story of The Red Book. Needless to say her presence leads Jack down lethal pathways with resulting carnage that goes beyond any other Jack Taylor book. Some of it gratuitous, much of it full of gallows humour.

Given the last two pages I wonder if we will encounter JT once more. Only Ken Bruen can answer that.

Me? I hope that The Ghosts of Galway (#13) is not the last....

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Book #20 The Emerald Lie

The Emerald Lie: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack Taylor. Somewhat akin to Marmite. You either love him or hate him. I am definitely in the former camp. The Emerald Lie is #12 in the series and there is just one more: The Ghosts of Galway (awaiting delivery). I have followed Jack's story since the very first - The Guards. Ken Bruen is the master of contemporary Irish noir with his gallows humour, weird typography (which so many reviewers dislike) and unorthodox wordplay.

Jack often appears to have hit the self-destruct button. He is not getting any younger. His battle with the booze is legendary. Jack is on a downward spiral. He receives another savage beating, not one but two. He is approached by a grieving father who wants Jack to help exact revenge on those responsible for his daughters brutal murder. Jack agrees to get a lead on the likely perpetrators and then Emily appears once again (AKA Em, Emerald) - a chameleon, passionate, clever and utterly homicidal. She coerces Jack to conspire with her against the serial killer the Garda have nicknamed The Grammarian, a Cambridge graduate who becomes murderous over split infinitives, improper punctuation and any other sign of bad grammar.

I wonder how much longer Jack will survive, particularly given the cliff-hanging ending in The Emerald Lie. Jack is at his lowest ebb. Will it all be over soon? I hope not but feel a certain inevitability.....

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Book #80 Green Hell

Green Hell: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack Taylor #11. Devoured in one sitting. Cannot remember the last time I did that. That is three JTs back-to-back. KB completely wrong footed me at the end of number 10. Learning that in number 11 was something of a relief.

This is an avalanche of a book, thudding, staccato paced, page turner in Ken Bruen's sharp prose. Jack's friends are gone and he has, once again, given in to his addictions. He still maintains a sense of justice; takes up a vigilante case against a professor of literature who has a very nasty habit... rescues an American student from street thugs, encounters Emerald, an edgy young woman - Goth in the wind - and does what Jack does - remorselessly - fuelled with the black and a large Jay...

I love this series.

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Book #79 Purgatory

Purgatory by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To quote Samuel Beckett: "It's quite a good idea: when words fail you, you can fall back on silence."

Words fail me. I thought, having read nine Jack Taylor books, that nothing worse could befall our dark protagonist. 'You don't want to meet Jack Taylor in person, ever, but if you're a big crime fan, you do want to read every book he features in'. IRISH TIMES. Well, I do - and I am...

Jack has had more than his share of ill-fortune. But this? How will Jack survive the carnage? What carnage you might ask? I cannot say, do not want to spoil a story line that has run for years and finally sees Jack caught between Heaven and Hell. Had been back on the wagon. Clean - for a few months. But then. Purgatory. A killer is writing to Jack, signing with the name C33. Read your Oscar Wilde, have you? No matter... might be relevant, though... The killer is removing scum off the streets of Galway: a drug-pusher, a rapist, a loan shark. The Garda aren't interested in these vigilante attacks. Neither is Jack until his friend Stewart gets drawn in. Taylor has no choice... justice is rarely delivered through ordinary channels...

Who is Reardon? A charismatic billionaire buying up much of Galway. Wants Jack on board. Huh? And Jack is beguiled by Reardon's assistant, Kelly. Look into her eyes though, Jack. What do you really see?

And then, Ken Bruen, you lead the reader to the darkest of places - developments that left me speechless. My worst fears, there - on the page. Stunned..

And compelled to read on - #11 Green Hell - it cannot get any worse for Jack. Can it?

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Book #78 Headstone

Headstone by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back to black - and a Jay. Back to Jack Taylor; cannot stay away for long, Jack.

'Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.' Irish saying, appropriate for Taylor who often bites off more than he can chew. A group called Headstone, enough to terrify Jack, this manifestation of pure evil. Who are these monsters who beat up an elderly priest. A special needs boy is brutally attacked. They appear to have an agenda as their violent spree spreads through Galway.

Jack needs to act, needs to fight back, needs to settle a score after he is ruthlessly disfigured by 'Bine' who controls Headstone. And Jack will cross the line... contacts a serious hard case named Kosta, a man completely at ease with violence for whom Jack had done a major service in the past. "I need a Mossberg pump" (not exactly something you can ring up Tesco and order.) No hesitation: : "Give me your address, I'll swing by round seven".

Jack's kind of guy....

All hell is going to break loose...

Headstone/Jack Taylor #9 - innovative noir at its best. A relentlessly paced page turner from the get go. Ken Bruen does it for me...



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Book #45 The Devil

The Devil by Ken Bruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'Nightmares are the dress rehearsal for the dread awaiting'.

Jack is having nightmares alright. He should have been in America but past misdemeanors have put paid to that. Stopped at the departure gate, prevented from boarding his flight. Jack does what Jack does. It's a large Jay and a pint of the black in the airport bar. A tall, slender man in a beautiful suit, long blonde hair, handsome, slides onto the stool next to him. "Sure is hell here today" - "Get you something, Jack?". Guy has a killer smile. Talks about evil: "Evil hones in on those closest to redemption". His name is Kurt 'with a K' and he is so going to fuck with you Jack.

Later, you take on a case to investigate the frenzied murder of a student, crucified upside down. And several murders follow and too many encounters with Mr. K. Has Jack met his nemesis? Is Jack dealing with the Devil himself?

Reading this there were times I thought I had strayed into the pages of a Dennis Wheatley occult novel. This is diabolical territory for Ken Bruen. It certainly is for Jack. 'The divil knows his own' is that right Jack? How do you fight evil? Evil of the worst kind? Can Father Malachy help? I doubt that Jack. Get yourself a Sig Sauer and cap this monster....

But do be very, very careful Jack. I would like to see you again....

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Book #32 Sanctuary

Sanctuary by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Darker than Irish stout. Another cracker from Ken Bruen. Jack, who has sold up in Galway and preparing to travel to America.... doesn't. He stays put to offer support to his Garda friend (if 'friend' is the right word) who has received the devastating news that she has breast cancer. Meanwhile, Jack receives a letter containing a list of victims: two Guards, a judge, a nun and, alas, a child. The letter is signed 'Benedictus'.... And the list has already begun. Garda Flynn, deceased two days ago. Taylor determines to find the identity of the killer and stop him or her at any cost.

Jack has carried the burden of the death of a child - a young girl with Downs Syndrome, the daughter of his friends Jeff and Cathy - Jack was made to believe he was responsible. When he finds out the truth of what occurred his rage ends up in a bottle of Jameson, pints of the dark stuff and a hangover that almost pushes him over the edge. Is Jack suicidal? So much self pity. Come on Jack Taylor. If you can survive another beating at the hands of Superintendent Clancy and his thugs you can and will find a way through your despair. Get back on track.

Typical Bruen - the dialogue is harsh and authentic, the plot is compelling and I know that I am seriously addicted to this Jack Taylor series, particularly when I find myself buying CDs that happen to be Jack's favourites! Try Billy Joe Shaver. Never heard of him? Neither had I - this truly gifted alt.Country & Western singer/songwriter. Thanks Jack....



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Book #31 Cross

Cross by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I cannot get enough of Jack Taylor. This series by Ken Bruen is so darned good. Jack is vulnerable, a reforming alcoholic, a haunted man. So many events in his life since being kicked out of the Guards have left him in a bad place. Cannot say too much - so many threads run through this series and I don't want to spoil it for any reader who is thinking about embarking on it.

In Cross a boy has been crucified in Galway City. People are shocked; the Irish Church is scandalised - and no further action is taken. Then the sister of the murdered boy is burned alive and Jack decides to take matters into his own hands...

This is a dark, compelling portrait of a man who continues to seek redemption, who has few friends - if any. The dialogue crackles with authenticity, dark, powerful, often humorous. We see Jack deciding on a move to America, selling up in Galway and moving on. And then Bruen gives the reader another kick in the gonads, right there on the last page, that leaves Jack devastated. And you just know - you have to move onto book #7....

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Book #29 Priest

Priest by Ken Bruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read back to back with Jack Taylor #4. I had to. Events at the end of The Dramatist left me reeling. Could anything worse have befallen Jack? Is Galway the kind of place to seek redemption? God, Jack - I really felt your despair. Your tortured soul. And the dark fiction continues in Priest.

Jack leaves hospital - the madhouse, the loony bin - where he has been for several months. Refuses further medication - "I felt my eyes retreat from the nine-yard stare, move away from the dead place." How did he finish up in an asylum? He doesn't remember. Collected by female Guard Ni Iomaire for his return to life in Galway even though the disfunction of their alliance continues, unabated. Does Jack have any friends left? Will he stay on the wagon? And as a new life beckons, Father Joyce is decapitated in a Galway confessional, shocking even the most hardened cynics and Jack is asked to find his killer, in the church rocked by scandal of the most disturbing nature.

Murder, conspiracy and a real danger for Jack - close and personal. Jack is a broken human-being. Past events continue to haunt his every waking hour as he continues to fight his alcoholism. But he does and he survives. Like it or not Jack you are a sensitive individual and I am concerned about what happens to you because Ken Bruen has written another gut-wrenching end to a fine book.

So, I am going to catch my breath before moving onto #6....

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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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Book #27 The Magdalen Martyrs

The Magdalen Martyrs by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back to Jack. Cannot help it. I love Ken Bruen's books - the Jack Taylor series. This is the third. The ex-Garda protagonist, hapless alcoholic, one might say hopeless as well, Jack staggers through life in Galway as a kind of honorary private detective and a mess of a human being. Hired by thugs who recognise his tough-guy bravado. Doesn’t quite work out for Jack, never does. He does get laid; the drugs help. This is real Irish noir. I know there are those that don’t like this series. But I enjoy Jack’s company. He loves reading and festoons his narrative with apt quotes from favourite authors. His hangovers are legendary. But somehow he always finds a way back. And the plot, for what it is, ingeniously incorporates the Magdalen laundry, a notoriously harsh home for wayward girls.

This series is a treat. Number three is dark, bleak and very funny at times. The best so far, for me.

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Book #13 The Killing of the Tinkers

The Killing Of The Tinkers by Ken Bruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I guess Jack Taylor is akin to marmite. You either love him or dislike him. Well, I love marmite, so there it is. Ken Bruen's clipped, staccato writing style pervades a brooding Irish landscape - windswept, rain-lashed Galway where Taylor has returned with a cocaine habit and little else after a year spent in London, apart from befriending Keegan, a DS in the Met, who is not averse to straying into criminal activity if the end justifies the means. Just as well for Jack when Keegan turns up unannounced in Galway. You would want Keegan on your side. Particularly when Jack is approached by Sleeper, a recognised king amongst tinkers. He wants Jack to find out who has been ruthlessly killing young travellers and dumping their bodies in the city centre....

This is raw, gutsy stuff. Jack hasn't changed his habits since being thrown out of the Irish Gardai. He drinks to excess almost daily and continues with his cocaine habit, albeit to a lesser degree. Laura helps to steer him away from a path of self destruction, for a while... And yet, beneath that hardened exterior beats a good heart. If he has a 'wedge' he will share it with the needy. Cross Jack at your peril.

This is the 2nd in the Jack Taylor series and I loved it as much as The Guards.

Sláinte !

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Book #12 The Guards

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

The first of the Jack Taylor series by Ken Bruen, first published in 2001. Wonderful, dark Irish noir. Lyrical, funny and deeply moving. A blend of Chandler, Macdonald and Spillane with a deft, staccato rhythm that is unforgettable. Jack Taylor, dismissed from the Irish guardai for punching a senior officer (who deserved it by the way), becomes an alcoholic private eye (what else is he going to do?), ignores requests to return Item 8234 - a regulation garda all-weather coat ("Would I return it? Would I fuck") - stumbles in and out of and gets barred from most Galway bars and takes on a case to gather evidence that a teenage girl who committed suicide - didn't (or did she?) For me, this is a mesmerising work of crime fiction, so different to anything I have read before. Excuse me Ken but I feckin' loved it!

And a brief note to reviewers who have called Bruen's writing pretentious. Pretentious?! Re-read your own reviews. Isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery? The Guards is original, hilarious and above all, it's Irish. Get it? I did....

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