Synopses & Reviews
Ireland, awash with cash and greed, no longer turns to the Church for solace or comfort. But the decapitation of Father Joyce in a Galway confessional horrifies even the most jaded citizen.
Jack Taylor, devastated by the recent trauma of personal loss, has always believed himself to be beyond salvation. But a new job offers a fresh start, and an unexpected partnership provides hope that his one desperate vision--of family--might yet be fulfilled.
An eerie mix of exorcism, a predatory stalker, and unlikely attraction conspires to lure him into a murderous web of dark conspiracies. The specter of a child haunts every waking moment.
Explosive, unsettling and totally original, Ken Bruen's writing captures the brooding landscape of Irish society at a time of social and economic upheaval. Here is evidence of an unmistakable literary talent.
Review
Praise for
The Dramatist:
"Ken Bruen is hard to resist, with his aching Irish heart, silvery tongue and bleak noir sensibility...[Bruen] writes with extraordinary delicacy about a man driven to acts of violence out of wild grief and fierce sense of guilt."--Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
"[Bruen's] Jack Taylor series is Grade-A Galway Noir...Bruen provides an insightful tour of a fast-changing Ireland." --Richard Lipez, The Washington Post
"A depressing yet satisfying story." --Gilbert Cruz, Entertainment Weekly
"Bruen's tommy-gun prose, lacerating dialogue and hard-boiled world view combine here, as before, to provide entertainment of high order in dealing with low instincts. Forget all gauzy notions of the Emerald Isle--this stuff is black Irish." --Ron Givens, New York Daily News
"Bruen's books are always well worth the effort."--Harper Barnes, The St. Louis Post Dispatch
Review
"Theres music in his lament for the corruption of innocence and the loss of faith--in the government and the clergy--in 'the new Ireland,' even as he does battle with the demons that have claimed his own soul."--The New York Times "Bruen exploits the dark potential of the mystery form to its fullest...If a bottle of Bushmills could talk, it would sound like Jack Taylor." --The Washington Post Book World"Spare and unforgiving, Bruen's novels are among the best."--Rocky Mountain News"If your vision of Ireland still includes blarney and shamrocks, Ken Bruen is the writer to bring you up to date...Bruen is a wonderful writer. His prose is lean and spare and fun."--The Globe and Mail (Toronto)"Bruen has established himself as a master of hard-boiled noir." --The Miami Herald"Priest again dazzles with the unique, staccato sarcasm of Jack Taylor." --The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)"Bruen writes tight, urgent, powerful prose, his dialogue is harsh and authentic and Jack Taylor has become one of today's most interesting shamuses."--The Times (UK)
Synopsis
The decapitation killing of Father Joyce in the confessional of a Galway church shocks all of Ireland, including Jack Taylor, a man devastated by a recent personal loss, who finds himself confronted by the prospects of a new job, a fresh start in life, an unexpected partnership, and a last desperate chance to fulfill his dreams of a family. 25,000 first printing.
Synopsis
Ireland, awash with cash and greed, no longer turns to the Church for solace or comfort. But the decapitation of Father Joyce in a Galway confessional horrifies even the most jaded citizen.
Jack Taylor, devastated by the recent trauma of personal loss, has always believed himself to be beyond salvation. But a new job offers a fresh start, and an unexpected partnership provides hope that his one desperate vision--of family--might yet be fulfilled.
An eerie mix of exorcism, a predatory stalker, and unlikely attraction conspires to lure him into a murderous web of dark conspiracies. The specter of a child haunts every waking moment.
Explosive, unsettling and totally original, Ken Bruen's writing captures the brooding landscape of Irish society at a time of social and economic upheaval. Here is evidence of an unmistakable literary talent.
About the Author
Ken Bruen has been a finalist for the Edgar, Anthony, and Barry Awards, and has won a Macavity Award and a Shamus Award for the Jack Taylor series. He lives in Galway, Ireland.