Synopses & Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE BIG O "Declan Burkes The Big O is one of the sharpest, wittiest, and most unusual, Irish crime novels of recent years."--John Connolly, author of The Unquiet "A plot that takes off at a blistering pace and never lets up. The writing is a joy, so seamless you nearly miss the sheer artistry of the style and the terrific, wry humor."Ken Bruen, author of The Guards "Declan Burkes The Big O has everything you want in a crime novel: machine-gun dialogue, unforgettable characters, and a wicked plot. Think George V. Higgins in Ireland on speed."Jason Starr, author of The Follower "No such thing as coincidence! Dont tell that to the glorious band of cast-offs and misfits that populate the pages of Declan Burkes uncanny The Big O. With a deft touch, Burke pulls together a cross-genre plot thats part hard-boiled caper, part thriller, part classic noir, and flat out fun. From first page to last, The Big O grabs hold and wont let go."Reed Farrel Coleman, author of The James Deans. "Its hard to praise The Big O highly enough. Excellent writing, great characters, superb storytellingall played out at a ferocious tempo. By turns its dark, funny, moving, brutal, tender and twisted. A book that makes one hell of an impact. More Declan Burke please."Allan Guthrie, author of Savage Night
Review
"Imagine Donald Westlake and his alter ego Richard Stark moving to Ireland and collaborating on a screwball noir, and you have some idea of Burke's accomplishment." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Synopsis
Karen's easy life as a receptionist and armed robber is about to take a turn for the worse. Rossi, her ex, is getting out of prison any day now. He'll be looking for his motorcycle, his gun, the sixty grand he says is his, and revenge. But he won't be expecting Ray, the new guy Karen's just met, to be in his way. No stranger to the underworld himself, Ray wants out of the kidnapping game now that some dangerous new bosses are moving in.
Meanwhile, Frank, a disgraced plastic surgeon, hires Ray to kidnap his ex-wife for the insurance money. But the ex-wife also happens to be Karen's best friend. Can Karen and Ray trust each other enough to work together on one last job? Or will love, as always, ruin everything?
From a writer hailed as "Elmore Leonard with a hard Irish edge" (Irish Mail on Sunday), Declan Burke's The Big O is crime fiction at its darkest and funniest.
About the Author
Declan Burke was born in Sligo, Ireland, in 1969. He is a freelance writer with the Sunday Times, Village magazine, and the Dubliner, and lives in Wicklow, Ireland. Visit his blog, Crime Always Pays, at CrimeAlwaysPays.blogspot.com.