Synopses & Reviews
Advance Praise for Ken Bruen and
The Guards“The Guards blew me away. Its dark, funny, and moving—just for starters. With a sharp eye and a lyrical voice, Ken Bruen takes us on a powerful odyssey through the mean streets of Galway, straight into the Irish heart. Bruens tale is a potent draft of desire and hopelessness, conviction and surrender, inadvertent heroism and unexpected grace. This is mystery writing of a high order.”—T. Jefferson Parker, author of Black Water and Silent Joe
“The Guards is a wonderful book, wrenching and real, fast, funny and wise in every sense. Why the hell havent I heard of Ken Bruen before? Hes a terrific writer and The Guards is one of the most mesmerizing works of crime fiction Ive ever read. Im going to read the rest of his work now, so dont bother me for a while. And when hes got a new one, send it to me quick. This guy is the real thing.”—James W. Hall, author of Blackwater Sound
“The Guards is raw, hard, bitter, and amazing. Its got that ancient feel to it, as of a primal story being retold with a fine, careless Irish swagger. Its as if Bruen made up his mind to tell us this story whether we wanted to hear it or not. Oh, we do. For sure.”—Jon A. Jackson, author of Badger Games
“The Guards is an astounding novel, a poetic account of a desperation as deep and cold as the North Sea, retribution, and resurrection. Its so good I cant think of it as a crime novel. Its a fine book with some crimes.”—James Crumley, author of The Final Country
“The Guards is a pint and a half of perfect book. Make it this years specialty of the house.”—Boston Teran, author of The Prince of Deadly Weapons
“The Guards kicked my ass—its up there with the best. If Elmore Leonard got together with James Joyce to write a Spencer novel, this is what youd get!”—David Means, author of Assorted Fire Events
Review
"Bruen is a brilliant, lyrical, deeply moving writer who can make you laugh and cry in the same paragraph and whose characters are so sharply portrayed that they almost walk off the page at you. If you like Ian Rankin, Dennis Lehane, Pelecanos, and the like, Bruen is definitely a writer to reckon with."-
Denver Post"Bruen is an original, grimly hilarious and gloriously Irish. I await the further adventures of the incorrigible Jack Taylor."-Patrick Anderson, Washington Post
"The next major new Irish voice we hear might well belong to Ken Bruen."-Chicago Tribune
Review
"Bruen is a brilliant, lyrical, deeply moving writer who can make you laugh and cry in the same paragraph and whose characters are so sharply portrayed that they almost walk off the page at you. If you like Ian Rankin, Dennis Lehane, Pelecanos, and the like, Bruen is definitely a writer to reckon with."-
Denver Post"Bruen is an original, grimly hilarious and gloriously Irish. I await the further adventures of the incorrigible Jack Taylor."-Patrick Anderson, Washington Post
"The next major new Irish voice we hear might well belong to Ken Bruen."-Chicago Tribune
Review
"The next major new Irish voice we hear might well belong to Ken Bruen." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Bruen is an original, grimly hilarious and gloriously Irish. I await the further adventures of the incorrigible Jack Taylor." Patrick Anderson
Synopsis
In this mesmerizing work of crime fiction, an ex-member of The Guards--Ireland's police force--is approached in a Galway bar by a dazzling woman with a strange request and a rumor about his talent for finding things.
Synopsis
Still stinging from his unceremonious ouster from the Garda Síochána—the Guards, Irelands police force—and staring at the world through the smoky bottom of his beer mug, Jack Taylor is stuck in Galway with nothing to look forward to. In his sober moments Jack aspires to become Irelands best private investigator, not to mention its first—Irish history, full of betrayal and espionage, discourages any profession so closely related to informing. But in truth Jack is teetering on the brink of his lifes sharpest edges, his memories of the past cutting deep into his soul and his prospects for the future nonexistent.
Nonexistent, that is, until a dazzling woman walks into the bar with a strange request and a rumor about Jacks talent for finding things. Odds are he wont be able to climb off his barstool long enough to get involved with his radiant new client, but when he surprises himself by getting hired, Jack has little idea of what hes getting into.
Stark, violent, sharp, and funny, The Guards is an exceptional novel, one that leaves you stunned and breathless, flipping back to the beginning in a mad dash to find Jack Taylor and enter his world all over again. Its an unforgettable story thats gritty, absorbing, and saturated with the rough-edged rhythms of the Galway streets. Praised by authors and critics around the globe, The Guards heralds the arrival of an essential new novelist in contemporary crime fiction. The Guards is a 2004 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel.
About the Author
Ken Bruen has been an English teacher in Africa, Japan, Southeast Asia, and South America. He lives in Galway, Ireland.