Synopses & Reviews
Pat Coyne is back. Injured in the line of duty, he is now out of work with too much time on his hands. Living alone, he's become more obsessive and volatile, developing a fetish for women's knickers. When a body washes up on the docks, the prime suspect is none other than the former Guarda's son, Jimmy. Like father like son, both Coynes are notorious for their sweeping spells of self-destruction. But while Pat's motives lean toward cleaning up the world's messes, Jimmy possesses a taste for mayhem. Coyne's estranged wife blames him, his mother-in-law berates him, and his therapist labels him psychotic. When a duo of criminal thugs try to kill his boy, Coyne decides that it's up to him to straighten things out.
Review
"For all Coyne's bluster, there is something sad and vulnerable about him; he is reminiscent of a (slightly) more well-adjusted Ignatius Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces, as Roddy Doyle might have imagined him. There are plenty of hilarious scenes in this short novel, and Hamilton ties them together skillfully." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Richly, darkly comic with details down to what everybody had for lunch and a solid thriller as well. It's the quirks of character, though, that prove most memorable." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Sad Bastard is a melancholy look at dark Irish humor. The characters are impish and violent, naive and gentle, political and worldly, and entirely unique. Pat Coyne will be back, mark my words, and you'll be clambering to read his next hilariously sad adventure." Bookreporter.com
About the Author
Hugo Hamilton is the author of five novels and a short story collection. He lives and works in Dublin.