Scan barcode
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Ninth in the Jack Taylor suspense series based in Galway, Ireland and based on an alcoholic, drug-addicted, good-hearted private investigator tossed out of the Garda years ago.
This is the most depressing one yet of Bruen's Jack Taylor series with the losses surrounding Jack and the warped interpretation of Darwin's survival of the fittest by the Headstone gang. It's also a pretty good reason to reinstate the death penalty!
As usual with Jack, it's a mess of drugs and alcohol throughout the story. Not even a need to protect himself or Stewart is enough to encourage a sober moment. It's weird. One moment Jack does something really decent; the next, something horribly wrong. And through it all, he eventually bashes through with his own sense of justice.
The story starts with the attack on Father Malachy, Jack's nemesis, and continues with Father Gabriel hiring Jack to find yet another priest who absconded with Church funds. Jack has never been one to accept anyone's thinking they were superior to him and he sure isn't startin' with Father Gabriel. Nor does he trust the good father's word as to the eventual fate of Father Loyola Dunne.
Then it's an attack against Ridge. Against Jack. Being whittled down piece by piece. Stewart will be next as he got one of the headstones in the mail as well. A young man doing well despite his Downs' syndrome. Clancy threatening his father's memory.
And all the way through, we stagger through aided by Jameson's and Xanax with a whiff of Players.
Jack Taylor was a Garda once. A long time ago. Alcohol and drugs took their toll and continue to do so. Along with Jack's addiction to cigarettes. Still hanging onto his Garda raincoat. Continuing to work as a private investigator. Jack utilizes his unique perspective to help all who apply to him with a heavy helping of cynicism. Even as he betrays others. Laura is an American writer with whom Jack met and fell in love. She's coming to Galway to spend some time with Jack.
Stewart is a convicted drugs dealer from whom Jack has always gotten his drugs. Released from jail, Stewart and Jack have remained friends, helping each other as asked. Stewart has embraced a vegan lifestyle with lashings of green tea and a very Zen attitude. Sergeant Ridge, a.k.a., Ban Ni Ionaire, is a cop and, for some reason, Jack's friend. A lesbian, she chose to protect herself after suffering a life-threatening beating by marrying Anthony to enhance her career. A decision she's fast coming to question even as she finds refuge with Stewart. Vinnie and Charlie Byrne's Bookshop is a constant where Jack gets his books fix. It's not necessary to read them all; it is necessary to have them. Caz is Romany and another friend of Jack's.
Father Gabriel is part of a reform group within the Catholic group called the Brethren and hires Jack to find their chief fundraiser. Kosta is a crook. A friend. One who uses Jack to accomplish his own aims and knowingly destroys a friend of Jack's. A stupid chance Jack takes. One he pays back.
Superintendent Clancy is a cop, a garda. He used to be a friend of Jack's; now he hates him with a passion. O'Brien is Clancy's hatchet man. Mr. Mason is an English private investigator with a heavy hand and backed by Clancy.
The Headstone gang is led by Bine whose agenda is the annihilation of retards, alkies, crippled, misfits, vulnerable, weak, pitiful, ah heck, anyone Bine doesn't like or wants to hurt. A man whom Jack put away years ago, Ronan Wall. A tyrannical, sadistic leader, he uses pain and intimidation to sway his three followers. Bethany is intrigued by Bine even as she despises what he's doing. The big attraction is that Bine gives her permission to do what she wants to do anyway. Then there's Jimmie and Sean. A couple of useless boys with no ambition. Jimmie is willing to go along with anything at all while Sean is intelligent enough to understand it's wrong and weak enough not to care. All four are the product of wealthy families.
The cover has a pale gray-blue background with mists hovering over headstones and crosses in a graveyard. Very icy. Very chilling.
Almost as chilling as the title describing the criminal gang targeting misfits of society.
My Take
This is the most depressing one yet of Bruen's Jack Taylor series with the losses surrounding Jack and the warped interpretation of Darwin's survival of the fittest by the Headstone gang. It's also a pretty good reason to reinstate the death penalty!
As usual with Jack, it's a mess of drugs and alcohol throughout the story. Not even a need to protect himself or Stewart is enough to encourage a sober moment. It's weird. One moment Jack does something really decent; the next, something horribly wrong. And through it all, he eventually bashes through with his own sense of justice.
The Story
The story starts with the attack on Father Malachy, Jack's nemesis, and continues with Father Gabriel hiring Jack to find yet another priest who absconded with Church funds. Jack has never been one to accept anyone's thinking they were superior to him and he sure isn't startin' with Father Gabriel. Nor does he trust the good father's word as to the eventual fate of Father Loyola Dunne.
Then it's an attack against Ridge. Against Jack. Being whittled down piece by piece. Stewart will be next as he got one of the headstones in the mail as well. A young man doing well despite his Downs' syndrome. Clancy threatening his father's memory.
And all the way through, we stagger through aided by Jameson's and Xanax with a whiff of Players.
The Characters
Jack Taylor was a Garda once. A long time ago. Alcohol and drugs took their toll and continue to do so. Along with Jack's addiction to cigarettes. Still hanging onto his Garda raincoat. Continuing to work as a private investigator. Jack utilizes his unique perspective to help all who apply to him with a heavy helping of cynicism. Even as he betrays others. Laura is an American writer with whom Jack met and fell in love. She's coming to Galway to spend some time with Jack.
Stewart is a convicted drugs dealer from whom Jack has always gotten his drugs. Released from jail, Stewart and Jack have remained friends, helping each other as asked. Stewart has embraced a vegan lifestyle with lashings of green tea and a very Zen attitude. Sergeant Ridge, a.k.a., Ban Ni Ionaire, is a cop and, for some reason, Jack's friend. A lesbian, she chose to protect herself after suffering a life-threatening beating by marrying Anthony to enhance her career. A decision she's fast coming to question even as she finds refuge with Stewart. Vinnie and Charlie Byrne's Bookshop is a constant where Jack gets his books fix. It's not necessary to read them all; it is necessary to have them. Caz is Romany and another friend of Jack's.
Father Gabriel is part of a reform group within the Catholic group called the Brethren and hires Jack to find their chief fundraiser. Kosta is a crook. A friend. One who uses Jack to accomplish his own aims and knowingly destroys a friend of Jack's. A stupid chance Jack takes. One he pays back.
Superintendent Clancy is a cop, a garda. He used to be a friend of Jack's; now he hates him with a passion. O'Brien is Clancy's hatchet man. Mr. Mason is an English private investigator with a heavy hand and backed by Clancy.
The Headstone gang is led by Bine whose agenda is the annihilation of retards, alkies, crippled, misfits, vulnerable, weak, pitiful, ah heck, anyone Bine doesn't like or wants to hurt. A man whom Jack put away years ago, Ronan Wall. A tyrannical, sadistic leader, he uses pain and intimidation to sway his three followers. Bethany is intrigued by Bine even as she despises what he's doing. The big attraction is that Bine gives her permission to do what she wants to do anyway. Then there's Jimmie and Sean. A couple of useless boys with no ambition. Jimmie is willing to go along with anything at all while Sean is intelligent enough to understand it's wrong and weak enough not to care. All four are the product of wealthy families.
The Cover
The cover has a pale gray-blue background with mists hovering over headstones and crosses in a graveyard. Very icy. Very chilling.
Almost as chilling as the title describing the criminal gang targeting misfits of society.
greenblack's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
Dark, disturbing, different, and depressing. I'd heard much about Ken Bruen and his Irish mysteries. Very different. They make Ian Rankin's Rebus series set in Scotland look positively sunny and cheerful. Jack Taylor of Galway is a former cop, an alcoholic, and a guy you can usually rely on in a crisis. He's got a flip sense of humor and has anti-hero written all over him. He does good. He does bad. There's the usual Irish stereotypes brought up to date to contemporary Ireland plus all the friction with the churches. Lots of violence in this one but you keep turning the pages as you never know what Jack is going to do next. He shocks you with his violence in one minute and then shocks you with his compassion one minute, like calling a taxi and paying for an old lady to get to the market. Jack goes after priests, deals with Romanian thugs, and is pursued by an insane former nemesis in this fast moving yarn. Another interesting feature of Bruen's writing is his syntax. His "align left margin" style not filling up the complete line almost seems like poetry. It give it a certain rhythm and makes you focus on words quite differently than you would if they had been in a normal sentence.
yorugua1891's review against another edition
5.0
"I'm almost afraid to voice it but I think he's close to happy"
The words on the title of this review were said by Stewart, and he is talking about no other than Jack Taylor, our beloved main character, who is always battling inner demons and seems to have the worst luck anyone has ever had. Jack has finally given up on going to America and is enjoying a relationship with a lovely woman from that country. Things are looking up, but as readers of the series probably can guess, there is trouble in the horizon. If you look at the top of the cover, you can see the words "A JACK TAYLOR NOVEL OF TERROR", which is a new description for this series, and it applies to this book perfectly.
The elements we have come to expect from the books in this series are still all there, great writing, a witty cast of characters, confrontations, both in actions and dialogue, and the characters' battles with their own problems. But in this case, there is a sense of horror present, which comes from the evil nature of a group that goes by the name of Headstone and whose leader has a truly diabolical master plan in mind.
I have finally done it, I have read all the available books on this series up to this date. Now the long wait starts, hopefully it will be bearable and I will have the next book on this series in my hands soon.
The words on the title of this review were said by Stewart, and he is talking about no other than Jack Taylor, our beloved main character, who is always battling inner demons and seems to have the worst luck anyone has ever had. Jack has finally given up on going to America and is enjoying a relationship with a lovely woman from that country. Things are looking up, but as readers of the series probably can guess, there is trouble in the horizon. If you look at the top of the cover, you can see the words "A JACK TAYLOR NOVEL OF TERROR", which is a new description for this series, and it applies to this book perfectly.
The elements we have come to expect from the books in this series are still all there, great writing, a witty cast of characters, confrontations, both in actions and dialogue, and the characters' battles with their own problems. But in this case, there is a sense of horror present, which comes from the evil nature of a group that goes by the name of Headstone and whose leader has a truly diabolical master plan in mind.
I have finally done it, I have read all the available books on this series up to this date. Now the long wait starts, hopefully it will be bearable and I will have the next book on this series in my hands soon.
eush's review against another edition
3.0
Whatever other problems I may have with the Jack Taylor books (he can be one-note in his sullen bastardry, my gosh there is an awful lot of very violent crime in Galway, the reveal that SPOILER he wasn't responsible for the death of Serena May after all), I can't seem to stop reading anyway. Maybe it's the lapsed Catholic in me.
tommyro's review against another edition
3.0
Ken Bruen is a master storyteller. Fantastic plots. Jack Taylor character is super. Start from the beginning of the series. These novels are brilliant reporting about Glasgow.
ctgt's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say? I'm in the tank for Bruen and his Jack Taylor.
10/10
10/10
stanl's review
5.0
Jack Taylor, all attitude, all the time, with some killing and moral/theological questions intertwined. All in a days work for the fabulous Mr. Bruen.
scotchneat's review
3.0
I have a real soft spot for the beat-up, half-drunk, well-read, philosophical, warm-hearted Irish detective (of which there are a surprising number).
Bruen's writing is very stylized - staccato, epigraphic, a bit like Peter Temple (or the other way around). The style is as much a part of the writing as the plot.
Jack Taylor has to figure out who "Headstone" is - a group of twisted thugs who nearly beat an old priest to death and kill a special needs kid, and who send Jack and his pals a tiny headstone to let them know they are next.
It's pretty violent, with lots of wit and Irish humility.
Bruen's writing is very stylized - staccato, epigraphic, a bit like Peter Temple (or the other way around). The style is as much a part of the writing as the plot.
Jack Taylor has to figure out who "Headstone" is - a group of twisted thugs who nearly beat an old priest to death and kill a special needs kid, and who send Jack and his pals a tiny headstone to let them know they are next.
It's pretty violent, with lots of wit and Irish humility.
More...