Reviews

First in a series featuring a former member of the Irish police force who, after being kicked out, is now a sometime private eye. Had the unique and readable writing style of the author's previous works and was an enjoyable, quick read.

jeffgreen's review against another edition

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4.0

Pretty great Irish noir. He's got a good style--minimalist like latter-day Ellroy but not as abstract, with good Irish wit and pathos mixed in. This is a super quick read--I did it in a couple hours, as opposed to four months for The Wise Man's Fear. Bruen has a whole bunch of novels, but this is first in the "Jack Taylor" series, which, I've been told, is one of his better series. Bruen plays a little bit with standard detective noir elements, but then quickly veers off to focus far more on the downward spiral of the narrator than on the actual "case" itself. But the way he establishes this guy's life, and all the people around him, is pretty remarkable given how few words he actually uses. Totally gonna read more now.

maya_b's review against another edition

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4.0

I needed some time to get into the book, because the mix of prose and verse was very new to me and it took some time getting used to, but I actually enjoyed it quite a lot. Easy and fast to read, and also pretty exciting, even though the main character didn't actually investigate that much for a private detective. But even so it was still quite the interesting character study about him, and I did like the story a lot.

sheeprustler's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

robint1981's review against another edition

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Loved it, great noir mystery with a main character that you like despite his many failings

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