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kathydavie's review
4.0
Thirteenth in the Jack Taylor noir mystery series and revolving around one messed-up ex-Garda.
My Take
Jesus, this is grim. It doesn’t help that I’ve missed (how did I do that??) the last two Jack Taylors. Don’t read this one without reading Green Hell (11) and The Emerald Lie (12). It was too big a leap from Purgatory, 10, to The Ghosts of Galway.
The Ghosts of Galway also drove me nuts with the single word lines and the ones that staggered across the page and the “one-liners” that may be in quotes or may not. That may be spoken words. Or may not. I expended a lot of brain power trying to figure these out, and it took me out of the story!
Maybe it's just how angry Bruen is, letting us know how he feels about politics, taxes, the establishment, doctors, and so much more. Those water taxes certainly raise a lot of ire! It sure is a great way to get your frustrations off your chest, lol. Hmmm, maybe this would be a great assignment in a prison, to write a character who snarks off on everything. Let 'em get their anger out in a more acceptable manner.
I do know that whatever Lorna was up to, I wish that Bruen had come across with the whys. Nor did I understand the Fenians and Storm. Where did that come from? What was that with Clancy? I enjoyed Jack’s bit of retaliation, but I don’t agree with how he ended it or how short a time Clancy had to suffer.
What’s with all the buskers being pissy about only getting 10 or 20 pounds?? And where does Doc get off, being pissy with Jack at the end?? Suggesting blackmail??
That Father Miller is a piece of work. He’s a thief, and he’s looking down at Jack? As for Mulcahy. Jaysus, why would Jack a) want to help him, and b) believe he’d ever give Jack any credit?? As for Em, the girl has no clue, and it’s too stunningly evident when Hayden shows up with that book and says Jack doesn’t even have to grovel for it. WTF???
Ooie, that Cooper really “knows” how to get on your good side.
Oh, crack me up. One of Bruen’s characters wants to know “if the U.S. doesn’t want Trump, could we have him?”
As for explaining the "4" rating, I have to guess that I missed too much what with missing the last two stories. I don't know if there would have been events that would have explained the frustrations I experienced with The Ghosts of Galway.
The Story
Even as Jack is trying to come back from that mistaken medical diagnosis and his failed suicide attempt, the rest of life is not letting him be.
Malachy has the nerve to ask Jack for help! An old flame wants help for an old “friend”. His boss wants him to retrieve a possibly heretical book. The manipulative Em who keeps everything revolving every which way. And Ridge keeps tearing him down.
The Characters
Former Garda Jack Taylor is addicted to alcohol, drugs, and books. He’s currently working as a security guard. Storm is his watchful dog. Doc is his neighbor planning a trip up Mt. Everest.
Emily/Emerald/Em is definitely a psychopath with a love for roleplaying and a master at manipulation, who blew into Jack’s life two years ago in Green Hell. And continues to blast in and out. Satan is her one-hundred-pound Rottweiler. Hayden is a friend of Em’s.
The Garda are…
…Irish police. Bean NI Iomaire, a.k.a., Sergeant Ridge, had once been Jack’s friend. Now she’s outright hostile. The only Garda who still talks to Jack is Owen Daglish. Superintendent Clancy (he's up for police commissioner) had been a friend of Jack’s long ago and now hates him with a passion. Murphy is an officer.
Sheridan is with Special Branch.
Sister Maeve, one of Jack’s few friends, is the communicator between her convent and the public. Anne Henderson had been the love of Jack’s life.
The young Lorna Dunphy claims her brother, Eamon, is missing. Tom Dunphy is her very depressed father. His wife, Ann, committed suicide. Why? Who knows.
Alexander Knox-Keaton, a Ukrainian, is the owner of the security company for which Jack works.
The Fenians are...
...a rebel group who want to launch a second Reformation with Frank Cass and Joe Tyrone at the top.
Ghosts is…
…an Irish ISIS led by ex-priest, Jeremy Cooper, who is in love with the idea of the old Celtic Ireland…and power for himself. Terry “Woody” Wood is a thug and Cooper’s second-in-command. Julia Finch is a mean old bird Cooper has been “seducing”.
Father Malachy had been Jack’s mother’s “pet” at St. Patrick’s Church and has always denigrated Jack. Father Frank Miller had been the assistant curator of sacred manuscripts, etc., at the Vatican. Now he’s gone rogue. The Red Book is said to be the first book of heresy.
Corley made a mistake when he beat Em. Vinny works at Charlie Byrne’s bookshop. I don’t think it was right to blame Jack for Serena Day in The Killing of the Tinkers, 2. Frank Casserly has been the chef at the GBC café for twenty years. Joan Burton is the very detested leader of the Irish Labour Party. Robert Preston is a Protestant lawyer. Dr. Singh is in charge after the hit-and-run. Oats is a fellow patient and had been the clerk for the commissioner of oaths.
The Cover and Title
The cover is grim in its mistiness and its charcoal background (with a touch of green) and the fedora and overcoat worn by a man whom I assume is Jack. With his head looking down at the red book he has clasped in his hands, and the fedora covering his face, it’s hard to tell. The fonts are embossed with the author’s name in a gradated white-to-gray, looking as if smoke is rising up into a white sky while the left-justified title is at the bottom in a gradated red-to-pink with a very small series information tag in white below it.
The title is what crowds Jack’s mind, what the tinker woman warned him of, The Ghosts of Galway from Stewart to Serena Day to a treacherous friend to…oh, so many…and then there’s the terrorists…oh, my…
My Take
Jesus, this is grim. It doesn’t help that I’ve missed (how did I do that??) the last two Jack Taylors. Don’t read this one without reading Green Hell (11) and The Emerald Lie (12). It was too big a leap from Purgatory, 10, to The Ghosts of Galway.
The Ghosts of Galway also drove me nuts with the single word lines and the ones that staggered across the page and the “one-liners” that may be in quotes or may not. That may be spoken words. Or may not. I expended a lot of brain power trying to figure these out, and it took me out of the story!
Maybe it's just how angry Bruen is, letting us know how he feels about politics, taxes, the establishment, doctors, and so much more. Those water taxes certainly raise a lot of ire! It sure is a great way to get your frustrations off your chest, lol. Hmmm, maybe this would be a great assignment in a prison, to write a character who snarks off on everything. Let 'em get their anger out in a more acceptable manner.
I do know that whatever Lorna was up to, I wish that Bruen had come across with the whys. Nor did I understand the Fenians and Storm. Where did that come from? What was that with Clancy? I enjoyed Jack’s bit of retaliation, but I don’t agree with how he ended it or how short a time Clancy had to suffer.
What’s with all the buskers being pissy about only getting 10 or 20 pounds?? And where does Doc get off, being pissy with Jack at the end?? Suggesting blackmail??
That Father Miller is a piece of work. He’s a thief, and he’s looking down at Jack? As for Mulcahy. Jaysus, why would Jack a) want to help him, and b) believe he’d ever give Jack any credit?? As for Em, the girl has no clue, and it’s too stunningly evident when Hayden shows up with that book and says Jack doesn’t even have to grovel for it. WTF???
Ooie, that Cooper really “knows” how to get on your good side.
Oh, crack me up. One of Bruen’s characters wants to know “if the U.S. doesn’t want Trump, could we have him?”
”A coffin makes it difficult to think outside the box.”When you get down to it, Jack Taylor is the character (using a first person protagonist point-of-view), an honorable one who has faced death and continues to face it. The physical and the metaphysical. His own health, the death or lack of friends, the death of a future.
As for explaining the "4" rating, I have to guess that I missed too much what with missing the last two stories. I don't know if there would have been events that would have explained the frustrations I experienced with The Ghosts of Galway.
The Story
Even as Jack is trying to come back from that mistaken medical diagnosis and his failed suicide attempt, the rest of life is not letting him be.
Malachy has the nerve to ask Jack for help! An old flame wants help for an old “friend”. His boss wants him to retrieve a possibly heretical book. The manipulative Em who keeps everything revolving every which way. And Ridge keeps tearing him down.
The Characters
Former Garda Jack Taylor is addicted to alcohol, drugs, and books. He’s currently working as a security guard. Storm is his watchful dog. Doc is his neighbor planning a trip up Mt. Everest.
Emily/Emerald/Em is definitely a psychopath with a love for roleplaying and a master at manipulation, who blew into Jack’s life two years ago in Green Hell. And continues to blast in and out. Satan is her one-hundred-pound Rottweiler. Hayden is a friend of Em’s.
The Garda are…
…Irish police. Bean NI Iomaire, a.k.a., Sergeant Ridge, had once been Jack’s friend. Now she’s outright hostile. The only Garda who still talks to Jack is Owen Daglish. Superintendent Clancy (he's up for police commissioner) had been a friend of Jack’s long ago and now hates him with a passion. Murphy is an officer.
Sheridan is with Special Branch.
Sister Maeve, one of Jack’s few friends, is the communicator between her convent and the public. Anne Henderson had been the love of Jack’s life.
The young Lorna Dunphy claims her brother, Eamon, is missing. Tom Dunphy is her very depressed father. His wife, Ann, committed suicide. Why? Who knows.
Alexander Knox-Keaton, a Ukrainian, is the owner of the security company for which Jack works.
The Fenians are...
...a rebel group who want to launch a second Reformation with Frank Cass and Joe Tyrone at the top.
Ghosts is…
…an Irish ISIS led by ex-priest, Jeremy Cooper, who is in love with the idea of the old Celtic Ireland…and power for himself. Terry “Woody” Wood is a thug and Cooper’s second-in-command. Julia Finch is a mean old bird Cooper has been “seducing”.
Father Malachy had been Jack’s mother’s “pet” at St. Patrick’s Church and has always denigrated Jack. Father Frank Miller had been the assistant curator of sacred manuscripts, etc., at the Vatican. Now he’s gone rogue. The Red Book is said to be the first book of heresy.
Corley made a mistake when he beat Em. Vinny works at Charlie Byrne’s bookshop. I don’t think it was right to blame Jack for Serena Day in The Killing of the Tinkers, 2. Frank Casserly has been the chef at the GBC café for twenty years. Joan Burton is the very detested leader of the Irish Labour Party. Robert Preston is a Protestant lawyer. Dr. Singh is in charge after the hit-and-run. Oats is a fellow patient and had been the clerk for the commissioner of oaths.
The Cover and Title
The cover is grim in its mistiness and its charcoal background (with a touch of green) and the fedora and overcoat worn by a man whom I assume is Jack. With his head looking down at the red book he has clasped in his hands, and the fedora covering his face, it’s hard to tell. The fonts are embossed with the author’s name in a gradated white-to-gray, looking as if smoke is rising up into a white sky while the left-justified title is at the bottom in a gradated red-to-pink with a very small series information tag in white below it.
The title is what crowds Jack’s mind, what the tinker woman warned him of, The Ghosts of Galway from Stewart to Serena Day to a treacherous friend to…oh, so many…and then there’s the terrorists…oh, my…
greenblack's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hobhouchin's review
4.0
My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for granting me the opportunity to read this e- book as an advance reading copy.
It was, admittedly, the cover that first piqued my interest. The description sounded like something I might enjoy and I wasn't wrong with that notion. It did take me a few pages to get into the unique writing style and adjust to the (ahem) colourful language. I don't have a problem with swear words as per se (on the contrary) but there were loads of those.
It was my first encounter with Jack Taylor and his "verse" but the author managed the balancing act of briefly explaining to new readers who is who and what the dealings with the respective character and Jack had been in the preceding 12 books without boring readers who already knew about it.
Just like the writing itself the storytelling is unique. Where other authors of the genre dwell on building suspense, strew in details and try to lay false trails, Ken Bruen is refreshingly "no sh*t and f*cks given". That too needs a little getting used to since it is something else. Despite a lack of "building up" the characters get their unique personas even in the brief descriptions and encounters the reader is granted. For more depth I suspect I would have (will have, more likely) to read the entire series - beginning with book #1 called 'The Guards'.
Jack Taylor probably belongs to the category "love or hate" with nothing in between.
The unique writing, the characters, the swearing and the many deaths (no spoilers hence keeping this rather vague) and the entire lack of keeping somewhat the protocol of police work up or at least the pretence thereof might be major put offs for many but despite my love for protocol and storybuilding, I enjoyed this book immensely.
The things that I didn't like was the fast pace towards the end. It felt rushed through to get to a quick end before running out of pages (or time?) and at times I would have liked a tad more of what is going on in Jack and the other persons. A few times Ken Bruen seemed to have lost the golden thread and picked up loose ends here and there along the way which made it confusing and took me a moment or two longer to swing back into the narration and keep track of what is going on.
I didn't expect the hint of X Files vibe at the very end but loved it all the same.
Same goes for the - in my eyes - smart use of news headlines (such as the deaths of David Bowie or Prince or President Cheetos' run for his current job) to establish a time line and show the reader how much time has passed between events. It helped that those events are still relatively fresh in my memory - a different story for someone who might read the book in a couple of years from now.
Anyway a surprisingly great read I hadn't expected to be so "on point" with its own narration when I started reading it.
It was, admittedly, the cover that first piqued my interest. The description sounded like something I might enjoy and I wasn't wrong with that notion. It did take me a few pages to get into the unique writing style and adjust to the (ahem) colourful language. I don't have a problem with swear words as per se (on the contrary) but there were loads of those.
It was my first encounter with Jack Taylor and his "verse" but the author managed the balancing act of briefly explaining to new readers who is who and what the dealings with the respective character and Jack had been in the preceding 12 books without boring readers who already knew about it.
Just like the writing itself the storytelling is unique. Where other authors of the genre dwell on building suspense, strew in details and try to lay false trails, Ken Bruen is refreshingly "no sh*t and f*cks given". That too needs a little getting used to since it is something else. Despite a lack of "building up" the characters get their unique personas even in the brief descriptions and encounters the reader is granted. For more depth I suspect I would have (will have, more likely) to read the entire series - beginning with book #1 called 'The Guards'.
Jack Taylor probably belongs to the category "love or hate" with nothing in between.
The unique writing, the characters, the swearing and the many deaths (no spoilers hence keeping this rather vague) and the entire lack of keeping somewhat the protocol of police work up or at least the pretence thereof might be major put offs for many but despite my love for protocol and storybuilding, I enjoyed this book immensely.
The things that I didn't like was the fast pace towards the end. It felt rushed through to get to a quick end before running out of pages (or time?) and at times I would have liked a tad more of what is going on in Jack and the other persons. A few times Ken Bruen seemed to have lost the golden thread and picked up loose ends here and there along the way which made it confusing and took me a moment or two longer to swing back into the narration and keep track of what is going on.
I didn't expect the hint of X Files vibe at the very end but loved it all the same.
Same goes for the - in my eyes - smart use of news headlines (such as the deaths of David Bowie or Prince or President Cheetos' run for his current job) to establish a time line and show the reader how much time has passed between events. It helped that those events are still relatively fresh in my memory - a different story for someone who might read the book in a couple of years from now.
Anyway a surprisingly great read I hadn't expected to be so "on point" with its own narration when I started reading it.
marta_1989's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kirkw1972's review
5.0
This book was far too short! I'm just going to have to read the previous two and any other works to enjoy more of this author. So another new author to me and another back catalogue to be added to the TBR pile.
It just flows so well. The writing is different to many books I've read so far with it's lyrical style and breaking sentences
Down
Like
This
Jack, is an ex-Garda turned PI. At least I think he is, it's never worded that way. More that Jack is known for getting things done, finding lost items and generally getting beaten up (and kicking the bad guys too). There's such a mix of characters in here: Ukrainian gangsters that ended up having a smaller part that at first thought, various priests and a femme fatale that plays every side but especially her own
The whole thing is a wild ride, really enjoyable and I look forward to more.
Free arc from netgalley
csdaley's review
2.0
Sadly,
I may be coming to the end for this series. I don't mind that I don't like Jack but I really don't like much of anyone else either. Sometimes the books are just too bleek even for me. I am also pretty much done with the character Emily. He is a brilliant writer but it might not be for me any longer. I will try one more.
I may be coming to the end for this series. I don't mind that I don't like Jack but I really don't like much of anyone else either. Sometimes the books are just too bleek even for me. I am also pretty much done with the character Emily. He is a brilliant writer but it might not be for me any longer. I will try one more.
tommyro's review
4.0
All of Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor books are brilliant. You have to read them in order. Most are in audiobook and the Irish accent makes them even more entertaining. Best line in The Ghosts of Galway: A Coffin Makes It Difficult To Think Outside The Box
andyn5's review
4.0
This was the first novel I’ve read of Jack Taylor and despite the dark atmosphere and writing, I found myself enjoying it.
After being misdiagnosed and being involved in a scandal due to it, former cop Jack Taylor has almost everything he needs: his whiskey, his books and his faithful watchdog Storm. Everything, but money. In an attempt to restart his life, Jack gets a job as a night security guard. It doesn’t take long before things are given a turn. When a man offering a considerable sum of money to find “The Red Book”, the first book of heresy, approaches him he knows its way over his head. When a woman from his past reappears in his life and seemly connected to the book, Jack is pulled to a probable deadly path. Haunted by the dark, unfortunate events of his life, Jack soon discovers that the city’s corner hide secrets and some more fatal than others. Unfortunately, for Jack, nothing in his life went as he expected, and this won’t either. Can he make it out alive and with the rest of his sanity?
One thing that I learned with this book is: never take a plot for granted. This is a story that starts at a steady pace and suddenly it takes a much darker and shocking turn, one where the reader realises that characters are going to meet their ends. The first part of the novel the reader faces several plot lines and different characters. In the end, everything comes together perfectly and the revelation is unexpected.
The depth of the characters was something that impressed me. Even though I haven’t read the previous books, I got glimpses of the past of each character and ended being fascinated with a few. None of them is simple, they are all complex Emerald was one of the best for me. She’s a complex character not only due to her multiple personalities but also her determination to hold on to her consciousness. She’s both the source and the weakness of poor Jack. There are moments that I felt my heart squeeze a little for him and his torments. Jack is a complex character that has been both virtues and flaws. He’s a lost character that suffers most of his misadventures due to bad decisions mostly. As the reader is taken through a combination of what he’s doing and his thoughts and feelings, one way or the other, they grow attached to him. He takes time to look back on his life, to confront some of his ghosts and to reflect on his mistakes and his decisions. For me as a reader, it taught me a few lessons.
The style of writing is great. It’s smooth, flows perfectly with the events of the story adapting to the general mood of the plot and of the characters. The author’s vivid imagination and rich vocabulary are seductive and pull the reader to such depth that even when it gets gruesome, it’s very hard to let go of the book. It’s a distinctive style, worth remembering.
I think that I should read the previous ones to truly see how much the characters and the author’s style developed through the series. It can be read as a stand-alone but it still felt like I was missing something.
I recommend this novel to all the fans of a complex, thrilling story that stands out for all the right reasons.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Mysterious Press and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
After being misdiagnosed and being involved in a scandal due to it, former cop Jack Taylor has almost everything he needs: his whiskey, his books and his faithful watchdog Storm. Everything, but money. In an attempt to restart his life, Jack gets a job as a night security guard. It doesn’t take long before things are given a turn. When a man offering a considerable sum of money to find “The Red Book”, the first book of heresy, approaches him he knows its way over his head. When a woman from his past reappears in his life and seemly connected to the book, Jack is pulled to a probable deadly path. Haunted by the dark, unfortunate events of his life, Jack soon discovers that the city’s corner hide secrets and some more fatal than others. Unfortunately, for Jack, nothing in his life went as he expected, and this won’t either. Can he make it out alive and with the rest of his sanity?
One thing that I learned with this book is: never take a plot for granted. This is a story that starts at a steady pace and suddenly it takes a much darker and shocking turn, one where the reader realises that characters are going to meet their ends. The first part of the novel the reader faces several plot lines and different characters. In the end, everything comes together perfectly and the revelation is unexpected.
The depth of the characters was something that impressed me. Even though I haven’t read the previous books, I got glimpses of the past of each character and ended being fascinated with a few. None of them is simple, they are all complex Emerald was one of the best for me. She’s a complex character not only due to her multiple personalities but also her determination to hold on to her consciousness. She’s both the source and the weakness of poor Jack. There are moments that I felt my heart squeeze a little for him and his torments. Jack is a complex character that has been both virtues and flaws. He’s a lost character that suffers most of his misadventures due to bad decisions mostly. As the reader is taken through a combination of what he’s doing and his thoughts and feelings, one way or the other, they grow attached to him. He takes time to look back on his life, to confront some of his ghosts and to reflect on his mistakes and his decisions. For me as a reader, it taught me a few lessons.
The style of writing is great. It’s smooth, flows perfectly with the events of the story adapting to the general mood of the plot and of the characters. The author’s vivid imagination and rich vocabulary are seductive and pull the reader to such depth that even when it gets gruesome, it’s very hard to let go of the book. It’s a distinctive style, worth remembering.
I think that I should read the previous ones to truly see how much the characters and the author’s style developed through the series. It can be read as a stand-alone but it still felt like I was missing something.
I recommend this novel to all the fans of a complex, thrilling story that stands out for all the right reasons.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Mysterious Press and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
laurenla's review
4.0
A violent sentimental fugue of a novel, enjoyable for Bruen's prose and love of place. Jack has gone far far beyond redemption and the blood alcohol level and body count in Bruen's Galway is unsustainably high. Black humour holds it together.
smellbelle's review against another edition
3.0
Firstly let me preference my review by saying that when I picked this up I didn't know it was part of a series, let alone that it was the 13th novel in said series!
I have to say, the writing it definitely not my style. The perhaps overly literary one line sentences that are actually read as a conversation between two people I found terribly confusing, I had actually found it hard at times to figure out whether someone was actually saying something, or just thinking it.
Overall, I think the plot was interesting though it would have been a lot better fleshed out if it wasn't so hard to figure out who was talking/thinking what. As I mentioned I've not read any of these novels before and perhaps if I had the knowledge of all that had come before I wouldn't have found the story so disjointed. I also felt that it lacked a lot of character development and fleshing out but that's now I see because I've not read the 12 previous novels in the series.
This is also terribly dark, which, I definitely don't mind but it does make for a rather sombre read.
Without the strange form of writing that is almost reminiscent of the now ever increasingly popular lack of punctuation/talking mark phenomenon, it would have been a much easier and much more interesting read, notwithstanding the fact that I had no idea it was part of a series.
I have to say, the writing it definitely not my style. The perhaps overly literary one line sentences that are actually read as a conversation between two people I found terribly confusing, I had actually found it hard at times to figure out whether someone was actually saying something, or just thinking it.
Overall, I think the plot was interesting though it would have been a lot better fleshed out if it wasn't so hard to figure out who was talking/thinking what. As I mentioned I've not read any of these novels before and perhaps if I had the knowledge of all that had come before I wouldn't have found the story so disjointed. I also felt that it lacked a lot of character development and fleshing out but that's now I see because I've not read the 12 previous novels in the series.
This is also terribly dark, which, I definitely don't mind but it does make for a rather sombre read.
Without the strange form of writing that is almost reminiscent of the now ever increasingly popular lack of punctuation/talking mark phenomenon, it would have been a much easier and much more interesting read, notwithstanding the fact that I had no idea it was part of a series.