In the Galway Silence

For once in his life Jack Taylor is, if not actually happy, then at least content with his current lot. There’s a new woman in his life and other than her spoilt nine-year-old son which he would be happier not getting involved with, things are going pretty well. His alcohol, drugs and cigarette intake are way down and he’s even pretty much given up helping other people out with their problems. Until that is when a grieving father asks him to find out who killed his twin sons. Thinking vague inquiries couldn’t hurt, Jack disregards his reluctance and goes back to what he does best. Not long after he’s busy getting up in people’s faces he meets an old acquaintance. It seems his ex-wife is in town and she has a little surprise in tow.I was less emotionally engaged with the characters and events in this 14th book of the series probably because they’ve only just appeared. So when the inevitable bad things happen to those who’ve become entangled in Jack’s life I didn’t really care as much as I usually would. However, all the usual elements were there from Bruen’s inimitable writing style and the sarcasm and black humour of the main character to the pop-culture references and political messages of the day. So all-in-all, it’s not a bad book, just not the best of the Jack Taylor series so far as I’m concerned.

I've read other Irish authors, but this is my first go for Ken Bruen and his Jack Taylor series. While I enjoyed the literary quotes sprinkled throughout, I didn't find much more to like. Characters were shallow, sometimes extraneous, easily disposable and the local color consists mostly of alcohol and sports. Overall a thin book, 310 pages, many sparsely populated. Additionally, Taylor's drug of choice is not an "upper" as claimed in the front synopsis.

After finishing “The Emerald Lie”, I wasn’t sure if Jack Taylor would be with us much longer. Yet here he is…bleary eyed & bushy tailed. But there’s something odd about him. It’s like he’s…*gasp*…happy. He’s cut down on drink & cigs, quit the PI biz & has a new woman in his life. Initially the only fly in the ointment is her pompous 9 year old son. But who are we kidding? This is Ken Bruen & he seems to revel in putting Jack through the ringer. In the prologue, we watch as teenage twin brothers meet a horrible end. Their wealthy father approaches Jack with a job. Find the killer. Jack has just about recovered from a recent brush with mortality & isn’t eager to descend back into the world of thugs & violence where his investigations inevitably lead. Still, it seems pretty straight forward. Oh Jack…that should have been your first clue. Turns out the twins were spoiled, psychopathic gits & the only real surprise is no one killed them sooner. Then he runs up against the man responsible & life as he knows it is over. A master manipulator, the killer proceeds to dismantle Jack’s new life from the inside. What else can he do but welcome back his dark side?This is a quick read full of twists, violence & a kind of psychological warfare that leaves Jack reeling. He’s used to dealing with “disagreements” the Irish way. You either ignore it or get right up in its face. This time someone is getting to him by infiltrating the lives of those he loves. Jack’s not used to feeling helpless & has no choice but to return to his former life.I suspect there’s not a lot of ambivalence when it comes to whether or not you’re a fan. You either like his stuff or you don’t. I love it. No one writes like Bruen. Bleak, gritty & darkly funny…all written with the soul of a poet who composes each book as a love letter to Galway. We see everything through Jack’s eyes & become well acquainted with the ghosts that haunt him still. The narrative is lean & light on dialogue. Instead, we listen in on Jack’s thoughts as he ponders everything from how to kill a guy to the simple pleasure of a perfectly poured pint. Galway’s streets come alive through the characters he meets & his wry observations. Liberally sprinkled around the prose are quotes & comments from politicians, authors & musicians that pertain to the central theme of silence. He’s also a prolific reader & I always enjoy his terse book reviews. I’ve got a big soft spot for Jack & this is one of my favourites in the series. If you haven’t read Bruen before, I’d recommend starting at the beginning (‘The Guards”). That way, if you fall under his spell you’ve got a whack of books to look forward to.

Jack is back! After his last outing this was much in doubt. This hard drinking, Xanax popping, ex-garda, attracts violence like no other. Here he actually saves a man from drowning, a man bent on killing himself. He actually did a good deed, but the old adage, no good deed goes unpunished, is so true here, as he finds out much to his dismay. He will take another personal hit, and this one is hard to get over. People who friend Jack, seem to have short lives, and so it will prove again.With his trademark black humor, one liners, quotes from books and or music, and previews of current or near current events, Bruens writing is as unique as Jack's character. He doesn't mince words, nor does he hold back. Much like the structure of Ali Smith's writing, their is a plot running through, with many side trips, and opinions as a detour. Of course, structure is the only similarity, Smith's characters are no where as dark as Bruens. Yet, Jack's, tender but tough personality appeals, the writing never boring though I do wish Jack could at last catch a break.How long can he keep riding the the ashes of his life, like the proverbial Phoenix.ARC from Edelweiss.

Jack Taylor is a former policeman with an attitude and an alcohol problem. That doesn’t mean he’s not a likable guy but I guess that depends on how you are dealing with him. He was hired to investigate a very weird crime, a murder, where adult twins were tossed in the river to drown. That sounds heinous, doesn’t it? Frankly, I think the twins got what they deserved. They decided to pick on a guy in a wheelchair as he was an easy target. While they started harassing him they had their guard down because he couldn’t defend himself. Except that he could actually defend himself and wasn’t wheelchair bound.They man clacks their heads together and duct tapes them to the chair, pushes it into the river to meet their fate. (that was cliched but couldn’t help it!) Their father now recruits Jack to find out who killed them. It’s hard to care who killed them as they weren’t nice people.There is suspense and if you are offended by bad language then avoid this one. Lots of F bombs throughout.This isn’t the first Jack Taylor book so I ought to have started out with Guards, I may still go back and try it as I like a series. This didn’t grab me straight away but I wasn’t tempted to call it a DNF.Much thanks to NetGalley for allowing me access to this book prior to publication this November. Opinions are all mine, nice and not so nice, and I was not compensated for the review.

Irish Noir!Even when things are looking up it seems like Jack Taylor's only way is down. When he rescues a suicide from drowning his life moves in a different direction, including a competitive killer who plays one-up-manship with Jack. A bleak Irish detective novel complete with whiskey and fatalism served in large doses.Staccato presentation leads from one scenario to another, with Jack giving the reader a sotto voice, often self deprecating commentary. Take his reflection on what to wear when meeting his previous wife's new person of interest."Right. How do you dress to meet your ex-wife’s new man? Carefully. I put on the obligatory black jacket, white shirt, tie, loosely (to suggest mellow or couldn’t give a fuck), black jeans, Docs. ... Checked in the mirror, saw a battered undertaker’s assistant, the guy you keep in the background."Wonderful tone, and fatalistic nuances surround Jack's self reflections.I am just as fascinated as I always have been with this anti hero. Whimsy borders on tragedy. Great!A NetGalley ARC

If you like mysteries that are dark, bleak and, at times, humorous, the Jack Taylor novels by Ken Bruen in general, and In the Galway Silence in particular, are just the ticket. Jack Taylor is his own worst enemy, as he attempts to solve a double-murder while managing his often chaotic personal life, with his usual Irish charm and blarney. Where Jack goes, confusion follows. Ken Bruen's prose quite often reads like poetry and the staggered style loosely imitates Jack's human condition as he goes from one problem to another. This is a quick and enjoyable read and transports the reader to Ireland, as sure as being there. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the e-ARC of In the Galway Silence by Ken Bruen in exchange for an honest review.