Description The stunning fourth Jack Taylor novel.
“Outstanding... Ireland’s version of Scotland’s Ian Rankin.” Publishers Weekly
The impossible has happened. Jack Taylor is clean, sober; even the cigs are but a trace of smoke. He’s dating a mature woman, and if not yet a citizen, he’s dancing close to the illusion. Rumour suggests he’s even attending Mass.
The accidental deaths of two students appear random, tragic events. Except that a copy of a book by John Millington Synge is found beneath each. Jack begins to believe that “The Dramatist”, a calculating, ruthless killer, is out there, enticing Jack to play.
An old case, the swan killer, re-surfaces, distracting Jack’s attention. An urban myth, the pikemen, may be the cover for a lethal band of vigilantes. The past, far from buried, is about to strike with ferocity to claim the one decency Jack has clung to.
His mother’s fate is thrust into his unwilling hands. Ridge, the policewoman, has her own dramatic secret as she moves closer to Jack, her loathing vying with a grudging respect. The city of Galway, Jack’s refuge, source of renewal and torment, now demands a sacrifice of the only love he’s maintained. As Iraq burns, Jack’s very soul seems but a step from the abyss.
“Irish writer Ken Bruen is the finest purveyor of intelligent Brit-noir.” The Big Issue
Author Ken Bruen was a finalist for the Edgar, Barry, and Macavity Awards, and the Private Eye Writers of America presented him with the Shamus Award for the Best Novel of 2003 for The Guards, the book that introduced Jack Taylor. Ken received the best series award in February 2007 for the Jack Taylor novels from The Crime Writers Association of America. The Dramatist was nominated in March 2007 for a Gumshoe Award for the BEST EUROPEAN CRIME NOVEL of 2006.
Ken Bruen was born in Galway in 1951, where he now lives. After turning down a place at RADA and completing a MA in English he spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, S.E. Asia and South America.
The Guards, Ken's first Jack Taylor novel was published to glowing reviews in 2001 and has become a international bestseller. It was followed by The Killing of the Tinkers, The Magdalen Martyrs and The Dramatist.
