I like that Ken Bruen likes to experiment with both his writing style and how he writes the Jack Taylor books but I will say they are always my least favorite books in the series. This one was about a 2.5. Honestly, if these books were not so easy to read quickly I would be dangerously near to saying we had a good run and it might be time for me to move on. ( )

Boru Kennedy, an American student is in Galway doing research for a treatise on Samuel Becket, is set upon by a couple of thugs and while in the process of receiving a serious beating is rescued by Jack Taylor. Striking up an unlikely friendship and spending a bit of time together, Kennedy thinks he may have found someone more interesting to write about. So he learns of Jack’s intention to put a permanent end to a professor’s extra curricular activities of raping young women.. Also into Jack’s life comes a clever, young, mixed-up girl who has a thing for the vengeful act herself and she wants Jack to come out and play in her latest performance. Jack also acquires a puppy. Oh dear!

A slightly different format than the previous entries in the series, this one is split into two parts. The first is from the young American’s point-of-view along with some notes he’s written for the intended biography. The second returns to the more usual Jack Taylor affair. It only remains to see who gets out of this one alive or with all their body parts intact. ( )

I wondered what Ken Bruen could do after he had pulled a biblical Job on Jack, killing his friends, his loved ones, destroying him over and over for so many books. You have to write something else after a while, right? Bruen lets up a little in this one: of course he kills off another close one, but he introduces a common device these days--the smart, young woman computer whiz. She advances the plot. She makes advances to everyone. She rates a cover.
Bruen moves on to a new tactic in his writing, too. He still is sparse (poetic noir some critics call it), creates reading lists, and tries to do a George Herbert page layout at times, but now has another voice, that of a grad student American, who sounds much like the original Taylor storytelling voice, but this kid is trying to be the next Jack Taylor so his voice should, too, I suppose.

The book almost works. Close enough. ( )

First off I won this book on the early readers program.
I didn't want to like this book. This is a book on cd. I started listening to the first cd and found it incredibly hard to follow, whether it was the writing or the reader or a combination of the two I don't know. It took me four or five times starting the first cd to finally pick out the lilt of the readers accent and get into the story. This story takes place in Ireland and the reader had a nice Irish accent.
But, once I started to understand his accent I rally got into this story.
It is brutal, noirish, violent and sad but at times it was hilariously funny even making me laugh out loud a couple of times.
This is one of a series of novels about Jack Taylor a disgraced former cop, an alcoholic, drug using, soldier of fortune type. The language was a little rough but fit the character perfectly.
He is on the track of a professor who rapes and tortures young students.
I found the end a little anti climactic but interesting. And I found myself interested in reading more about Jack Taylor. ( )

I suspect this book would be better read than absorbed on audio discs. I had a difficult time paying attention to John Lee's voice or perhaps it was his style of delivery. It is noir all right. The grizzled crime solver has no trouble drinking with anyone at any time. The crime is heinous. It's a good story and a quick one. My thanks to the author and LibraryThing for a complimentary copy. ( )