Book of the Week: Ken Bruen's "Cross"

Ken Bruen, the poet laureate of Irish crime fiction, returns with his sixth novel featuring PI Jack Taylor. Jack's off the sauce, but all the drinking has taken a toll, leaving his body and soul in sad repair and his life in a shambles. He can still rouse himself to investigate a brutal murder, but even then his heart is hardly in it. Cross is not a traditional detective novel -- the case really doesn't matter very much -- but the aching poetry of Bruen's language, and his gift for character and setting, elevate this to very high ground.

Comments

[I.J.Parker]

Oh, good. That sounds very promising. I think Bruen's Jack Taylor novels superb, while I mostly dislike the pulp fiction.

[Tom Schreck]

Ken wrote one of my all time favorite scenes. I think it was in the Magdellan Murders.

The villain winds up sick and dying and is in a hospice.

Jack Taylor goes to visit, walks in and punches him in the face.

I loved it!

Tom

ps- The fact that Ken gave my debut a glowing blurb is one of my greatest sources of pride.

[Finnigan]

Ken wrote one of my all time favorite scenes. I think it was in the McDead.

The hero winds up sick and hungry and is in a McDonald's.

Jim Winter goes to visit, walks in and steals the guy's fries.

I loved it!

Fin

ps- The fact that Ken taught me never to make Hitler jokes is one of my greatest sources of pride.

[mark]

I love reading Bruen's work - I feel so much better about MY life after reading a Bruen novel....