MYSTERY

The Ghosts of Galway

by Ken Bruen
Mysterious. Nov. 2017. 336p. ISBN 9780802127334. $25; ebk. ISBN 9780802188847. M
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Following a failed suicide attempt, Bruen's profane Jack Taylor (The Emerald Lie) is down on his luck—as usual—and working as a security guard. His boss offers him a temptingly large sum of money to find a heretical book rumored to be in the possession of a priest hiding in Galway, Ireland, after fleeing the Vatican in Rome. The elusive and captivating Em, who has preoccupied Jack's heart and soul since being introduced in Green Hell, is also entangled in the hunt for The Red Book as the darkness that surrounds Jack threatens to overwhelm him.
VERDICT Employing elegantly poetic brevity and exploring religion's dark side, a favored motif, this is another strong addition to Bruen's noirish canon. Jack Taylor is an iconic character, a charming reprobate whose plaintive booze-drenched rants are the perfect vehicle for Bruen's black humor and insights related to pop culture, music, and literature. [See Prepub Alert, 5/7/17.]
Reviewed by Ann Chambers Theis , Oct 01, 2017
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