Ken Bruen
The Killing of the Tinkers (2004)
Author: Ken Bruen
Genre: Mystery (Private Detective)
Plot Summary:
After six months of exile and attempted sobriety in London, Jack Taylor returns to Galway with two things on his mind: booze and coke. Following a two day binge, Jack is in a despicable state at the local pub when he is asked to investigate the murders of four tinkers by a tinker clan leader, Sweeper. Jack, however, is more driven by drugs and alcohol and spends most of his time boozing with Keegan, a boisterous, eccentric man and Laura, his besotted temporary girlfriend. A serious investigation never gets underway but things start rolling after Jack is beat up in an alley. Keegan and Jack suspect a social worker named Bryson of the murders but never successfully uncover any evidence; instead they play cat and mouse with Bryson until he leaves town. SPOILER: Jack tells Sweeper that Bryson is the murderer and Sweeper kills Bryson. Several days later Jack realizes that Bryson isn’t the murderer; the real murderer is Mikey, a tinker. The book is left open-ended with Jack giving money to a racketeer to have someone killed. Jack does not reveal the name but it is assumed that he is paying for Mikey’s murder.
Geographical Setting: Galway, Ireland
Time Period: Present Day (2002)
Series: Jack Taylor Series (number 2)
Appeal Characteristics:
Fast-paced, this novel is character-centered and driven by Jack’s alcoholic binges rather than a murder investigation. Readers are beguiled by a cast of eccentric characters with sordid pasts and self-destructive tendencies but who remain decent and genuine. Jack is witty and humorous and devotes a lot of time to quoting literary works and referencing popular culture but the reader remains alert because he is at times an unreliable narrator. The novel is a roller coaster ride, packed with witty dialog and humorous situations, and the reader is kept on edge wondering what quirky situation Jack will find himself in next.
Read-alikes: Readers who like Jack’s lackadaisical approach to detective work should try the next novel in the series, The Magdalen Martyrs. While making a concerted effort to sober up, Jack is hired by his nemesis, Bill Cassell, to investigate the disappearance of Rita Monroe, an old friend of Jack’s mother. The Inspector John Rebus mysteries by Ian Rankin are also a good choice for readers who like hard-edged detectives battling with inner demons. Rankin’s setting in Edinburg, Scotland is also reminiscent of Bruen’s Galway. Another idiosyncratic character is Victor Mancini of Chuck Palahniuk’s Choke. Driven by sexual addiction, Mancini’s cruising of sexual addiction meetings will remind readers of Jack Taylor’s light-hearted planning of which pub he will visit next. Readers who enjoy jaded detectives but want a more serious tone will like George Pelecanos’ Nick Stefanos mysteries set in Washington DC. For readers interested in Irish detective novels, Bartholomew Gill’s Death of an Irish Tinker is a good choice.
Red Flags: Frequent use of strong language, drug use and alcoholism, graphic descriptions of violence.
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