“They don’t come much tougher than Ken Bruen’s Irish roughneck, Jack Taylor, a man with bad habits who does good despite himself.”―Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review Ex-cop-turned-PI Jack Taylor has finally escaped the despair of his violent life in Galway in favor of a quiet retirement in the country with his friend, a former Rolling Stones roadie, and a falcon named Maeve. But … roadie, and a falcon named Maeve. But on a day trip back into the city to sort out his affairs, Jack is hit by a truck in front of Galway’s Famine Memorial, left in a coma but mysteriously without a scratch on him.
When he awakens weeks later, he finds Ireland in a frenzy over the so-called “Miracle of Galway.” People have become convinced that the two children spotted tending to him are saintly, and the site of the accident sacred. The Catholic Church isn’t so sure, and Jack is commissioned to help find the children to verify the miracle–or expose the stunt.
But Jack isn’t the only one looking for these children, and he’s about to plunge into a case involving an order of nuns, an arsonist, and a girl who may be more manipulative than miraculous. From the multiple Shamus Award winner known as “the Godfather of the modern Irish crime novel” (Irish Independent), this is a hard-edged, ceaselessly suspenseful mystery in the popular long-running series.
“A Celtic Dashiell Hammett.”–Philadephia Inquirer
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One of my favorite characters is Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor. He first appeared in 2001’s “The Guards” as (maybe) Galway’s first private eye, an ex-guard who drinks too much and has no trouble speaking his mind or resorting to violence to settle things. He is haunted by the ghosts of his past, ghosts he feels responsibility for in one way or the other. On the surface Jack can seem mean and sarcastic but he has an unrelenting conscience pushing him to do the right thing. This is often his Achilles’ heel as characters will exploit his trust to his detriment.
“A Galway Epiphany” is the sixteenth appearance of Jack Taylor. It opens with him being in a relatively good place, for once. The trauma of the recent death of his young daughter is ever present, but he is coping with it the best he can with his recent buddy Keefer and life in the countryside. In Galway a reported religious miracle is suddenly all the rage and Jack is literally shoved into the hoopla. The Church sucks Jack into investigating the children who are involved and there are other players looking to use Jack for their own ends.
Jack occasionally drops the names of his favorite writers and books and will quote lyrics from songs or poems. He often frames the time period with the current social topics like Brexit and his loathing and abhorrence of Trump. He has humor and personality– this is not just your wooden vigilante or Dirty Harry. Then, as you are pulled into his world, you are stung by the violence and death which are always just one shot glass away.
“A Galway Epiphany” is a great continuation of the Jack Taylor journey, but one has to wonder where things go from here. Jack is like the friend or relative who you always worry about, the one who seems to be his own worst enemy. There are a few jaw dropping developments near the end that have you wondering where Ken Bruen will steer us. I will be there waiting to see.
3.5 stars rounded up for another story in the Jack Taylor series. Jack Taylor is a man with demons, and he uses drugs and booze to quiet them. He is now living a quiet life on the farm of his friend, Keefer. Keefer has a hunting falcon, and Jack enjoys time with the falcon. but then goes on a day trip into Galway and is hit by a Mack Truck. He is in a coma for several weeks and miraculously awakens with not a scratch–stretching reality just a bit. This seems to happen a lot in this series, where Jack is attacked and beaten, but recovers completely. Locals call this a miracle–A Galway Epiphany. Jack is a man of violence and he thought that he was over that when he went to live on Keefer’s farm. But he is drawn back into violence, when he comes into contact with a lethal arsonist and an evil woman pretending to be a teenager.
Bruen’s stream of consciousness style of writing coupled with poor formatting on my ARC(Advanced Release Copy) kindle edition made this book hard to read–sentences would drop to the next line mid sentence and new paragraphs didn’t drop to the next line.
This series has Jack drinking, using drugs and profanity. It is not suitable for cozy mystery fans.
However, if you are a fan of this series, you will like it. Jack is a reader and frequently quotes from various authors/poets. He also has some sharp comments on Irish/world politics and the Catholic church.
Some quotes:
“The miracle of Jack Taylor. It is perfect, a former lost soul, an alcoholic, a drug addict, prone to extreme violence, the cause of grief to so many, and God chose you, the most wretched of his creatures to bestow his grace upon.”
Jack on the world: “I think the world is so f**cked. Trump has America literally shut down, Brexit is a mess beyond belief, Venezuela is becoming the new Syria in the worst way, so people are desperate for something miraculous.”
Jack again: “Sherry is what you drink in Lent, for bl**dy penance.”
#AGalwayEpiphany #NetGalley
Thanks to Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.