The first time somebody tried to kill him was an accident. The second time was deliberate. Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history . . . . . . or else they’ll be history. A Man With One of … history.
A Man With One of Those Faces is the first book in Caimh McDonnell’s Dublin Trilogy, which melds fast-paced action with a distinctly Irish acerbic wit.
Praise for A Man With One of Those Faces:
“One of the funniest crime books you could read.” The Express
“A brilliant comedic thriller.” The Irish Post
“It’s just crying out to be made into a movie. The writing is whip-smart and funny.” Books Ireland Magazine
“I was hooked by the end of the first page. Clever writing. Funny plot. Good characters.” The Sun-Gazette
“Humorous crime at its finest. Droll, witty and highly entertaining. The writing is skilled and captivating.” ***** Audiothing
“A masterclass… The prose and narrative is spot on. The characters inhabiting this hilarious, yet gripping story are just wonderful.” ***** Strange Alliances
“A riotous read. Flipping easily between humour and terror so that I spent most of the book sat on the edge of my seat while chuckling.” **** Cleopatra Loves Books
“Original, innovative, intelligent and laugh out loud funny.” Maureen Carter, author of the Bev Morriss books
“If you like stories by Colin Bateman, Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey and Janet Evanovich then you’ll enjoy A Man With One of Those Faces.” **** The View from the Blue House
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Bizarre but a rather fun story of a young man who after doing a nurse a favour ends up on a gangster’s hit list. Based in and around Dublin the book oozes Irish blarney and wit. At times the reader has to suspend belief and the ending is weird but the convoluted story is well worth a read.
Recommend especially to readers who enjoy humour and Irish authors.
I’m always looking for new writers in the crime-fiction genre. I always love a good laugh, too. Caimh (pronounced Kweem) McDonnell provides a terrific story and many big laughs in “A Man with One of Those Faces.” The story is set in Ireland, but it’s no longer the place old-fashioned movies present. It’s a modern country with contemporary characters and present-day problems. The characters in the book are either likable or detestable, but all of them are believable. McDonnell’s writing is a joy to behold, and best of all, there are more books in this series.
I’m a fan. I have made it through this trying time but reading as much of this author as I can order. This book had me laughing out loud while my long suffering spouse tried to sleep. But there is depth as well.
When my friend Duffy recommended that I read A Man with One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell, I knew I was in for a treat. Duffy has exquisite taste in crime fiction. But this time Duffy outdid himself because this novel is nothing short of fantastic.
THE PLOT:
Paul Mulchrone is in a terrible jam. He performs community service every week by visiting terminally ill hospital patients. Unfortunately for Paul, a murderous criminal believes Paul heard incriminating evidence from a dying man’s lips. This same criminal is now determined to kill Paul to keep his secret a secret. Paul doesn’t understand the information he’s received, and he doesn’t know who’s trying to kill him. To save himself, he’ll have to solve a thirty-year-old mystery while dodging harrowing attempts on his life.
THE CHARACTERS:
Paul is a curious young man who remains unemployed by choice and lives on five hundred euros a month. When Paul figures out that really bad people are determined to kill him, his first instinct is to run. But with no money and no car, where will he go and what will he do when he gets there? Fortunately for Paul, he has two allies.
Nurse Brigit feels guilty because she introduced Paul to the dying man who got Paul into trouble in the first place. As an avid reader of crime fiction, Brigit desperately wants to help Paul solve the mystery. Her nursing skills come in handy more than once during the story, but it’s her quick mind and sharp tongue that endear her to the reader.
Bunny McGarry is perhaps the best tough-cop character I’ve ever encountered. He’s loud, crass, usually drunk, and always carries a hurley. (For non-Irish readers, a hurley is a wooden stick used in the game of hurling. Search for hurling up on Youtube. It’s awesome.) Bunny only cares about one thing: the citizens of his little corner of Dublin. Though they are at odds now, Bunny still counts Paul as one of those citizens, and Bunny will use his hurley however and whenever he needs to keep Paul safe.
Bunny trusts very few people, certainly not the police. Paul doesn’t trust anyone, although Brigit is growing on him. Despite nearly constant conflict between them, these three characters must work together to have any chance of surviving the next chapter let alone the end of the novel.
THE WRITING STYLE:
McDonnell never goes cheap on characters, even when they have only bit parts to play in the overall story. Each character gets their own backstory and emotions and most importantly, their own ax to grind. Oh, and the chief villain? He’s a worthy adversary you’re going to love to hate.
The author’s riveting prose kept me turning the pages. The dialogue and narrative are some of the funniest I’ve ever encountered in a crime story. I giggled. I chuckled. I laughed out loud.
The setting is blue-collar Dublin for the most part. I don’t know Dublin, but reading this novel makes me want to visit just so I can hear the locals talk. The dialogue is nothing short of genius. Witty. Crisp. To the point and always fresh.
Some popular crime novels are all about the plot. First, something happens. Then something else happens. Then this other thing. I keep turning the pages to find out what happens next, but occasionally, I wonder why I’m bothering. Not so with Caimh McDonnell. Reading this novel felt like having favorite guests over to my house for a long and entertaining visit. I never wanted it to end.
So, it was great to discover that McDonnell has written ten other novels I have yet to read, including four more in this series.
This is the best crime novel by a living author I’ve read in a long time. If you enjoy well-written crime stories with fascinating characters, I highly recommend that you read A Man with One of Those Faces.
I laughed at parts, smiled at some, shook my head a lot, and thought this really is a dark Irish comedy mystery. I enjoyed the read but will not be reading any more of this trilogy. This was a free offer by Amazon Prime for the month. Just not really my kind of read. So many books so little time.
This was the 1st book I read by Caimh McDonnell and I was thoroughly delighted. I’ve now proceeded to read everything I could get my hands of written by this man. Great characters, good plots, good command of the language, excellent humor. Basically it’s got everything you want in a book that you want to enjoy reading.
Delightful beginning of a “trilogy” that is mesmerizing
Here’s a book for fans of the Coen Brothers’ style of dark and twisted humor. And the author should give a prize to anyone who can correctly pronounce his first name! Please see my full review on Amazon and Goodreads.
First book in an incredible series. Funniest mystery solvers I know!
A book that I picked up on a whim and promptly fell in love with. Funny and compelling.
A great read from a fresh, funny voice. Highly recommended.
Love this series. It was great diversion – funny – laugh out loud funny; completely outrageous and still fun. One of those that I was happy to suspend belief. I ended up getting every book as it came out.
Complete fun.
The author is one I want to read again!
Cute book.
This book was very funny.
Oddball characters, with a somewhat difficult to follow plot. But not so difficult that I didn’t finish the book.
Interesting, good characters.
The characters are all “characters”. I found the book to be a wonderful, funny diversion. It would have helped to have more knowledge of Irish colloquialisms.
I had never heard of the sport of Hurling so I not only found this book entertaining but I learned something too.
Excellent read with great characters.