RARA-AVIS: Re: Ken Bruen

From: Donna ( donna.moore@virgin.net)
Date: 16 Mar 2004


Hi All,

Well, as a huge Ken Bruen fan, this thread has brought me out of lurkdom
:o) Bill wrote:

> I've had Ken Bruen's "White Trilogy," reprinted in a thick trade paperback
> edition by Kate's Mystery Books, on my shelf for about a year now. Last
> night, I took it down and read "A White Arrest," the first of the trilogy,
> and I'm sorry I waited so long. It's nasty, brutal, and short. It has more
> riffs on popular culture than I could count, along with plenty of dark
> humor.

And Keith wrote:

> Good morning, Bill. Took Bruen's two "guards" books on vacation and
> found them absolutely captivating. Ordered the White Trilogy yesterday.
> Interested to see if his heavy noir hand is in the England-based books.

Both series are wonderful. They both have the trademark:

Lists :o) Quotations Humour

It's clear from his work that he loves crime fiction and noir films - and his books combine my two favourite things in fiction - very dark and very funny. I can go from tears to laughter on the turn of a page.

The two series consist of:

JACK TAYLOR (PI series set in Galway, Ireland)

The Guards - 2001 The Killing of The Tinkers - 2002 The Magdalen Martyrs - 2003 The Dramatist - May (?) 2004 Priest - 2005

First paragraph of The Guards:

"It's almost impossible to be thrown out of the Garda Siochana. You have to really put your mind to it. Unless you become a public disgrace, they'll tolerate most anything."

BRANT/ROBERTS/FALLS (police series set in London)

A White Arrest - 1998 Taming The Alien - 1999 The McDead - 2000
  (all as The White Trilogy - 2003) Blitz - 2002 Vixen - 2003 Calibre - May 2004

First paragraph of A White Arrest:

"R&B they were called. If Chief Inspector Roberts was like the Rhythm, then Brant was the darkest Blues. Pig ignorant more like, was also said."

He also has some standalones:

Funeral - 1992 Shades of Grace Martyrs
  (none of which are crime fiction I believe) Rilke on Black - 1996 The Hackman Blues - 1997 Her Last Call To Louis MacNeice - 1998 London Boulevard - 2001 Dispatching Baudelaire - 2004

And he's working on another standalone for publication in 2005.

I really don't know why he's not better known than he is - but I also think that 2004 will be his year. He's up for the Edgar for best novel, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. He's a wonderful writer.

Donna

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