The Mysterious Press
The Mysterious Press
The Mysterious Press
“Bruen is an Irish treasure, holding his own in a line of literary giants including Joyce, Yeats, Wilde, and Beckett. . . . Purgatory may be the best of the Jack Taylor series.” —Shelf Awareness
Jack Taylor has finally found a modicum of peace. He has managed to kick, however tenuously, the substances that had a stranglehold over his life. Yet this fragile existence is threatened when a vigilante killer begins targeting citizens, signing mysterious notes with the moniker “C33,” and addressing them to Jack. As Jack tries to unravel the mystery of this demented murderer, he is brought into the fold of an enigmatic tech billionaire who has been buying up massive amounts of property in Galway, seemingly in the hopes of offering this downtrodden city a better future. But if Jack has learned one thing, it’s that people who outwardly claim to be on the side of righteousness are likely harboring more nefarious motives. With the help of a former drug dealer turned Zen master and a dogged police sergeant, Jack is determined to track down C33, even if it jeopardizes his friends, his sobriety, and the last remaining shreds of his sanity.
“Excellent. . . . Bruen maintains his trademark hip references and highly poetic style, but fans expecting the usual are in for some shock therapy, as he busts out one series-changing surprise after another.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bruen’s storytelling style, a stream-of-consciousness mix of prose and verse, strips away Galway’s tourist-board facade and offers a darkly comic social commentary. . . . Noir fans will find what they love here.” —Booklist (starred review)
“There’s an explosion of talent coming out of Ireland in the detective genre right now, and Bruen is a major player in that scene . . . Full of mayhem, Galway lore, and deft literary allusions, as befits an author with a PhD in metaphysics. Bruen’s staccato, telegraphic style sometimes looks like poetry on the page, but don’t be fooled; his rhetorical moves are closer to the sweet science of the boxing ring than they are to the song forms of verse.” —Santa Barbara Independent
“The things Jack witnesses these days . . . would cause a saint to go blind. And Jack, whose heroism is fueled by ‘plain old-fashioned rage, bile and bitterness,’ is no saint. Never was, never will be. Amen.” —New York Times Book Review
“One of the most sublime pleasures in crime fiction is reading a new book by Ken Bruen. For almost twenty years now, he’s been delighting mystery and noir audiences with his stunning, poetic books of the shadowy side of life. . . . Purgatory is one of the darkest books yet. . . . This is real writing, the likes of which we are blessed to behold.” —David J. Montgomery, Strand Magazine
“To read a Jack Taylor novel is to relive James Joyce’s stream of consciousness in modern inebriated lingo. . . . Mr. Bruen is never an easy read, but always an enjoyable one. Recommended.” —Midwest Book Review
“Bruen is a gifted writer whose Jack Taylor mysteries have set the standard for Celtic Noir for years. Purgatory may well be the dark, hopeless best of the lot.” —I Love a Mystery
“[A] fine book. . . . Bruen is still the King of Crime Fiction in my universe.” —Growing Machine
“We are treated once again to Bruen’s fast-paced narrative with lively characters and his sharp, cynical dialogue. . . . This enjoyable read also serves as a template for crime writers and editors who have forgotten that writing short is best.” —Stan Trybulski, Mean Streets
“Gleefully profane and joyfully blasphemous, the prose in Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor books is so unapologetically lyrical and right that it fooking hurts. . . . No matter how black Bruen paints it, there is also an unabashed celebration of life here. To read these books is to fly.” —Kevin Burton Smith, Mystery Scene
“Another fine installment in the series that defines Irish noir.” —BookPage
“Strangely poetic. Bruen uses the automatic weapon’s staccato burst writing style, lacing it with current event allusions.” —Huntington News
“Entertaining.” —Avid Mystery Reader
“Bruen is as quietly unflinching and honest an author as you are likely to encounter. . . . Everybody should read Purgatory and every other word he has ever written.” —Bookreporter.com
“Bruen has some important things to say about contemporary Ireland, if not the world in general. . . . [Purgatory] is also very funny, with more than its share of serious observations and, as one would expect, dark moments.” —Woody Haut
“Ken Bruen is an exceptional writer. . . . [He] writes some of the darkest, leanest prose you’ll ever encounter. If you’re not reading him yet, you need to start now.” —Hilary Davidson, Dark Voyage
“Ken Bruen might be the best-kept literary secret in Ireland.” –The Independent (Ireland>)
“[Bruen’s] fast-paced and hard-boiled action novels will appeal to those looking for gripping crime fiction.” —News-Press
“Nine previous titles, a Shamus Award, two feature films, and now this: even as he struggles to maintain his hard-won stability, former cop Jack Taylor must face a vigilante killer wiping out the bad guys of Galway and leaving missives to Jack signed C.33. Bruen’s doctorate in metaphysics adds depth.” —Library Journal
“[Purgatory] well-captures the flavor of the time.” —Criminal Element
“The Taylor books are the pinnacle of Bruen’s offhand but bleakly poetic style. . . . Bruen and Taylor are very much of this moment, in terms of popular culture, crime fiction, Irish history, and global politics.” —International Noir Fiction
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