The Dramatist by Ken Bruen (St. Martin’s Press 2007) is the fourth mystery featuring ex-Garda Síochána Jack Taylor. The stories are told through first person narrative and are set in Galway, Ireland.
Jack Taylor is your typical alcoholic PI with all the usual hang-ups that go with that label. Low self-esteem (check), very arrogant (check), had a crappy childhood (check plus) and lastly, he’s a loner. In any event, he was kicked off the police force because of his drinking and now makes his living as a private investigator.
Jack doesn’t advertise his PI services. Mostly, people come to him first knowing that he was once a Guard and that he might still have connections. Typically he’s broke, has a small circle of friends and stays in a hotel but lives at the local bar. But since his drug dealer was put in jail, Jack’s had to sober up.
In this entry, Jack’s asked to investigate the death of a student who was found at the bottom of some stairs with her neck broken. Beside the body, there’s a book of collected poems and plays and within it, a signature in black ink that reads, “the Dramatist” on the title page.
The story then branches off into another side arc where Jack is asked to do a favor for a friend that brings him face to face with one of Ireland’s most feared, urban myths — the Pikemen. They are supposedly a secret group of vigilantes still operating and still going strong despite some who don’t believe they actually exist.
On the personal front, Jack’s mother has suffered a stroke. The two were estranged before she fell ill. She’s placed in a nursing home that is described as being appallingly bad. Jack’s guilt ridden because he finds himself unable to afford anything better for her. Added to that, he gets personally involved in the life of an old girlfriend that leads to disastrous results.
I will forgo the rest of the plot and tell you how I liked this story. I liked it. Almost all of Bruen’s books in this series are fast reads for me. What I like about this series is the cases that Jack is asked to solve because they are never all that easy. I also like the tidbits of history of Ireland’s culture and customs.
The world-weary hero is the main draw for me. You see, I like dark, angst ridden characters and Jack fits the bill nicely. He’s had all kinds of bad stuff done to him. He has his moments of wry humor and can be defensive and sarcastic on occasion. Shows a bit of arrogance and temper along with some humor. He’s had his share of romantic relationships but they usually go nowhere.
So far this is an enjoyable series. I like the moral issues that Jack sometimes has to confront and the ending in here was a shocker. Typical Bruen, leaving the reader wanting more after the last scene he wrote in here. Of course, I can’t tell you what was so shocking about it but will say that it was enough to knock Jack back off the wagon again. Especially after he was doing so well at changing his life for the better, too. B.
As for the writing, here’s a brief sample of Jack’s humor:
For a brief moment I’d been thinking I’d ask her out; now I thought she needed locking up.
Here’s Jack on the world’s events,
Robin Cook had resigned from Blair’s government. Saddam Hussein had been given seventy-two hours to leave Iran. The second UN resolution was no longer relevant. War was coming, lethal and soon.
For readers interested in the Jack Taylor series, the first book is The Guards. I can’t really compare Ken Bruen to anyone else because he has a style that is unique to him. His stories are interesting and the tone of the stories can sometimes be bleak and somber. It’s Irish noir at it’s finest.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
@Bev Stephans: I have to stand corrected here as I just heard back from the author, Clinton McKinzie. He said that the publisher d/c the series. What sad news as he was very talented and I loved the stories.
@Avid Reader: Thanks for the rec! My TBR pile is getting bigger and bigger.
@Bev Stephans: Hey, I don’t know what made me think of this but have you ever read Clinton McKinzie’s stuff? I like him a lot and enjoyed the first three of his books, featuring peace officer, Antonio Burns who is also a passionate mountain climber as well. The first book is The Edge of Justice, warning: slow getting started but picks up about midway. He improved with his next book. I still have Bad Water to read. Antonio also has a brother, who is in prison for manslaughter, who also likes to climb.
Looks like most of these writers take time off to write stand-alones. Just visited Steve Hamilton’s site. Clinton McKinze also is writing a non-fiction book right now but, I’ve written to him and he assures me (g) that he is still writing this series. Edited to add: Point of Law is the prequel, written after The Edge of Justice. Haven’t read that one yet.
@Avid Reader: Hamilton’s last Alex McKnight was a couple of years ago. He swears he’s going back to the series, but doesn’t say when.
Hey Bev! I’ve read Steve Hamilton, the first book, A Cold Day in Paradise and Blood Is The Sky. Is he still writing in that series? Didn’t read the others er in between.
If you want to try Bruen, the first book is where I think you should start which is The Guards. I like Bruen because he can convey a lot in a few words. He’s a highly respected crime fiction writer and again, he has a unique prose style that takes some adapting. My favorite in the series is The Magdalen Martyrs. His books can stand alone if you don’t care about the characterization and threads that are connected from book to book. Each case is complete by story’s end.
Ken Bruen sounds interesting, but I’m not sure about all of that angst. I may try one of his books to see how I like him. Which one should I try?
Another favorite author of mine is Steve Hamilton. His detective is Alex McKnight and his territory is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a small town called Paradise. If you’re going to try him, try, “A Cold Day in Paradise” (his 1st) or “Winter of the Wolf Moon” (his 2nd). He rents out cabins to hunters in the winter time, spends a lot of time in the local bar and solves a mystery or two. He, like Jack Taylor, has a lot of angst. This is why I gave you the rec.