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The Guards

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The Guards

By: Ken Bruen
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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Summary

 Still stinging from his unceremonious ouster from the Garda Siochana, and staring at the world through the smoky bottom of his beer mug, Jack Taylor is stuck in Galway with nothing to look forward to. He is teetering on the brink of his life's sharpest edges, his memories of the past cutting deep into his soul and his prospects for the future non-existent.

Until a dazzling woman walks into the bar with a strange request and a rumour about Jack's talent for finding things. Odds are he won't be able to climb off his barstool long enough to get involved, but when he surprises himself by getting hired, Jack has little idea of what he's getting into.

©2001 Ken Bruen (P)2009 Isis Publishing Ltd Crime Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime
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This is not a crime thriller but the record of a good man in decline through drink. Jack Taylor brings destruction not only on himself but also on those sround him. He doesn't pretend to be a great detective - and he's not. The suspected murder he is investigating is resolved not by him, but by others and the ending is suitably ironic.

This is a novel crying out to be heard rather than read and the narration is excellent.The style is a cross between James Joyce and Raymond Chandler. Jack is well-read, and if you are too, you will enjoy the literary allusions.

Lots of character and style but a thin plot

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