by Ken Bruen
First published 2004
Jack Taylor sits in a Galway bar, drowning his shame after getting thrown out of the Garda Síochána. His police career is over, his future looks empty, and he spends his days staring through beer glasses at a world that no longer wants him. Ireland has never had private investigators. The country's history of betrayal makes people distrust anyone who resembles an informer. But Jack dreams of becoming the first when he's sober enough to dream at all. His past cuts deep and his prospects seem nonexistent until a beautiful woman enters his bar. She brings a strange request and claims Jack has a talent for finding things. Jack can barely stay upright on his barstool, but somehow this radiant stranger decides to hire him. He accepts the job with little understanding of what he's walking into. The case will drag him through Galway's harsh streets and force him to confront the sharp edges of his own life.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fallen-hero, second-chance
Setting: Galway
Period: contemporary
304 pages · Paperback · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse