Bust by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr

We at MRB have read most of Ken Bruen’s books, and we’ve raved about them. Bust, which is actually the first novel in a trilogy, is the first Bruen book I’ve read in which he used a co-author, Jason Starr. While Bruen’s other books, mostly about his protagonist Jack Taylor, were dark crime novels, they still had a positive human quality, good wining out over evil. Taylor is an erudite character whose struggles with life seemed to be something I could often identify with. Bruen’s character development has always been the best. However, I’m less than enamored with his effort in this book. I’m disappointed, and Bust does not get my recommendation and I have no interest in reading the rest of the trilogy. Unlike his other books, Bruen’s conclusion is that crime does pay. It’s a most unsatisfactory story with an unhappy conclusion.

This is a story of a sorry group of psychopaths/sociopaths. Max Fisher was a successful businessman who had fallen out of love with his wife, Deidre, and into hate for her. She never stopped complaining and finding fault in him. For Max, who didn’t even tip waiters, the idea of a divorce was far too expensive an option. He managed his feelings with booze and hookers until his new hot Irish 20-year-old secretary, Angela Petrakos, with whom he was also sleeping, suggested that he kill Deidre and marry her instead. Max thought that was a great idea. They hired her lover (something Max didn’t know about), the sickest guy in this lot, “Popeye,” to do the deed. But Popeye not only killed Deidre, but also Deidre’s niece, a college student who just happened to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. While the cops were suspicious of Max, he could not tolerate being away from Angela, so he disguised himself and snuck into a hotel with her where they satisfied his lust. But, as luck would have it, Bobby Rosa caught a picture of the two of them together and used it to blackmail max. Bad idea. More deaths occur, and in the end, the cops can’t pin the murders on Max or Angela, and they are the only ones to survive this mess.