The Emerald Lie by Ken Bruen

Picking up the Jack Taylor saga after Green Hell.

Galway is always a dark, gray place. Pubs filled with the downtrodden making love to a Jameson's with a pint chaser. The government is taxing water trying to make a dying economy thrive. Jack Taylor is the patron saint. The embodiment of all things Galway. Fired from The Guard, but won't give them back his Garda overcoat. A man trying to run from himself, from his past, from his sludge in the gutter future. Can't keep his mouth shut so he suffers a beating too frequently. But willing to make an attempt at helping someone in need, especially if not asked - see the previous sentence.

His schizo quasi-girlfriend, Em (GreenHell@gmail.com), thinks it's fun to jerk Jack's neighbor Doc around, just because she can, especially when Jack thinks there might be something deeper for them. Then there is The Grammarian. Someone with a hardon for folks who misuse the Queen's English. The first offender ends up being pushed into traffic . . . and a card with the letter 'a' on the deceased's chest. The next local to destroy the language has a card with the letter 'e' and the third has the letter 'i'. A serial killer. And Galway is waiting for to see who dies with the card containing the letter 'o'.

While the Garda is plugging around for the Grammarian, Jack continues to spiral down via a shot of Jameson's and a pint, step by step and in the meantime takes a periodic beating. He gets hired to investigate the death of a girl at the hands of a video producer. After accusing the producer in no uncertain terms, a couple thugs pay a visit to Jack's apartment to administer yet another beating and its accompanying hospital stay.  Em takes offense to Jack's treatment. No one can figure out why and how the video company offices burn and a single male dies in the fire. Don't mess with Em's close friends.

The accused Grammarian's aunt asks Jack to prove her nephew is innocent. Pays a goodly upfront sum. Not bright. Money burns a hole in Jack's pocket and the more he has the deeper the hole. Returning from England, he rides the ferry and spots the telltale signs of a pedophile headed for an island off Galway. He and Em work out a ruse to help the boy and put the guy out of business. Em likes to dress up.

For those new to Bruen, his writing is sparse, economical, and would probably be an affront to The Grammarian. More of a character study than it is a crime story. What Bruen expertly does is take us down to the depths experienced by Taylor and back again, only to head back down. Bruen's feel for addiction, self-destruction, and meager attempts at redemption is remarkable. His portrayal of a man destined for Taylor's special place in hell because Jack can bring a humble nun to tears is the result of a talent that is unique amongst crime writers.

To borrow an old line, 'Bruen may not be in a class by himself, but it sure doesn't take long to call the roll.' Not to mention, Bruen is a quote machine. Too bad I can't provide some examples from this preprint.

Available

East Coast Don

p.s. There are 6 Jack Taylor episodes on Netflix (each about 1.5hr long). According to IMBD.com, another 2 more are in post production. I've watched most. Iain Glen (plays Jorah Mormont on Game of Thrones) is perfect as Taylor.