annieb123's Review of A Galway Epiphany (Jack Taylor, #6)

by Ken Bruen

Jack Taylor has finally escaped the despair of his violent life in Galway in favor of a quiet retirement in the country with his friend Keefer, a former Rolling Stones roadie, and a falcon named Maeve. But on a day trip back into the city to sort out his affairs, Jack is hit by a truck in front of Galway's Famine Memorial, left in a coma but mysteriously without a scratch on him.

When he awakens weeks later, he finds Ireland in a frenzy over the so-called "Miracle of Galway." People have become convinced that the two children spotted tending to him are saintly, and the site of the accident sacred. The Catholic Church isn't so sure, and Jack is commissioned to help find the children to verify the miracle or expose the stunt.

But Jack isn't the only one looking for these children. A fraudulent order of nuns needs them to legitimatize its sanctity and becomes involved with a dangerous arsonist. Soon, the building in which the children are living burns down, with one of the children and the nuns inside, and the doors bolted. Jack recognizes the arsonist's stamp and begins to suspect that the surviving girl is more sinister than miraculous. He sends her to live on the farm but is troubled over the manipulative control she soon seems to exert over Keefer. Jack's plan to intervene is derailed by traumatic memories of his deceased daughter, which send him into one of his characteristic Jameson benders. He comes to days later to find a nightmarishly gruesome scene on the farm. His quest to find the girl is now personal, and the stakes could not be higher.

Sharp and sardonic as ever, "the Godfather of the modern Irish crime novel" (Irish Independent) is at his brutal and ceaselessly suspenseful best in A Galway Epiphany.

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

A Galway Epiphany is the 16th book in the popular Irish PI-noir series by Ken Bruen. Released 3rd Nov 2020 by Mysterious Press, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a well established series by a well established author picked up for film production to a wider public. In many (most) instances, this would cause the entire production team from author to writers and producers to play a safe bet and appeal to a wider audience (thus often gutting the appeal to the base audience). This is, very happily, not what has happened here. Former cop, turned irreverent cynical PI, Jack Taylor is his irascible unapologetic damaged self. A near death accident soon has him drawn back into his tenacious bulldog ways after he regains consciousness from his coma.

This is a sharply written book in a clever and very well written crime series. It's redolent with barely constrained violence. It often positively vibrates with menace. One drawback should be mentioned. I was dismayed to see this version (?) heavily edited for North American audiences with American vernacular (cigarette, apartment, truck). It's quite jarring and a mistake I think. I missed the Irish ambience and found it distracting. After checking my other editions, I see that they have similarly Americanized vernacular. I found it distracting.

I enjoyed this read very much and found that it works moderately well as a standalone. I recommend the entire series - the author is supremely talented at his craft. I'm not entirely sure if there is a UK edition (the publishing info is unclear), but if there is, I would seek it out.

Four stars. A gut punch of a read with a diabolically shocking denouement and sublimely well written characters. Rough and tension filled.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A Galway Epiphany (Jack Taylor, #6)

by Ken Bruen

Reviewed by annieb123 on Jan 16, 2021

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