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Jack Taylor is an ex-Garda (Irish cop) who is now a sort-of PI, even though 'There are no private eyes in Ireland.' Jack is approached by a distraught mother to prove that her daughter's suicide was really murder, an old theme but given a very different treatment by Bruen. Jack finds that a number of young women have 'suicided' at the same location and that they are all disturbingly linked to a single company. On page 5 of The Guards Jack Taylor walks into a Galway pub named Grogan's, a reference that is unlikely to pass by Lawrence Block fans. It is surely no coincidence that Taylor's pub should have the same name as the New York bar often frequented by Matt Scudder in Block's excellent series. There are many similarities between the two detectives in a very deliberate tribute to the mystery genre, both are unofficial PI's and ex cops, both are (ex)-alcoholics who drink coffee in a seedy bar, both live in a residential hotel. Bruen also makes his main character a big mystery reader and takes that opportunity to work in many other references to genre stalwarts, and he prefaces many of his chapters with quotes from authors such as McBain and Pelecanos. A tribute yes, but also perhaps a little bit of nose-thumbing and showing the greats how gritty and realistic should be done. Bruen's Galway is no pretty Irish tourist paradise, the mean streets are dark and violent enough to be a match for New York, and The Guards is unlikely to be recommended by the Irish tourist authority. As an alcoholic Jack Taylor is perhaps closer to Robicheaux than to Scudder, much of the early part of this book is a no holds barred look at a man on the skids and not for the squeamish. The Guards theme is prevalent throughout as many of the characters are Garda, or ex-Garda, or wanna-bes. Jack Taylor is the only fully realized character in the book, but he is totally convincing, and through his first-person eyes the other characters also become convincing. The Guards is very much a book about Jack Taylor, the mystery plot gives the book it's direction, but we never learn much about the bad guys and their fate, so don't read it expecting a traditional mystery, although there is a little twist in the tail. Bruen's style is a touch experimental, but it worked well for me, and I found it hard to put the book down even during a difficult time for reading. Often disturbing, funny at times, with perhaps the odd hint of literary pretentiousness, The Guards is a fast paced read that I highly recommend to readers prepared to step a little outside their comfort zones. Look for the passage on Jack's love of reading that should strike a chord with all bibliophiles. Reviewers note : this review is based on the Australian edition of The Guards published in 2002.
Reviewed by Paul Richmond, February 2003
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