Guards [Paperback]

A soul-mate of Jim Thompson’s, or maybe of James M. Cain’s, he has a cast of characters which rates high on the deadbeat scale. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

An elegiac novel of despair and redemption. Bleak, amoral and disturbing, The Guards breaks new ground in the Irish thriller genre. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Both a tautly written contemporary noir with vividly drawn characters and a cracking story... Bruen has created a true original. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Ireland's version of Scotland's Ian Rankin... Outstanding. Bruen has a rich and mordant writing style, full of offbeat humor. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A masterful black novel, full of unforgettable characters and a never dissipating cloud of menace --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Edgy, pitch-black humour. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Edgy, pitch-black humour... With few, if any, antecedents The Guards is one of the curiously rare Irish crime novels" - Guardian "It's a fine piece of work, a ripping read; set in Galway, funny and sad and tough... I will henceforth be first in the queue for anything he writes" - Gene Kerrigan, Sunday Independent "An elegiac novel of despair and redemption... Bleak, amoral and disturbing" - Irish Independent "A blistering tale of revenge and retribution that comes off the page like a shot off a shovel... Not one for the faint of heart" - The Irish Times

"Ireland's version of Scotland's Ian Rankin... Outstanding. Bruen has a rich and mordant writing style, full of offbeat humor. Perhaps the standard bearer for a new subgenre called ‘Hibernian Noir’." Publishers Weekly

Selected as one of "Six of the Best – independently published authors
tipped to succeed" Publishing News

"[He] concocts, with literary alchemy, prose that is both fresh and familiar." Crime Factory

"Irish writer Ken Bruen is the finest purveyor of intelligent Brit-noir." The Big Issue

"Why the hell haven’t I heard of Ken Bruen before? He’s a terrific writer and The Guards is one of the most mesmerizing works of crime fiction I’ve ever read... This guy is the real thing." James W. Hall, author of Blackwater Sound

"A soul-mate of Jim Thompson’s, or maybe of James M. Cain’s, he has a cast of characters which rates high on the deadbeat scale." The Irish Times

"The Guards blew me away. It’s dark, funny and moving - just for starters. With a sharp eye and a lyrical voice, Ken Bruen takes us on a powerful odyssey through the mean streets of Galway, straight into the Irish heart. Bruen’s tale is a potent draft of desire and hopelessness, conviction and surrender, inadvertent heroism and unexpected grace. This is mystery writing f a high order." T, Jefferson Parker, author of Silent Joe

"The Guards is raw, hard, bitter and amazing. Its got that ancient feel to it, as of a primal story beign retold with fine, careless Irish swagger. Its as if Bruen made up his mind to tell us this story whether we wanted to hear it or not. Oh we do. for sure." Jon A. Jackson, author of Badger Games

"The Guards is an astounding novel, a poetic account of a desperation as deep as the North sea, retribution and resurrection. It’s so good I can’t think of it as a crime novel. Its a fine book with some crime." James Crumley, author of The Final Country --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.