- Hardcover: 279 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) (22 Sep 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0151014086
- ISBN-13: 978-0151014088
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 983,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Irish Examiner, May 12, 2007
If you managed to somehow miss Eight Ball Boogie, do yourself a
favour and catch The Big O. It's faster than a stray bullet, wittier than
Oscar Wilde and written by a talent destined for fame. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
favour and catch The Big O. It's faster than a stray bullet, wittier than
Oscar Wilde and written by a talent destined for fame. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Irish Mail on Sunday, April 15, 2007
Elmore Leonard with a harder Irish edge
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A lightning-witted, action-packed caper from second-time Irish novelist Declan Burke, The Big O is ostensibly about a tiger kidnapping gone wrong. However, it also manages to capture the brink-of-the-abyss finality of falling in love along the way very well, with lots of black humour and quirky, loveable characters thrown into the mix. There's Karen, a ballsy plastic surgeon's receptionist, who pulls stick-ups on garages in her down-time; her boss, Frank, who's getting his ex-wife Madge kidnapped in order to collect on the insurance; Karen's psycho ex Rossi, who's just out of prison; and her new love interest Ray, who's a painter/decorator cum 'babysitter'. A multi-layered novel that zips along at a rate of knots,with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Irish crime is quite new to me, but this book has everything a crime reader could ask for. Above all The Big O is very funny, and it's a refreshing change to have crime writing without lots of gruesome murders. Attempted kidnapping does just as well, and Declan Burke's characters are a charming bunch of anything but stereotypical individuals.
Format:Paperback
Declan Burke has been on quite a trip with his hugely-acclaimed second novel, The Big O.
After starting life on the lists of tiny Irish publisher Hag's Head Press the Sligo-born author's follow-up to Eight-Ball Bogie has recently been given an American release.
No mean feat for a book that Burke gave up his hard-earned mortgage deposit to see published, and for which he had such modest hopes as to ''recoup the costs''.
It's a trip, though, that pales by comparison to The Big O's rollicking plot.
When stick-up artist, Karen, meets Ray -- a crim with a side-line in kidnap -- you can expect fireworks. Figure on worse when Ray is commissioned to snatch Karen's best mate, Madge. Throw in a dodgy plastic surgeon with an immediate need for cash ... and an insurance policy on Madge, and the the mix a heady one.
The Big O is one big-old crazy caper with an eerie hint of Elmore Leonard and a brash, bold, ball-bustin' tempo that puts the genre so close to The Edge that Larry Mullen might be nearby busting his sticks!
As a stylist, Burke is as kick-ass Irish as the great Ken Bruen and is already taking the back-roads to the same place in American hearts with this latest Houghton Mifflin Harcourt release.
The really big appeal of The Big O, however, is that there is simply nothing like it -- nothing close -- on the bookshelves today.
The Big O is a perfect confluence of craic and cracker-barrel craziness. A white-knuckle ride with pace and taste and a winding, weaving storyline that will have you moving through those pages faster than a hobo with a free meths ticket.
Burke has hit a bullseye with The Big O, and, blessed as he is with such a slick and impressive command of language, his achievement has more than earned all its big old praise.
After starting life on the lists of tiny Irish publisher Hag's Head Press the Sligo-born author's follow-up to Eight-Ball Bogie has recently been given an American release.
No mean feat for a book that Burke gave up his hard-earned mortgage deposit to see published, and for which he had such modest hopes as to ''recoup the costs''.
It's a trip, though, that pales by comparison to The Big O's rollicking plot.
When stick-up artist, Karen, meets Ray -- a crim with a side-line in kidnap -- you can expect fireworks. Figure on worse when Ray is commissioned to snatch Karen's best mate, Madge. Throw in a dodgy plastic surgeon with an immediate need for cash ... and an insurance policy on Madge, and the the mix a heady one.
The Big O is one big-old crazy caper with an eerie hint of Elmore Leonard and a brash, bold, ball-bustin' tempo that puts the genre so close to The Edge that Larry Mullen might be nearby busting his sticks!
As a stylist, Burke is as kick-ass Irish as the great Ken Bruen and is already taking the back-roads to the same place in American hearts with this latest Houghton Mifflin Harcourt release.
The really big appeal of The Big O, however, is that there is simply nothing like it -- nothing close -- on the bookshelves today.
The Big O is a perfect confluence of craic and cracker-barrel craziness. A white-knuckle ride with pace and taste and a winding, weaving storyline that will have you moving through those pages faster than a hobo with a free meths ticket.
Burke has hit a bullseye with The Big O, and, blessed as he is with such a slick and impressive command of language, his achievement has more than earned all its big old praise.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Real Deal
The Big O and its follow up Crime Always Pays actually are that oxymoron
`screwball noir'. These novels are like two cracking, fast paced, clever and very droll road movies... Read more
`screwball noir'. These novels are like two cracking, fast paced, clever and very droll road movies... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Paul D Brazill
Great read, cracking story.
This is a terrific read. A great yarn from a fine writer. It has everything you expect and want from the very best crime fiction; deviously twisting plot, well drawn characters,... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Pat McArdle
The CSNI Verdict
Declan Burke's writing has earned recognition and praise from the likes of John Connolly, Ken Bruen and Adrian McKinty, and no doubt it will garner more when The Blue Orange is... Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2008 by G. Brennan
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