See that lover standingStaring at the groundHe's looking for the real thingLies were all he foundYou can get the real thingIt will only cost a poundDown where the drunkards rollDown where the drunkards roll *If you're looking for chills and thrills or a sharp, investigative police procedural, this is NOT the book you're looking for. This is more a character study of a tormented man in constant struggle with his demons. It's slow-paced with virtually no action, and the crimes are solved almost

The blurbs on the back of Ken Bruen's novel The Guards are impressive: Boston Teran, James Crumley, and T. Jefferson Parker, who all weigh in with thumbs up. And these are wonderful writers who have written fine books that I really admire. So I'm mystified over their enthusiasm. In contrast, what I found in The Guards was a loosely told story about a drunk cop who pretty much stays that way. Oh, there's a story nibbling around the edges regarding some missing women and the bad men who did them i...

This is the third time I've read THE GUARDS and it just keeps getting better. Jack Taylor, dishonorably discharged from the guards after having physically assaulted a member of high standing succumbs further to the allure of the drink; that bottomless pit of clouded reality seen through shot and pint glasses alike. It's this downfall that leads to his new profession, albeit and informal one - that of a private detective. His office; the pub. His clientele; the downright desperate. Enter Ann, an

It isn't often that you get to read a book by someone who writes in a completely original manner, yet is still intelligible. Ken Bruen has such an interesting writing style and gets so much across with so few words, that I was kept turning pages just from enjoying his style. That said, the stories are also great in the manner of hard-boiled ex-cop alcoholic down-and-out private eyes. His other book that I have read, The White Trilogy, was a little harder to get into but worthwhile once I was the...

An ocean of drink and a small chaser of plot.Not really a mystery in the usual sense since the culprit (well the one responsible for the ostensible crime) is evident early on. The protagonist spends much of the novel drinking, recovering from drinking, or attempting to refrain from drinking. The reader's interest in this subject will determine their enjoyment of the book.Don't be fooled by the positive blurb by James Crumley on the back; The Guards is nowhere near as good as any of his books.

I found this book to be predictable boring derivative.(Insert a random passage from some other mystery novel here.)The main character is the jaw-dropping original (yeah, right) alcoholic lonely ex-cop.(Insert lyrics from a random song here.)The writer's style of using lists is annoying pretentious distracting. (Insert more random quotes here for no discernable reason other than to pump up the word count.)I will be reading more of this author when pigs fly Hell freezes over rea--Never mind. You...

This had an unusual writing style that I enjoyed. It was relatively short, so a quick read. Not a murder mystery, but more a character driven story. Jack Taylor is a raging alcoholic, but there’s still goodness in him. I will be reading another in this series just to see what has angered Jack so badly.

This is the second time I read the first book in a series that I had grown to really enjoy because of the TV version.And, this is the second time I was disappointed. Every thing about THE GUARDS was sad--Jack Taylor, the people, the situations, the structure of the book--it was depressing!I've not been lucky enough in life to make it to Ireland, but I'll bet it is beautiful and the people are wonderful.

Rarely, if ever, do I give a series opener 5 stars, but I just couldn't help myself. I started this book last night, stayed up way too late and finished it and was totally blown away. What a great book; what a great author. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something different in the mystery field, but with a caution: the plot isn't the central focus here -- it is most definitely the characters, especially that of Jack Taylor, the main character. Jack Taylor lives in Galway, Ireland,

Jack Taylor has been thrown out of the Irish police force--the Garda Siochana--because his drinking got out of control. Ireland has virtually no private investigators because of the cultural abhorrence of informers, so Jack becomes the next best thing. He is an expert at finding things, that is when he can climb off of his bar stool long enough to take a job. Then one day a beautiful woman walks into the Galway pub where Jack hangs his hat and asks to hire him.The woman, whose name is Ann, has r...

I liked it. It is quirky and dark and poetic. Set in Galway Ireland, it has the flavor and language of the Irish culture which I find fascinating. It is a tale of addiction, alcohol and violence but it also has a poignant feel to the characters expressed in the poetry vignettes at the beginning of each rather short chapter. (view spoiler)[Jack Taylor is an alcoholic. Jack has a rather violent friend (Sutton) who ends up going off the deep end. (reading this almost ten years later after I wrote i...

This was different. Interestingly different!The main character, Jack Taylor, is the usual damaged soul, sacked from the police and working in a type of private investigator role. He is more than usually damaged, being a chronic alcoholic inclined to go on benders which take him out of society for anything up to a week at a time. His attempts to stay sober are well meant but it is obvious he is never going to make it on his own.Since the narrative is told in the first person the reader gets a lot...

At first I found this bookAnnoyingPretentiousFrustratingbut then in spite of myself, I started to like Jack, warts and all, and had to smile at his affectations and his horrible, flawed behaviors. I felt like the story was more of a character study than a mystery or thriller, but I liked it that way. What went on in Jack's head and in his life was more interesting to me than the mystery he was investigating. Jack's internal struggles and interpersonal relationships were more compelling than many...

This is hard-boiled private detective with an Irish lilt--and alcoholic slur. Jack Taylor was once in the Garda Siochana--the Irish police--but self-destructed with the aid of drink. As he himself describes his life and behavior, "I could say it was the booze, but that's not true. There's a self-destruct button in me. I keep returning to it." He does--throughout the book, and the novel is as much about that--in fact more about that--than his investigation of a young teen who seemingly committed

Ken Bruen's first novel featuring former policeman Jack Taylor is full of sharp dialogue & humour. At times there are too many book & music references, but it's good enough to make me want to read the next book in the series.

A quirky little novel. It took me a little while to get used to the style, but I gradually warmed up to it and became engrossed, pretty much savoring every word near the end. There's no doubt Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder is the major influence here, and Bruen gives a nod to a host of American crime writers at the start of each chapter. I can see why a lot of people would be divided about his technique, but I would certainly read more of the Jack Taylor series. It's sparse, flippant and brooding...

Ousted from the Guards, Ireland’s police force, Jack Taylor is asked by the mother to look into the supposed suicide of her daughter. I read the first three of Bruen's books together: The Guards, The Killing of the Tinkers and The Magdalen Martyrs.I found myself needing to read these books together to see what would happen with Jack. There are references in them I know I didn’t quite understand, being American, but I could feel my Irish friends nodding in the background The character of Jack may...

This is my first time reading Ken Bruen and I have watch Jack Taylor tv show and enjoyed it alot. I loved this first book in the series The Guards and it gave a great background to Jack as a character. The only down fall I found was the murder took a back set and we got more information about Jack struggle with alcoholics, which in itself was an interesting read.

A good book. By an obviously skilled writer. But flawed in its choices. The book has a great reputation, a Shamus Award Winner, but I don't think I saw what those other readers saw. To me, it was good, not great.More Bukowski than Chandler. To call this a Private Eye novel is a stretch, as his profession (like his "case") is an afterthought. I liked that aspect of it. To put the genre story on the fringes and to let it be about something else.But the book was just too thin. Don't let the 280 pag...

Are you searching for a proper crime-novel? One where the main character gets a case, starts investigating it, finds clues and in the end solves the case. The main character may be slightly distracted by marital or other relationship troubles and/or a traumatic past but the main focus is clearly the criminal investigation. In that case this is not the book for you.However, if you don't mind a protagonist who spends most of the time drinking, quoting various books (divided – in my case – into 'by...