On the Shelf book review
Lynn Bonney, Special to the Gazette
Saturday, September 6, 2008
“Cross,” by Ken Bruen, Bantam Press, 2008, $23.95
Off the booze and out of the mental hospital, Jack Taylor has a job and a home in his native Galway. It looks as if life may be taking a turn for the better for this former cop, booted from the elite corps and recovering from his inaction that led to the death of a child.
Author Ken Bruen has brought his reluctant detective back in a sixth novel, “Cross,” another exploration of modern Ireland that goes beyond the beauty and legends that beckon from tourist brochures.
Taylor is surprised when Ridge, an old friend from the force, tells him about the horrifying crucifixion of a teenage boy. He agrees to help her look into the case, even as he anguishes over another boy, Cody, who is in a coma as the result of a still-unsolved shooting. His precarious grasp on life is a torment to Taylor, who struggles with demons of his own, including the death of another child, a beloved little girl who died while in his care. Her mother has sworn revenge against Taylor and her father has disappeared into the streets of Galway. Bruen’s writing takes the reader into those streets, through the pubs, the churches, the past and the present. He mixes the beauty of old Irish words with American country-western lyrics, sprinkling in literary references, Galwegian history and slants of recent events that won’t stay buried. A bit of Elvis Costello poetry bumps up against a few words from James Joyce, leading the reader to believe that modern Ireland balances this juxtaposition of cultures as its traditional culture adapts to 21st-century high-tech.
Like his country and his city, Taylor fights to maintain his balance. He dreams of getting out of Galway — even moving to America — but some demons just won’t let go, as he knows all too well. He is likely to meditate on the philosophy of Thomas Merton while he hums “Losing My Religion,” probing a case that is rooted in a travesty of faith and bumping philosophies with Father Malachy, the neighborhood priest who is as likely to torment Taylor as he is to forgive him.
“Cross” is the prolific Bruen’s sixth Taylor novel, following close on the heels of “Priest.” The other titles, from the beginning, are “The Guards,” “The Killing of the Tinkers,” “The Magdalen Martyrs” and “The Dramatist.”
Taylor has also produced a seven-volume series featuring Inspector Brant and a host of other titles, written on his own or in collaboration with other writers. It’s easy to see why he has garnered so many writing awards, in the United States and Ireland. His Web site, www.kenbruen.com, provides biographical information and invites readers to e-mail the author.
Bruen fans will welcome “Cross,” and those new to the series will find that each novel stands on its own to invite new readers to get acquainted with Galway and the people who live in Jack Taylor’s neighborhood.