The Emerald Lie (Jack Taylor Series #12)

by Ken Bruen

Overview

From the “Godfather of the modern Irish crime novel” (Irish Independent), The Emerald Lie introduces a villain of the most unusual type: an Eton and Cambridge graduate who becomes murderous over split infinitives, improper punctuation, and any other sign of bad grammar. Ken Bruen’s irascible protagonist, ex-cop Jack Taylor, is meanwhile approached by a grieving father with a pocketful of cash on offer if Jack will help exact revenge on those responsible for his daughter’s brutal rape and murder. Jack agrees to get a read on the likely perpetrators but is soon derailed by the appearance of Emily (also known as Em, Emerald), a chameleon-like young woman who is by turns passionate, clever, and utterly homicidal. She is ready to use any sort of coercion to get Jack to conspire with her against the serial killer the Garda have nicknamed “the Grammarian,” but her most destructive obsession just might be Jack himself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802127235
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Series:	Jack Taylor Series , #12
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	548,917
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ken Bruen received a doctorate in metaphysics, taught English in South Africa, and then became a crime novelist. The critically acclaimed author of eleven previous Jack Taylor novels and The White Trilogy, he is the recipient of two Barry Awards and two Shamus Awards and has twice been a finalist for the Edgar Award. He lives in Galway, Ireland.

Read an Excerpt

Soon as I got to my door, I sensed something off. Bracing myself, I pushed it open.

Sitting in my armchair was a woman, dressed like Annie Hall, smoking a thin cheroot. I kid thee fucking not.

Emily.

I said,

“Jesus wept.”

She gave that radiant smile, asked,

“Miss me, Jack?”

Already I was off balance, which is what I’d always been with her. No matter what tack I took, she was always out of left field. All you could do was hope the damage would be short. I said,

“See you made yourself at home.”

She shook the glass in her hand, said,

“I’m about ready for a refill.”

The dog gave me a delighted greeting then, the treacherous bastard, bounded on to her lap. She asked,

“What did you name him?”

I grabbed the bottle from the table, poured one and refreshed hers. I said,

“Storm.”

She rubbed his ears, then,

“How very you.”

Table of Contents

Cover,
Also by Ken Bruen,
Title Page,
Copyright,
Dedication,
Epigraph,
Begin Reading,
Back Cover,

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Emerald Lie:

“Nobody writes like Ken Bruen, with his ear for lilting Irish prose and his taste for the kind of gallows humor heard only at the foot of the gallows. The Emerald Lie is pure Bruen, with its verbal tics, weird typography and unorthodox wordplay.”—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“No one writes crime novels quite like Ken Bruen . . . He has tinkered with the classic building blocks of the novel, rearranging things here and there and creating a narrative that becomes more unique book by book . . . I picture Bruen not so much writing as transcribing the words of a sweet fallen angel that are whispered feverishly into his ear. The result manifests itself in books that are often sad but frequently funny, so real that one is compelled to keep reading . . . And you should read every one of them.”—Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter

“Bruen remains on the mountaintop of contemporary Irish noir. Sprightly, elliptical prose is a plus.”—Publishers Weekly

“To simply describe the setup of the plot is to pay short shrift to Bruen’s prodigious writing skills . . . Not to be missed.”—BookPage

“The most entertaining of Bruen’s Jack Taylor books . . . [A] fresh reading pleasure.”—Toronto Star (Canada)

“Bruen is brilliant.”—Galway Advertiser (Ireland)

From the Publisher

Nobody writes like Ken Bruen, with his ear for lilting Irish prose and his taste for the kind of gallows humor heard only at the foot of the gallows. The Emerald Lie is pure Bruen, with its verbal tics, weird typography and unorthodox wordplay.

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

07/04/2016
Brooding thoughts of suicide and loss haunt Jack Taylor in Irish author Bruen’s desultory 12th novel featuring the Galway PI and former Garda officer (after 2015’s Green Hell). Of course, Jack is also preoccupied with lists of the authors he has been reading, the music he listens to, and the TV shows he binge watches. The main menace this round may be the Grammarian, who kills over gaffes in speech. But a side trip to London puts Jack in the sphere of another criminal with an interest in young children. Series regulars such as the deadly Emily/Emerald and Sergeant Ridge, a former police colleague of Jack’s, make the scene, though Galway and its living history trumps the players that strut across the stage. With his easy episodic survey of the moment-to-moment in Jack’s life—each sip of Jameson, every walking of the dog, the sudden beatings and murders—Bruen remains on the mountaintop of contemporary Irish noir. Sprightly, elliptical prose is a plus (“the ubiquitous McDonald’s bag. In my time, weapons are always delivered thus”). Agent: Lukas Ortiz, Philip G. Spitzer Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

04/01/2016
Even as he cautiously agrees to help a devastated father find those responsible for his daughter's gruesome rape and murder, vigilante Jack Taylor works with spitfire new sidekick Emily (who called herself Emerald in Green Hell) to waylay the serial killer nicknamed the Grammarian—he's an Eton and Cambridge graduate who kills over dangling modifiers. Two Barry and Shamus awards apiece and two Edgar nominations make Bruen a don't-miss author.

Library Journal