{"product_id":"9781504042543","title":"A Fifth of Bruen: Early Crime Fiction of Ken Bruen","description":"\u003cb\u003eA collection of novellas and stories from Shamus Award winner Ken Bruen, author of the Jack Taylor series and the “godfather of the modern Irish crime novel” (\u003ci\u003eThe Irish Times\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An Irishman with an ebullient love of life draws inspiration from the literature and poetry of death. A born loser with an “ex-wife, an ex-child, and no excuses” accompanies his alcoholic brother on a startling plunge into liberating despair. A self-styled vigilante avenges the death of his wife and child by waging a one-man war against the London underworld. A whiskey-sotted cleric sets out to battle his sexual demons with a resolve that borders on the malevolent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Nobody writes like Ken Bruen,” says the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and here, the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Emerald Lie\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Guards\u003c\/i\u003e offers a taste of his wide-ranging skills. With his acrid barstool wit, literary allusions, and gut-punching twists, Bruen captures the Irish state of mind with bracing authenticity. Now, enthusiasts of his long-running series featuring Irish PI Jack Taylor—seven of which have been adapted for the screen—and new fans alike can discover Bruen’s early works in an omnibus shaded with the crazy, violent, and melancholy poetry that has become his trademark.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hailed by the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Book Review \u003c\/i\u003eas one of “the most original and innovative noir voices of the last two decades,” Bruen is a two-time Shamus Award winner, an Edgar Award finalist, and a recipient of the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Fifth of Bruen\u003c\/i\u003e includes: \u003ci\u003eFuneral: Tales of Irish Morbidities\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMartyrs\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eShades of Grace\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSherry and Other Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAll the Old Songs and Nothing to Lose\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Time of Serena May \u0026amp;\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eUpon the Third Cross.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"MysteriousPress.com\/Open Road","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47127102521584,"sku":"9781504042543","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781504042543_p0.jpg?v=1763710529","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781504042543","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}