Danny Callaghan is getting his life back together. Out of prison after killing a man who was beating up some boys who had ridiculed his weight at the golf driving range -- it turns out the man was locally connected -- Callaghan just wants a quiet evening in the bar when two hoodlums walk in intent on killing Walter Bennett. Callaghan intervenes, temporarily saving Bennett's life, but that puts his own in the cross hairs.

This Irish crime novel is just about as dark as it gets. One interesting note was that the IRA could be used by the crooks as cover for their misdeeds. ( )

My first Gene Kerrigan book.

The writing is tightly drawn, using very short scenes to drive the narrative along.

The prologue is good, but then I struggled to get into the story at the beginning. The reason I think I had trouble with at the beginning came out almost at the end of the book, which jumps back in time to provide the back story as to why Walter Bennett was the target of an assassination.

I think the book would have worked a little better if it had started with this part. I don’t think it would have mattered if I'd been introduced to Callaghan character until much later in the book.

Kerrigan is good at writing about the police force and Dublin and I'd have also preferred to have had more scenes involving them.

Similarly there is a sub-plot with Oliver (Callaghan’s neighbour) that wasn't as fully developed as it could have been (he gets bumped off in the middle of the book).

These though are just minor quibbles and the book does work as it is.

I’ll be keeping my eye out for more of Kerrigan books." ( )

Criminal gang warfare in Dublin. A scheming Sun-Tzu reading crime boss tries to take down a rival. Both are brutal and unscrupulous, as crime bosses tend to be. Caught in the middle is ex-con Danny Callaghan. Intricately plotted, the suspense lies in whether Callaghan will survive and persevere as he is manipulated while the murders pile up around him. ( )

I'm going back, now, to read The Dublin Trilogy... that's how much I loved this literary crime novel. I think Gene Kerrigan is my new favorite Irishman. ( )

The plot of this novel is quite complex, but meshes together nicely. The story moves along at a fast pace with multiple short scenes that follow the main characters. There are essentially three main threads—Danny Callaghan trying to readjust to life after 8 lost years in prison; Lar McKendrick and his two sadistic henchmen (Karl and Robbie) plotting to take over from their mob rival (Frank Tucker); and the Dublin police trying to keep abreast of all the resultant mayhem. The plots collide when Danny stops a mob hit in the Blue Parrot—a pub owned by his friend and employer (Novak). From that point (the first chapter), the story moves along rapidly to an exciting climax. Kerrigan adroitly fills in the character backstories as the plot moves along, leaving very few issues unresolved. The blue van that follows Danny around seems a little unclear and the complex romantic triangle between Danny’s ex (Hannah) her philandering husband (Leon) and her best friend (Alex) opens and closes so rapidly that the reader is left confused. These are minor annoyances in a generally well-handled noir of crime, corruption and redemption set in Dublin. ( )