Slaughter's Hound

January 14, 2013
Fans of Ken Bruen in particular, and noir fans in general, should get on board for this exceedingly bleak ride through Sligo from Irish author Burke (Absolute Zero Cool). Taxi driver and occasional drug-transporter Harry Rigby, who did time for killing his brother in cold blood, has the misfortune to witness his friend and former cellmate, Finn Hamilton, dive off a nine-story building and pierce the roof of Harry’s cab with explosive results. Finn’s fatal plunge leaves Harry on the hook to powerful gangster Ross McConnell for missing weed. On the plus side, Finn’s mother, Saoirse Hamilton, is willing to pay Harry big bucks to find Finn’s suicide note (if there is one). Harry’s strained personal relationships deteriorate as he gets sucked further into the tangled affairs of the Hamiltons. Relentlessly brutal actions, rampant corruption, and scamming are all described in prose both scabrous and poetic. Agent: Allen Guthrie, Jenny Brown Associates (U.K.).

February 15, 2013
Honest jobs are hard to come by when you're released from a mental institution after killing your brother. So Harry Rigby makes his living by driving a cab and delivering drugs in the Irish town of Sligo. One of his best customers is former cellmate Finn Hamiltonuntil the night Finn drops onto Harry's cab from his ninth-story balcony. The police are very interested in what Harry saw that night, as are Finn's pregnant girlfriend, patrician (and terrifying) mother, and his possibly insane teenage sister. A master of situational ethics, Harry initially has no problem getting paid to retrieve certain items from Finn's apartment. It turns out, though, that Harry's not the only one nosing around. He tries to keep his ex-wife and son out of the investigation, but his two worlds can't help bleeding into one another. Burke (Absolute Cool Zero, 2012) has always been known for black humor, and he has found a wonderful new outlet for it in Harry Rigby.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)