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Galway PI Jack Taylor is ready to leave both Ireland and his troubled past behind and start a new life across the pond. He’s tried before (in 2009’s Sanctuary), and as The Devil opens, he’s once again trying to make it to the States. This time, though, he’s held back by U.S. Immigration. While he’s drowning his sorrows in pints of Guinness and shots of Jameson at an airport bar, he meets Kurt, a handsome blonde traveler who instantly makes Jack feel uncomfortable.
Once Jack is settled into yet another new apartment, a woman approaches him and asks for his help in finding her missing son, Noel. Noel is soon found dead—and a mysterious man known only as Mr. K. is wanted for questioning. As the bodies begin to pile up, Jack starts to suspect that he’s up against something more sinister than just another cold-blooded killer.
The Devil is an unexpected crime thriller. Of course, the voice is no surprise—at least not to author Ken Bruen’s fans. It’s written in his signature clipped prose—the kind that skips and dances across the page. And, as usual, it’s delivered with Bruen’s sharp wit and loaded with clever cultural references.
Still, though it’s certainly mysterious, The Devil isn’t the kind of hard-boiled whodunit that fans might be expecting from Bruen’s latest Jack Taylor mystery. Instead of chasing down a common criminal (or even a not-so-common criminal), Jack seems to be facing something bigger, something badder, something that’s pure evil. In fact, he could very well be tracking Satan himself. The character’s identity alone is a kind of supernatural mystery—making the story eerier and more haunting than the same old story.
At the same time, if Mr. K. really is who Jack suspects he is, that makes Jack an unlikely character to track him. He’s coarse and foul-mouthed, bitter and angry—a lapsed Catholic with questionable morals, a serious drinking problem, and a raging Xanax addiction. Not exactly the guy you’d expect to be waging a holy war against the Devil himself—but that’s exactly what makes the battle so captivating. Jack struggles with his own demons along the way, often reconnecting with characters who might be familiar to fans of the series. But even if this is your first Jack Taylor mystery, you’ll only feel lost from time to time. The rest of the time, you’ll find yourself caught up in the story—and its intriguing hero.
With its unexpected plot, its complex protagonist, its unique style, and a conclusion that will keep readers guessing, Bruen’s The Devil is far from ordinary. So if you’re in the mood for a different kind of mystery, you just can’t beat The Devil.
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