Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen
Born	1951 Galway, Ireland
Occupation	novelist
Genre	Crime fiction, thrillers
Literary movement	Modern crime fiction, Noir
Website
www.kenbruen.com

Ken Bruen (born 1951) is an Irish writer of hard-boiled and noir crime fiction.

Biography

Born in Galway, he was educated at Gormanston College, County Meath and later at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Ph.D. in metaphysics. He spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, S.E. Asia and South America. His travels have been hazardous at times, including a stint in a Brazilian jail.

Bruen is part of a literary circle that includes Jason Starr, Reed Farrel Coleman, and Allan Guthrie.

Bruen's works include the well-received White Trilogy and the Shamus Award-winning The Guards. In 2006, Hard Case Crime released Bust, a collaboration between Bruen and New York crime author Jason Starr. Bruen's short story "Words Are Cheap" (2006) appears in the first issue of Murdaland. He has also edited an anthology of stories set in Dublin, Dublin Noir. Jack Taylor's informant named China, is a nod of the head by Ken Bruen to author Alan Hunter's original informant character named China, in the George Gently series of novels; first published in 1955. Other works of note include The Killing of the Tinkers, The Magdalen Martyrs, The Dramatist and Priest (nominated for the 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award in the category "Best Novel"), all part of his Jack Taylor series, which began with The Guards. Jack Taylor's informant named China, is a nod of the head by Bruen is also the recipient of the first David Loeb Goodis Award (2008) for his dedication to his art. Set in Galway, the acclaimed series relates the adventures and misadventures of a disgraced former police officer working as a haphazard private investigator whose life has been marred by alcoholism and drug abuse. It chronicles the social change in Ireland in Bruen's own lifetime, paying particular attention to the decline of the Catholic Church as a social and political power. Themes also explored include Ireland's economic prosperity from the mid-1990s onwards, although it is often portrayed as a force which has left Ireland as a materialistic and spiritually drained society which still harbours deep social inequality. This is the side of the Celtic Tiger best portrayed in Bruen's Ireland-based novels. Immigration is also a theme to be found in these works.

In 2010 the first six Jack Taylor novels were made into a TV series starring Iain Glen in the title role.

He lives in Galway, Ireland. He is married and has a daughter.

Bibliography

Non-Series

• Shades of Grace (1993)
• Martyrs (1994)
• Rilke on Black (1996)
• The Hackman Blues (1997)
• Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice (1998)
• London Boulevard (2001)
• Dispatching Baudelaire (2004)
• American Skin (2006)
• Once Were Cops (2008)
• Killer Year (2008)
• Merrick (2014)

Jack Taylor

• The Guards (2001) - 2004 Shamus Award for Best Novel; Finalist 2004 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel; Finalist 2004 Macavity Award for Best Novel
• The Killing of the Tinkers (2002) - 2005 Macavity Award for Best Novel; Finalist 2005 Anthony Award for Best Novel
• The Magdalen Martyrs (2003)
• The Dramatist (2004) - 2007 Shamus Award for Best Novel
• Priest (2006) - 2007 Barry Award for Best British Novel; Finalist 2008 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel
• Cross (2007)
• Sanctuary (2008)
• The Devil (2010)
• Headstone (2011)
• Purgatory (Aug 2013)
• Green Hell (July 2015)

Detective Sergeant Tom Brant and Chief Inspector James Roberts

• A White Arrest (1998)
• Taming the Alien (1999)
• The McDead (2000)
• Blitz (2002)
• Vixen (2003)
• Calibre (2006)
• Ammunition (2007)

Max Fisher and Angela Petrakos

• Bust (2006) - Finalist 2007 Barry Award for Best Paperback
• Slide (2007) - Finalist 2008 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original
• The Max (2008)

Further reading

Jeannerod, Dominique. "Representations of Crime and Punishment in French and Irish Crime Fiction." Masson, Antoine, O’Connor, Kevin (eds.) Representations of Justice, Bern, Peter Lang, (2007) 23-37

Kincaid, Andrew. "Down These Mean Streets": The City and Critique in Contemporary Irish Noir Éire-Ireland - Volume 45:1&2, Earrach/Samhradh / Spring/Summer 2010, 39-55

Murphy, Paula. "'Murderous Mayhem': Ken Bruen and the New Ireland." CLUES: A Journal of Detection 24.2 (Winter 2006): 3-16

External links

• Official website