The thinnest thread of a crime story runs through the Jack Taylor books, which is perhaps why I enjoy them. This one had a bit more meat on it which I did appreciate. I have tried to figure out why I like these books. I'm going with the character and the writing style. ( )

Lo imposible ha ocurrido: Jack Taylor está limpio, y ahora sale con una mujer madura. Los rumores sugieren que incluso va a misa? Las muertes accidentales de dos estudiantes parecerían sólo unos trágicos sucesos aleatorios, de no ser porque en ambos casos hay una copia de un libro de John Millington Synge bajo el cadáver. Jack comienza a creer que El Dramaturgo, un calculador asesino, está ahí fuera, incitándolo a jugar. Mientras el caso se complica, el refugio de Jack, la ciudad de Galway, demanda el sacrificio del único amor que conserva, y, mientras Iraq arde, Jack empieza a sentirse a un paso del abismo.

I admired the author's will in making Jack Taylor so fallible in this series, we see him making so many wrong decisions that hurt himself and others. But with the loss at the end of this novel I've lost my own distance and ability to appreciate the art of Jack's flailing. I am not interested in pursuing this anti hero any further. ( )

This is more a series that explores the psyche of the tormented Jack Taylor than a mystery series. We all know that Jack has more demons than two ordinary people. But Jack hasn't too much trouble with the mystery of finding the killer of two girls but he does have a lot of trouble dealing with issues from his past. He is clean and sober through most of the book until a catastrophic event at the end changes everything. I love Jack and Ken Bruen does a wonderful job of creating this marvellous character. I can't wait for the next one. ( )

Private investigator and former policeman Jack Taylor is back for his fourth case - and he's clean and sober for once! His former dealer asks him to investigate the death of his sister. She was found dead down some stairs - below her a play by John Millington Synge with some very strange handwritten annotations. First everything looks like an unhappy accident. When a second girl dies the same way, Jack Taylor, who at the same time struggles with his private life, with the shadows of his past, takes the job seriously.

Even in book number 4 I still sympathize with the protagonist. His battle against his addictions, the tense relationships to his mother and his (former) love - everything is decribed in a very dry way without frills. And in all that human darkness there shines a little light of hope in the form of a three year-old girl with down syndrome - Taylor's godchild, whose light won't last for long. And the reader closes the book with the feeling that the real drama for Taylor has only started to spread out. ( )