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Ken Bruen's unique style gets sharper and grittier with each new book. THE MAGDALEN MARTYRS, his third Jack Taylor novel, cements him as an enormous talent and fresh voice among Irish writers. The smart-mouthed, self-destructive Taylor, an ex-Garda, still retains his Garda jacket. Jack refuses to acknowledge the periodic letter demanding the return of said jacket, to wit Item No. 8234, mostly because he doesn't play by anybody's rules but his own. When common wisdom suggests one course of action, Jack nearly always takes the opposite direction.
In Bruen's latest tale, Galway tough guy Bill Cassell calls up for repayment of a favor he did Jack a while back, and Cassell is not the kind of guy you say no to. It sounds simple, really. Cassell wants to find one Rita Monroe --- an ancient nun who worked at the Magdalen, a one-time home for young women "in trouble" --- to thank her, he says, for her kindness to his mother. Delighted to be off the hook for so altruistic a task, Jack starts making inquiries. But he should have remembered the old adage: If it seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Just the mention of the Magdalen causes doors to slam and conversations to shut down. Not one person sings its praises or mourns its closure. The more Jack learns about it, the less he understands his mission. And Cassell keeps the pressure on.
While conducting his investigation, a couple of seemingly random murders occur, but Jack is too involved in his return to booze and drugs to make a connection. He floats along in his chemical euphoria --- surprisingly staying alive, but not out of jail. Interspersed with actually endeavoring to find Rita Monroe, he struggles with personal tragedy, finds himself enjoying some energetic sex (with just about the worst partner he could have chosen) and continues to terrorize his mother's good friend, Fr. Malachy, when his mother isn't available firsthand.
Even with the many pitfalls and backslides that plague him, Jack somehow manages to solve the mystery, but he still finds it hard to get back into anyone's good graces. Jack Taylor ultimately is a likable character, despite attempts on his part to be anything but agreeable.
Supremely tight writing and razor-edged dialogue spin you through the pages. As is always the case with any Ken Bruen book, THE MAGDALEN MARTYRS is much too short.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
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