Jack Taylor is an ex-cop turned sometime private investigator/full-time drunk. Approached by the grieving mother of a young girl who officially offed herself but the mother thinks otherwise, he delves into the girl’s past life and discovers shenanigans aplenty. Jack sets off to right some wrongs - if he can stay off the booze long enough.
The Guards is the first book in Ken Bruen’s fantastic Jack Taylor series though it’s not an amazing start. Perhaps appropriately the novel is more of an introduction to the character but I would’ve appreciated a stronger, more driving narrative than just a lingering portrait of Jack and his alcoholism.
Because the story of the dead girl is more of an afterthought than the point of the book. Both Bruen and Jack seem unconcerned about it and only very occasionally remember to check in on it. Which would be fine if in place of that was a more pressing concern but there isn’t - just a lot about Jack and his on-and-off attempts at stopping drinking.
Having read the later Jack Taylor books (I know I’m reading the series out of order - I’ve already read the last one!), it’s surprising to see how immediately Bruen captured Jack’s wry voice and his deadpan humour is part of what makes this series the best out of everything Bruen’s written (which is a considerable amount - he’s very prolific).
The narrative is meandering and intermittently compelling but Bruen’s prose is as pleasantly breezy to read as ever and I flew through the novel like I normally do for all his Jack Taylor books. If this is your first Jack Taylor and you’re unimpressed, it does get better down the line - the ones with “Galway” in the title seem to be the best of the ones I’ve read so far. As it is, The Guards is a fine beginning for a great series.
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