It’s almost impossible to be thrown out of the Gardaí, but former police detective Jack Taylor has managed it.

Following the death of his father, Jack is disgraced, unemployed, and drinking himself into oblivion, when he is asked to privately investigate a teenage suicide. The incient is not the first of its kind. Multiple suicides have happened on the same bridge in Galway — and the victims have all been teenage girls.

The Irish police, the Guards, dismiss the case as coincidental, suggesting the bridge has become a destination for depressed teens. However, when Jack is approached by the mother of one of the girls, he begins to uncover things that suggest otherwise.

The Guards, winner of the Shamus Award for Best Novel and finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel is the first title in the best selling Jack Taylor series.

Praise for Ken Bruen:

‘His voice is wry and bittersweet, but somehow always hopeful.’ — Seattle Times

‘The Godfather of the modern Irish crime novel.’ — Irish Times

‘If his prose was any sharper, your eyeballs would bleed.’ — Mystery Scene

‘Filled with a glorious love of the language and an engaging protagonist who is unlike almost any other.’ — Strand Magazine

‘One sign of a winning detective series is how much fun the author has with the creation… Ken Bruen is having a shameless good time.’ — Shelf Awareness