A Wee Review - The Burning Soul by John Connolly

Randal Haight is at wits’ end. Somebody is sending him pictures that prove you cannot escape your past. You see, Haight hasn’t always been Haight. The person he was before – the child he was before – murdered a little girl. And now the town he’s settled in is in a frenzied uproar over the disappearance of a fourteen-year-old girl. Cue Charlie Parker, a private investigator with a tragic past, as Haight’s protector. The only thing is, Parker doesn’t believe his client is as innocent as he claims.

John Connolly’s latest, The Burning Soul, is a Charlie Parker thriller (number 10). Excellent news for fans of the series, but equally great news for those yet to sample Connolly’s work (if there’s anybody out there who hasn’t, that is). This is a very self-contained book that is faithful to the series but is not loaded with back story. Parker’s arc as a character continues but there are no huge developments in a broader sense that require chronological reading from the very start of the series. If you’re not on the Connolly train already, this is your boarding platform. But set aside some time. You’ll want to make this a round trip.

This is an outstanding novel. It’s chockfull of dense and powerful prose that isn’t intimidating but, in fact, is addictively consumable. The portrayal of a violent and unpredictable Boston Irish mob (post-Bulger) in constant crisis is chilling. And the supernatural twist? Cross your heart and bless your burning soul. This one’s coming to get you.

KREEPED OVT RELIGIOUS KVLT KOOL

"The artist and curator, Miguel Martin, speaks to Gerard Brennan on Platform Arts' latest exhibition."

Read the interview over at Culture NI.

Bash of the Titans! (Featuring me.)

Come along and see me.

I'm getting too old for this shhh.

An interesting day today. I enrolled in the Queen's University Belfast MA for creative writing. It was a bit of a challenge to get to this point. First the stress of getting accepted onto the course. I applied thinking it was a long shot but in the time it took to get word back I began to believe that I needed that offer more than anything in the world. I'm good at torturing myself that way. But the offer came and then I had to figure out a way to actually attend the classes. Turned out I would have to take a demotion at the day-job if I was going to make the classes. After considering the finances and whatnot, and with the support of my perfect wife, it looked like it would be a reality. Then I had to pay the fees. Not easy on my newly reduced income. But we worked it out.

And I got what I wanted in the end. So today I spent a lot of time marvelling at the fact that I'm so much older than the majority of folk milling about the Queen's campus during freshers' week. I passed down many an offer for a free shot at a nightclub or a reduced rate pizza from young hipsters armed with a stack of coupons positioned at strategic points on campus. And I accepted the reality of the work I'll have to put in to gain that piece of paper that will validate me as a serious student of creative writing. And I got a student card that will entitle me to money off clothes from shops I wouldn't dare set foot in.

But hey, now I can dream of a day-job in the arts sector. And I feel accomplished.

In other news, I got a further ego boost when I read an article in the Belfast Telegraph that names me as a writer to look out for in the future. Gob bless Colin Bateman and read the article here.

Kill List Review

I reviewed a movie called Kill List for the Culture NI website. At first glance it looks like the kind of thing I'd love. Did it satisfy or disappoint? The answer is only a click away.

Wayne Simmons on Point

And today's blurb has been brought to you by Northern Ireland's leading zombie expert, Wayne Simmons. The only thing cooler than Simmon's tattoos is his writing. And to get an endorsement from this dude just plain rocks. Here's what he had to say after reading The Point:

"Noir from Norn Iron! A lean slice of grindhouse from Belfast's new crime hack." - Wayne Simmons, bestselling author of Flu and Drop Dead Gorgeous

I really like the idea of myself as a 'crime hack'. Though hacking usually takes on a more sinister meaning in Simmons' work. Thanks, Wayne! I'd buy you a pint if you hadn't absconded to Cardiff.

A Wee Review - Truth Lies Bleeding by Tony Black

Following a spell as a desk jockey, DI Rob Brennan is back on Edinburgh's mean streets. And his first case could very well unravel all the emotional healing done during his recent psychiatric leave. A murdered teenager, dismembered and found in a dumpster puts him through the mill. He has a lot to prove and minimal support from his colleagues but he is determined to show them all that he can handle the job.

Truth Lies Bleeding, a police procedural, is a bit of a departure for Tony Black who, until now, has written a series of PI novels starring Gus Dury, an alcoholic ex-journalist turned crime-fighter. Brennan isn't as likeable a Dury, which is strange as one's an upstanding citizen and the other isn't all that good at standing quite a lot of the time. However, like him or not, Brennan is an interesting character and Truth Lies Bleeding is Black's most cereberal novel to date. The narrative works hard to present the tangle of thoughts and emotions that haunt and fuel Brennan on his quest for justice and respect (though not always in that order).

Truth Lies Bleeding is a brutal read; dark as the author's name, some of the characters will haunt your thoughts for a very long time after turning the last page. Gritty, urban and heart-wrenching, Black has discovered a darker shade of noir.

Michael Connelly - A No Alibis Event

Michael Connelly
Thursday 27th October at 7:00PM
Tickets: £6
Venue: Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast

No Alibis are very pleased to welcome Michael Connelly back to Belfast, and invite you to spend an evening with him, to celebrate the launch of his latest novel THE DROP, on Thursday 27th October at 7:00PM in the Lecture Theatre of the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast. Tickets, priced £6 each, are now on sale.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing, a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.

After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.

After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles , was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with 18 more novels. His books have been translated into 31 languages and have won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Shamus, Dilys, Nero, Barry, Audie, Ridley, Maltese Falcon (Japan), .38 Caliber (France), Grand Prix (France), and Premio Bancarella (Italy) awards.

Michael lives with his family in Florida.



Harry Bosch is facing the end of the line. He's been put on the DROP - Deferred Retirement Option Plan - and given three years before his retirement is enforced. Seeing the end of the mission coming, he's anxious for cases. He doesn't have to wait long. First a cold case gets a DNA hit for a rape and murder which points the finger at a 29-year-old convicted rapist who was only eight at the time of the murder. Then a city councilman's son is found dead - fallen or pushed from a hotel window - and he insists on Bosch taking the case despite the two men's history of enmity. The cases are unrelated but they twist around each other like the double helix of a DNA strand. One leads to the discovery of a killer operating in the city for as many as three decades; the other to a deep political conspiracy that reached back into the dark history of the police department.

The event will take place in the Lecture Theatre in the Ulster Museum. Entrance will be gained through the Stranmillis Road entrance (opposite Cafe Conor).

One third of the tickets for this event are already gone. To avoid disappointment, we recommend that you book your ticket now, by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

Brian McGilloway on Point

Another day, another blurb. Brian McGilloway made me smile on this grey, dreary, damp day in Belfast.

"The Point is the real deal -- the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it's true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit." - Brian McGilloway

Brian's work is top notch, especially his latest offering, Little Girl Lost, which just about broke my black heart. As with the previous blurbs I've received for The Point, I've been reading this one over and over and pinching myself to make sure I'm not having some sort of cruel coma dream. It all seems legit, though.

Arlene Hunt on Point

The good vibes are still coming. Today Arlene Hunt tweeted (as @arlenehunt) her opinion on my novella, The Point, and it's all good!

"It needs to said that @gerardbrennan The Point is terrific, scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and most inventive car theft ever!" - Arlene Hunt

I'm continually bowled over by the generosity of the Irish crime fiction set. These are the writers I admire the most and they're taking the time to read my wee novella. And they actually seem to be enjoying it. It's just awesome, man.

Check out Arlene's website for more information on her books and upcoming author events.