Not long out of prison after a fight that went wrong, Danny Callaghan impulsively jumps in during an attempted shooting at his local pub, inadvertently putting himself in the middle of a Dublin gang war he doesn't want a part of in Gene Kerrigan's Dark Times in the City.
Kerrigan writes a propulsive, sardonic crime story that is full of satisfying beats. About two-thirds through he offers a lengthy flashback that sets up the violent finale, a nice bit of narrative style.
Dark times indeed, as the final chapters leave no characters unscathed, and only a handful alive.
Kerrigan is an Irish journalist with a couple of crime novels to his name; his knowledge of Irish politics and contemporary history plays no small role in the storytelling. This is a very self-assured outing, and I would look for more from him.
I received this from World Noir, a part of Europa Editions, and read it quickly.
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