It’s still early doors for Brian McGilloway’s third offering, BLEED A RIVER DEEP, which isn’t due until next April, but already I’m reduced to culling second-hand big-ups from CSNI. John Connolly has been a supporter of McGilloway’s Inspector Ben Devlin series from the off, but here he outdoes himself thusly: “Inspector Ben Devlin is that rare creature: a detective who is not violent or tortured, but who is intensely, movingly human, and it is his humanity and decency that grip the reader and give these novels a searing honesty. The Devlin books are set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction.”Nice. And just in case you think JC was having an off-day (JC? Having an off-day?) when he penned that little love-bomb, here’s Sir Kenneth of Bruen all a-blurb-o on the back of BLEED A RIVER DEEP:
“Devlin is going to join the ranks of Rebus, Resnick, Davenport and Scudder as one of the reference points of character series.”So there you have it. Connolly and Bruen united as one voice. How often is that likely to happen, eh?
Kidding aside, though – Rebus? Scudder? Let’s hope no one compares Our Brian to James Lee Burke. He’d probably just hang up his quill and retire …
Ah for God's sake! How am I meant to work that Bruen quote into a post without looking petty? I already did the counter-scoop thing. Counter-counter-counter-scoop is going too far.
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I may have to get me one of these, based solely on Connolly's comment. I am so sick and tired of tortured crime solvers, plagued by demons (drugs, alcohol, lost loves, the case he couldn't solve). Regular people are interesting, too if presented as other than bland. Even more so, actually, as their range of responses to a situation is greater.
ReplyDeleteIf that's what you're after, Dana, I think you'll enjoy the Devlin books. He's one of the most rounded, believable characters I've come across in a long time ...
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