An Irish writer provides this delicious story about a Chicago police officer who retires to a decrepit shack in the Irish countryside, only to find that he still needs his detective skills to solve the mystery of a local youth who has gone missing. This occupies more and more of his time with many false leads and colourful local characters, many of them criminals. As well, his past life with the the Chicago Police, a dysfunctional marriage and a distant aloof daughter are gradually revealed in small hints along the way.
300 pages later, the mystery of the missing youth has resulted in many violent confrontations, and although the reader senses that the youth will be found, where and doing what are still mysteries.
There are many graphic features of rural Irish life with abundant often crude humorous conversations in local dialect.
A couple of quotes:
Drunks in a pub discussing a red headed girl: “I wouldn’t say the carpet matches the curtains there.”
“…Cal learned a long time ago never to underestimate the spectacular natural wonder that is people’s stupidity.”
The prose flows beautifully, and the description of the countryside is hauntingly beautiful.
In the last 100 pages, the violence with guns becomes a bit unrealistic, sensational, gratuitous and confusing.
4/5
Thanks, June.
The Passionate Reader 