Callous

August 1, 2021
Kate Mitchell catches the eye of murderous drug kingpin Dio, when he spots a family photo while he's murdering her aunt, and he's ready for her when she arrives in Galway to inherit her aunt's home. Dio had it earmarked as a trap house for his Galway methamphetamine empire, but that takes a back seat to revenge after Kate dishes him a casually brutal rejection. Dio sends his lieutenant, Keegan, to punish her, prompting Kate to beckon her amped-up brother, Colin, from Brooklyn, where he's been recovering from battle-bred PTSD. Not to be excluded, the third sibling in their dysfunctional triumvirate, Mitch, also arrives, convinced that his experiences as a failed cop and unfrocked priest will come in handy to protect Kate and avenge their aunt's murder. Taking out a psychopathic kingpin seems to be a matter of simple plotting until U.S. Marshal Mason enters the picture and coerces recovering heroin addict Kate into avoiding drug charges by seducing Dio and becoming an informant. Throughout, Bruen's Galway remains soaked in jaded wisdom and flickers of suspense-driving hope. A bittersweet cameo of Bruen's previous protagonist, PI Jack Taylor, signals a passing of torches, keeping fans of Bruen's gut-punching noir hooked, while attracting new readers with black-cloud Mitch.

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Starred review from August 1, 2021
Kate Mitchell catches the eye of murderous drug kingpin Dio, when he spots a family photo while he's murdering her aunt, and he's ready for her when she arrives in Galway to inherit her aunt's home. Dio had it earmarked as a trap house for his Galway methamphetamine empire, but that takes a back seat to revenge after Kate dishes him a casually brutal rejection. Dio sends his lieutenant, Keegan, to punish her, prompting Kate to beckon her amped-up brother, Colin, from Brooklyn, where he's been recovering from battle-bred PTSD. Not to be excluded, the third sibling in their dysfunctional triumvirate, Mitch, also arrives, convinced that his experiences as a failed cop and unfrocked priest will come in handy to protect Kate and avenge their aunt's murder. Taking out a psychopathic kingpin seems to be a matter of simple plotting until U.S. Marshal Mason enters the picture and coerces recovering heroin addict Kate into avoiding drug charges by seducing Dio and becoming an informant. Throughout, Bruen's Galway remains soaked in jaded wisdom and flickers of suspense-driving hope. A bittersweet cameo of Bruen's previous protagonist, PI Jack Taylor, signals a passing of torches, keeping fans of Bruen's gut-punching noir hooked, while attracting new readers with black-cloud Mitch.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 23, 2021
Early in this propulsive standalone from Edgar finalist Bruen (the Jack Taylor series), Brooklyn resident Kate Mitchell, who’s struggling to kick a heroin habit, wakes up from an alcohol-induced bender to find a letter from an Irish lawyer informing her that her 79-year-old aunt, Mary Casey, has died and left Kate a cottage in the Galway village of Claddagh. Hoping for a fresh start, Kate leaves Brooklyn with her two surviving brothers: one a priest and former police officer, the other a hotheaded ex-Marine. In Galway, they learn their aunt was murdered. Mary was approached by Dio Ortiz, a drug dealer with ties to a cartel, who was procuring houses to use as meth labs in Claddagh. When Dio saw a photo of Kate on Mary’s mantel, he thought Kate resembled his obsession, opera singer Maria Callas, and killed Mary in the hope that would bring Kate to Galway, “where he’d woo her.” The Mitchells soon find themselves on the receiving end of a campaign of intimidation. Lively characters and the author’s trademark wit compensate for the convoluted plot. Bruen fans will clamor for more. Agent: Lukas Ortiz, Philip G. Spitzer Agency.