Reviews

• If there's a finer contemporary crime writer than Gene Kerrigan I have to yet to read him or her. Dublin makes a great background for the story and for his wonderfully drawn characters. Do yourself a favour and read it.

• I'm so glad I came across this writer. Gene Kerrigan writes a terrific story. The characters are well defined and the plot is extremely exciting. I was especially satisfied with the way the author gave me a very deep insight into the book's main character Danny Callaghan. Some readers are not happy if a novel "time jumps" but in this novel it works very well and actually benefits the continuity. If you enjoy writers like Mark Dawson (Soho Noir books), Ken Bruen and Derek Raymond then this book is for you. Yes we've seen similar plots and similar characters but that's par for the course in crime noir, there's only so much creativity a gangster can come up with otherwise they just might become teachers or such ! It's how each writer interprets these underworld people and their warped logic that keeps us coming back for more. I read this book in a ten hour sitting, only stopping for cups of tea ! Gene Kerrigan is an author to watch. I've just purchased his award winning novel "The Rage" which comes with myriad positive reviews. Can't wait to get started. I'm amazed at the two star review "SWEDE" gave this writer, a writer who has not only been a finalist for The Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger Award but also a winner. I surveyed "SWEDE"S past reviews; seems he even gave two editions of "THE BATHROOM READER" very few stars. Personally I enjoy my reading in a comfortable armchair in a well appointed lounge with quiet strains of classical music in the background. "SWEDE" it seems prefers a harder seat in restricted quarters. So I presume that not only the outcome of Gene Kerrigan's book affected his review but also an unsatisfactory conclusion to the business that required him to choose the smallest of rooms for his reading and subsequent contemplation of the "stars" - sadly not those of the celestial realm. Here's the blurb on Gene Kerrigan's awards.....Gene Kerrigan has won the illustrious £2,500 CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year for his novel The Rage, beating off competition from NJ Cooper, MR Hall and Chris Womersley. The Judges described his novel as “… a complex noir thriller that’s multi-layered and solidly written, with great style and pace. The depiction of post-crash Dublin has a real sense of menace and threat throughout.”

• I think back to the days spent walking the streets of Dublin. Such a comfortable city, an acceptable amount of sparkle and a reassuring worn-at-the-edges quality to it. Though we all know crime is universal, one doesn't immediately associate it with Ireland's capital. Sure, the IRA has had their impact but unless you're resident there or in Belfast it's seldom at the top of your mind. Then I read "Dark Times in the City," a tale of Dublin's underworld, of the bit players and big shots both. And realized that when I've stepped into that coffee shop or ducked into the local pub or sought out a bottle of milk at the corner I was possibly, quite likely? face to face or shoulder to shoulder with the criminal end of humanity, that "my" world was no more pristine here than anywhere else, be it Rome or New York or Chicago. You don't often think of the possible "types" you're co-mingling with - until you read Kerrigan. He's an eye-opener, and "Dark Times" brings that home with a vengence.

• Brilliant thriller....great characters, plot and style, Unputdownable.

• Gene Kerrigan has written a page-turner with interesting and compelling characters who bristle with an Irish personality. I found it to be enthralling and as authentic as I imagine today's Ireland to be. The story is taut with more than a whiff of Elmore Leonard but this aspect is achieved with considerable deftness. I highly recommend!

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