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Ken Bruen is an Irish author that writes crime fiction. He is best known for the Jack Taylor series of novels. Bruen was born in Galway, Ireland. He has a metaphysics Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin. He also attended Gormanston College.
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Order of Inspector Brant Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A White Arrest | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Taming The Alien | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The McDead | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Blitz | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Vixen | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Calibre | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Ammunition | 2007 | Description / Buy |
Order of Jack Taylor Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Guards | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
2 | The Killing of the Tinkers | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Magdalen Martyrs | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Dramatist | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
5 | The Dead Room (Short Story) | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Priest | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Cross | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Sanctuary | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
9 | The Devil | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Headstone | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Purgatory | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Green Hell | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
13 | The Emerald Lie | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
14 | The Ghosts of Galway | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
15 | In the Galway Silence | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Galway Girl | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
17 | A Galway Epiphany | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Galway Confidential | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Order of Max and Angela Series with Jason Starr
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bust | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Slide | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Max | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Pimp | 2016 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ken Bruen Standalone Novels
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shades of Grace | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice (Short Story) | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Rilke on Black | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Hackman Blues | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
5 | London Boulevard | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Dispatching Baudelaire | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
7 | American Skin | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Once Were Cops | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Tower | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Callous (Short Story) | 2021 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ken Bruen Short Stories/Novellas
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Murder by the Book | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Time of the Green | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Wednesday’s Child (Short Story) | 2010 | Description / Buy |
Order of Ken Bruen Short Story Collections
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Sherry and Other Stories (Short Story) | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Time of Serena-May and Upon the Third Cross (Short Story) | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
4 | A Fifth of Bruen: Early Fiction of Ken Bruen | 2006 | Description / Buy |
Order of Bibliomysteries Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Book of Virtue | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Pronghorns of the Third Reich (Short Story) | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Book Thing | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
4 | The Book Case | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
5 | An Acceptable Sacrifice | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Death Leaves a Bookmark (Short Story) | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
7 | The Final Testament (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Rides a Stranger (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
9 | The Long Sonata of the Dead (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
10 | The Book of Ghosts (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
11 | The Compendium of Srem (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
12 | What's in a Name? (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Remaindered (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
14 | The Sequel (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
15 | The Gospel of Sheba (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Book Club (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
17 | The Nature of My Inheritance (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
18 | It's in the Book (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
19 | The Scroll (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
20 | The Book of the Lion (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
21 | The Little Men (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Condor in the Stacks (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Mystery, Inc. (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Every Seven Years (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
25 | From the Queen (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
26 | From the Queen (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
27 | The Travelling Companion | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
28 | Citadel (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
29 | Reconciliation Day (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
30 | Dead Dames Don't Sing (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
31 | The Haze (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
32 | Hoodoo Harry (Short Story) | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
33 | The Pretty Little Box (Short Story) | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
34 | Seven Years (Short Story) | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
35 | The Hemingway Valise | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
36 | The Last Honest Horse Thief | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
37 | The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
38 | The Girl Who Did Say No (Short Story) | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
39 | The Traitor (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
40 | The Dark Door | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
41 | The Honeymoon Trap (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy |
Chronological Order of Bibliomysteries Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Book of Virtue | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
2 | The Scroll (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Pronghorns of the Third Reich (Short Story) | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
4 | An Acceptable Sacrifice | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Death Leaves a Bookmark (Short Story) | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Seven Years (Short Story) | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
7 | The Book Thing | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
8 | The Book of Ghosts (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Book Club (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
10 | The Long Sonata of the Dead (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
11 | The Final Testament (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Rides a Stranger (Short Story) | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
13 | What's in a Name? (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
14 | It's in the Book (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
15 | The Nature of My Inheritance (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Remaindered (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
17 | The Compendium of Srem (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
18 | The Gospel of Sheba (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
19 | The Sequel (Short Story) | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
20 | The Book of the Lion (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
21 | The Little Men (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
22 | From the Queen (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Every Seven Years (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Citadel (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
25 | Condor in the Stacks (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
26 | Mystery, Inc. (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
27 | The Travelling Companion | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
28 | The Haze (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
29 | Dead Dames Don't Sing (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
30 | Reconciliation Day (Short Story) | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
31 | Hoodoo Harry (Short Story) | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
32 | The Pretty Little Box (Short Story) | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
33 | The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
34 | The Hemingway Valise | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
35 | The Last Honest Horse Thief | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
36 | The Book Case | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
37 | From the Queen (Short Story) | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
38 | The Girl Who Did Say No (Short Story) | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
39 | The Traitor (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
40 | The Dark Door | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
41 | The Honeymoon Trap (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy |
Order of Akashic Drug Chronicles Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Cocaine Chronicles (Short Story) | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
2 | The Marijuana Chronicles | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
3 | The Nicotine Chronicles | 2020 | Description / Buy |
Order of Mysterious Profiles Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Elvis Cole and Joe Pike | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Jack Taylor | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Jack Reacher | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Charlie Parker | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Hieronymus Bosch | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Lincoln Rhyme | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Alex Delaware | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Tess Monaghan | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Charlie Resnick | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Inspector Morse | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Dismas Hardy | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Bob Lee Swagger | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Aloysius X. L. Pendergast | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Lou Boldt (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Spenser | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Charlotte and Thomas Pitt | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
18 | John Rebus | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
19 | Mallory | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
20 | Jane Whitefield (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
21 | Ian Rutledge: A Mysterious Profile (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Amos Walker (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Precious Ramotswe (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
24 | Maisie Dobbs (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
25 | The Lincoln Lawyer (Short Story) | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
26 | Ben Kincaid (Short Story) | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
27 | Repairman Jack (Short Story) | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
28 | Peter Diamond (Short Story) | 2024 | Description / Buy | |
29 | Nathan Heller (Short Story) | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Ken Bruen Anthologies
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brooklyn Noir | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
2 | The Cocaine Chronicles | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Dublin Noir | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Damn Near Dead | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
5 | London Noir | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Killer Year: Stories to Die For... | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem and Suspense | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
8 | First Thrills | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Requiems for the Departed | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
10 | First Thrills: Volume 2 | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
11 | D*CKED | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Uncommon Assassins | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Inherit the Dead | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Kwik Krimes | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Borderland Noir | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Silent Night, Deadly Night | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Invisible Blood | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Ink and Daggers | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Bruen taught English for over two decades. The profession took him to places like Japan, South America, Africa, and Asia. It wasn’t until he returned to London after a stint in South America that Bruen put his mind to the task of writing fiction.
Bruen’s upbringing did little to encourage his artistic sensibilities. The author was a quiet child and that did not endear him to the people around him. The only book his father permitted in their home was the Bible.
As far as he was concerned, reading was not a manly undertaking. As such, Bruen’s parents did not appreciate his fascination with books. They wanted him to prioritize practical pursuits that would eventually land him a job in insurance.
At the age of ten, Bruen was fortunate enough to receive a library card as a gift. He eventually stumbled upon some discarded books in the library that he was permitted to keep. They had a significant influence on him, introducing the author to the many American writers whose works would eventually shape Bruen’s literary tastes and preferences.
Nonetheless, Bruen’s upbringing did not position him to succeed as a writer, which is why he became a teacher. Interestingly enough, the author was initially tempted to pursue acting. Following a successful audition, RADA offered him a place. But Bruen was unwilling to face the teasing he would encounter at home if he accepted RADA’s offer. So he stuck to English.
Once he got his Masters, the author began teaching English as a foreign language in other countries. The events that lured Bruen into publishing were far from pleasant.
During his time in Rio de Janeiro, a brawl at a bar landed Bruen in prison. The experience was so traumatic that Bruen rarely talks about it. He was released after four months.
After returning home, Bruen did not know what to do with himself. Writing entered the picture because the author thought that he could use the activity to heal his mental and emotional wounds. Around that same time, Bruen’s friends introduced him to a group of children they wanted to help.
But the kids were quite tough, and they hated books. Bruen decided to write a novel that would appeal to them. He did such an impressive job of capturing their voices that many of the author’s fans were surprised to learn, later on, that he was a white Irish man.
It took him a while to find his footing in publishing. Bruen’s books were unique because they featured European settings and yet the author wrote them using a style reminiscent of the American hard-boiled genre. Today, Bruen’s novels are more famous abroad than they are in Ireland.
Ken Bruen Awards
Bruen has won Shamus, Macavity, and Barry Awards. He has also received Edgar Award nominations.
Ken Bruen Books Into Movies
‘Blitz’ became a Jason Statham movie of the same name. It came out in 2011. ‘Merrick’ became the TV show ‘100 Code’. ‘London Boulevard’ became a 2010 film of the same name. It featured Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell.
Best Ken Bruen Books
The author’s stories are dark. They have been praised for their grim atmosphere. Some of Bruen’s best novels include:
The Guards: Jack Taylor’s life was over. Ireland’s Police Force had ejected him from its ranks. He had briefly tolerated notions of becoming Ireland’s first and best private investigator.
But that was during his sober moments. Alcohol had all but consumed him. As far as Jack was concerned, life had nothing of note to offer him. But then a dazzling woman walked into the bar and made a request. Naturally, Jack had to accept, though he had no idea what he had just signed up for.
The Killing of the Tinkers: Jack thought he could start over. When he left for London, he was sober. More importantly, he was determined to stay that way. But then life’s many trials shattered his dreams.
A year later, Jack is back in Galway. He has fallen back into his old habits. He can’t stop drinking or sniffing coke. When a gypsy walks into the bar, the investigator can tell that the man is a kindred spirit.
In the Gypsy’s eyes, Jack can see the same hopelessness he feels. This is why he has decided to help the man even though he has a feeling that doing so may bring more ruin into his life.
When Does The Next Ken Bruen book come out?
Ken Bruen doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Galway Confidential and was released on March, 5th 2024. It is the newest book in the Jack Taylor Series.