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The Guards
- Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Until a dazzling woman walks into the bar with a strange request and a rumour about Jack's talent for finding things. Odds are he won't be able to climb off his barstool long enough to get involved, but when he surprises himself by getting hired, Jack has little idea of what he's getting into.
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What listeners say about The Guards
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- John
- 08-09-13
This is literature, not just crime fiction
A friend told me I should check out this book.
I did.
I was afraid I'd get hooked.
I am.
Friends tell me I now talk like Jack Taylor as rendered by the marvelous Gerry O'Brien
I do.
This is a wonderfully written, humorous and touching story. The crime is nearly beside the point. I'm lining up the Ken Bruen books now and plan to devour them one after another.
Great stuff.
23 people found this helpful
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- Avi Stachenfeld
- 03-27-12
BRUEN...THE BEST
...of all mystery writers, bruen is the best...writer, that is...the story is just along for the ride... a unique knack for dialogue, an unrivaled knowledge of music and literature... an ability to find a poignant phrase that speaks to the deepest parts of each of us...never a word in excess... orwell would be proud! the reader, gerry o'brien, a perfect complement to bruen's prose.
12 people found this helpful
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- Lawrence
- 01-07-13
Almost flawless
Bruen captures the pathos and humour of a drunken Irish dick. Self destructive and so human, it is hard not to identify with the lead (I can't call him hero) of this book. Beckett meets Chandler and a stone bottle of cheap gin.
Offered wine after a dinner of a six pack of beer, Jack says, "Ah fuckit man," then confides that that is the abridged version of the Serenity Prayer.
You get the picture.
6 people found this helpful
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- Sharon
- 12-25-17
Wonderful
I almost passed on this book due to all the negative reviews about main character's drinking problem. Not sure what their issues are. This was a great story with interesting and well developed characters. Very Irish Loved it and plan on listening to the whole series
5 people found this helpful
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- Terry
- 10-08-13
Hated this book.
This book was not at all what is was portrayed to be about. This was more about the problems of alcoholism than a murder mystery.
5 people found this helpful
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- Gavin
- 02-19-11
Great book for alcoholics
ThIs is basically about drinking. The author is pretty funny, and the main character is likable. But something was missing.
10 people found this helpful
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- Cheryl
- 03-23-14
A drunken hero . . . sounds lovely, huh?
I did not like the way that the author, Ken Bruen, continuely went on and on about Jack Taylor’s alcoholism. It took away from the plot of the story.
The character, Jack, self-pitied himself, couldn’t find love, and couldn’t stop drinking. It got a little annoying and lost the focus of the plot, finding out who murdered the girl.
I was definitely glad when the story was over. I don’t think that I will continue with the series “The Killing of the Tinkers.” I have a feeling the author will continue to have Jack’s alcoholism lead the story.
3 people found this helpful
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- Dan
- 11-10-13
Ireland's answer to Harry Hole
I really love Taylor's flawed character. The dialogue held the classic sort of Irish humor I'd hoped for. My only complaint is that I wished it had gone on longer.
3 people found this helpful
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- Cecelia O'Rourke
- 12-11-19
God bless he Irishisms
Read this book and laughed. This time I listened to it and didn’t laugh as much... the sadness of alcoholism bore hard on me. Loved he narration and the accents .
Have read the whole series and highly recommend. Thank you Ken Brien.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kimberly
- 08-23-18
A little to much drunk
The story has potential, I got tired of the guy being drunk all the time. It seemed more a story of an alcoholic and his troubles than a murder mystery.
1 person found this helpful
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- Haggis 1
- 09-12-20
Too many hangovers
Too much about the life of an alcoholic and too little (almost nothing) about finding the criminal - unconvincing if you read it sober.
2 people found this helpful
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- Deirdre
- 08-26-12
ok
I chose this book because i was looking for books narrated by Gerry O Brien. Enjoyable but forgettable. Not a patch on others he has narrated.
2 people found this helpful
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- Heike
- 04-15-11
Undervalued Gem!
I cannot understand why Ken Bruen does no get the recognition he deserves. If you like scandinavian crime novels with slightly dysfunctional protagonists who have an unhealthy relationship with booze, you will love Jack Taylor. However in contrary to his nordic counterparts he is not permanently close to depression but displays a very Irish cynicism. The crime itself plausibly developed.
Listening to Gerry O'Brien as a narrator is a pleasure (I hate it when Irish books are read by English narrators). If you are looking for an intelligent but witty crime novel, go for it!
2 people found this helpful
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- Fergus Anthony Dolan
- 08-09-19
Hidden gem
I stumbled across this. A rambling plot does not diminish an outstanding prose. Beautifully read. This could be a magnificent writer, I look forward to the next book.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mr StuartC67
- 02-09-17
Watched the TV show.
Watched the TV show, So I had to get the book. I really enjoyed both but as you all know so much more detail in the book.
1 person found this helpful
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- Michael Heavisides
- 03-06-22
Brilliant book
Brilliant book from start to finish,the characters all seem real and the story was gripping.
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- Adam Sheridan
- 05-27-21
I hoped for more
After seeing the Jack Taylor shows I had hoped for more. The author is good but I'm not sure if he suits this story. The story itself is more about his struggle with alcohol than any actual crime or investigation. I can only hope this is a build up to more compelling stories. I'll give the next book a go and see.
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- Pamela
- 07-25-19
Lots of character and style but a thin plot
This is not a crime thriller but the record of a good man in decline through drink. Jack Taylor brings destruction not only on himself but also on those sround him. He doesn't pretend to be a great detective - and he's not. The suspected murder he is investigating is resolved not by him, but by others and the ending is suitably ironic.
This is a novel crying out to be heard rather than read and the narration is excellent.The style is a cross between James Joyce and Raymond Chandler. Jack is well-read, and if you are too, you will enjoy the literary allusions.