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The Rage
Vincent Naylor, just released from jail, resumes doing what he does best, planning for an armored car robbery. Bob Tidey, an honest policeman, discouraged by his colleagues making deals with criminals and about to commit perjury, is investigating the murder of a crooked banker. A call from an old acquaintance will change his course of investigation. Maura Coady, a retired nun living on regrets and bad memories, sees something that she can't ignore and decides to tell someone. She makes a phone call that sets in motion a violent fate.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2011
56 people are currently reading
1079 people want to read
About the author
Gene Kerrigan
17 books40 followersGene Kerrigan is an Irish journalist and novelist who grew up in Cabra in Dublin. His works include political commentary on Ireland since the 1970s in such publications as Magill magazine and the Sunday Independent newspaper. He has also written about Ireland for International Socialism magazine. He was chosen as World Journalist of the Year in 1985 and 1990, and has written books, including fiction and non-fiction. His book The Rage won the 2012 Gold Dagger for the best crime novel of the year.
http://www.amazon.com/wiki/Gene_Kerri...
http://www.amazon.com/wiki/Gene_Kerri...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
May 14, 2022
Es una novela de personajes.
Al principio, parece que toda la trama va a rodar sobre la investigación de un asesinato. En plena crisis económica, han asesinado a un empresario inmobiliario y, de alguna manera, este hecho se conecta con otro asesinato en el que el sargento Bob Tidey se vio implicado. Bob es un tipo que se involucra emocionalmente en sus investigaciones. Empatiza con las víctimas y con los acusados porqué entiende las situaciones. El dolor es compartido. Es un policía que cae bien a todo el mundo.
Después, está Vincent Naylor. Acaba de salir de la cárcel y está planeando un gran robo junto a su hermano y otros compinches. Este va a ser el tema principal que va a desencadenar toda la acción.
La novela se lee muy rápido y es muy amena.
Técnicamente es una novela de 3 estrellas, porqué la trama es algo absurda. La investigación del asesinato es irrelevante. No lleva a nada. Todo parece una excusa para llegar al robo y a la venganza personal que lleva a cabo Vincent Naylor.
Pero es una novela muy bien escrita. Dublín está bien dibujada. La penetración psicológica en la mente de los personajes es excelente.
A pesar de sus errores, me ha entretenido mucho.
---------------------------------
It is a novel of characters.
At the beginning, it seems that the whole plot is going to revolve around a murder investigation. In the middle of the economic crisis, a property developer has been murdered and somehow this is connected to another murder in which Sergeant Bob Tidey was implicated. Bob is a guy who gets emotionally involved in his investigations. He empathises with the victims and the accused because he understands the situations. The pain is shared. He's a cop that everybody likes.
Then there's Vincent Naylor. He has just been released from prison and is planning a big robbery with his brother and other cronies. This is going to be the main theme that will trigger all the action.
The novel reads very fast and is very enjoyable.
Technically it is a 3 star novel, because the plot is a bit absurd. The murder investigation is irrelevant. It leads to nothing. It all seems like an excuse to get to the robbery and the personal revenge that Vincent Naylor carries out.
But it is a very well written novel. Dublin is well drawn. The psychological penetration into the minds of the characters is excellent.
Despite its faults, I was highly entertained.
Al principio, parece que toda la trama va a rodar sobre la investigación de un asesinato. En plena crisis económica, han asesinado a un empresario inmobiliario y, de alguna manera, este hecho se conecta con otro asesinato en el que el sargento Bob Tidey se vio implicado. Bob es un tipo que se involucra emocionalmente en sus investigaciones. Empatiza con las víctimas y con los acusados porqué entiende las situaciones. El dolor es compartido. Es un policía que cae bien a todo el mundo.
Después, está Vincent Naylor. Acaba de salir de la cárcel y está planeando un gran robo junto a su hermano y otros compinches. Este va a ser el tema principal que va a desencadenar toda la acción.
La novela se lee muy rápido y es muy amena.
Técnicamente es una novela de 3 estrellas, porqué la trama es algo absurda. La investigación del asesinato es irrelevante. No lleva a nada. Todo parece una excusa para llegar al robo y a la venganza personal que lleva a cabo Vincent Naylor.
Pero es una novela muy bien escrita. Dublín está bien dibujada. La penetración psicológica en la mente de los personajes es excelente.
A pesar de sus errores, me ha entretenido mucho.
---------------------------------
It is a novel of characters.
At the beginning, it seems that the whole plot is going to revolve around a murder investigation. In the middle of the economic crisis, a property developer has been murdered and somehow this is connected to another murder in which Sergeant Bob Tidey was implicated. Bob is a guy who gets emotionally involved in his investigations. He empathises with the victims and the accused because he understands the situations. The pain is shared. He's a cop that everybody likes.
Then there's Vincent Naylor. He has just been released from prison and is planning a big robbery with his brother and other cronies. This is going to be the main theme that will trigger all the action.
The novel reads very fast and is very enjoyable.
Technically it is a 3 star novel, because the plot is a bit absurd. The murder investigation is irrelevant. It leads to nothing. It all seems like an excuse to get to the robbery and the personal revenge that Vincent Naylor carries out.
But it is a very well written novel. Dublin is well drawn. The psychological penetration into the minds of the characters is excellent.
Despite its faults, I was highly entertained.
July 23, 2013
This is an excellent police procedural set in contemporary Ireland where the high-flying Irish economy has collapsed into a heap, leaving a trail of destruction and desperation in its wake.
As the book opens, Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey is caught in an act of perjury when he claims that he did not see an act of possible police brutality that occurred in a bar where he was having a drink. The consequences of his action remain to be determined. Meanwhile, a corrupt banker who was caught up in the financial collapse is shot to death in his expensive home and Tidey is assigned to the case. It's very quickly going to take him in a direction that his superiors would rather not go, leaving Tidey in yet another bind.
As Tidey wrestles with these problems, a minor criminal named Vincent Naylor is released from prison where he has been serving a sentence for assault. Naylor is a bit older and considerably wiser as a result of his stint in prison and he emerges with a new sense of discipline. With his older brother, he plots an audacious and clever crime, and he is determined to ignore any distraction that might have earlier compromised his chances of success.
At the same time, an elderly nun is wrestling with her conscience over actions she took years earlier in the service of the church. One afternoon, she sees something out her window that troubles her and she calls Bob Tidey, whom she knows from an earlier incident. This sets into motion a string of developments that will have enormous consequences for significant numbers of people.
It would be unfair to say anything beyond that, but Gene Kerrigan has created a great cast of very believable characters and inserted them into an especially intriguing plot. Additionally, his commentary about the current social and economic climate in Ireland seems dead-on. This is a book that won the Gold Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for Best Crime Novel of 2012 and it should appeal to large numbers of crime fiction fans.
As the book opens, Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey is caught in an act of perjury when he claims that he did not see an act of possible police brutality that occurred in a bar where he was having a drink. The consequences of his action remain to be determined. Meanwhile, a corrupt banker who was caught up in the financial collapse is shot to death in his expensive home and Tidey is assigned to the case. It's very quickly going to take him in a direction that his superiors would rather not go, leaving Tidey in yet another bind.
As Tidey wrestles with these problems, a minor criminal named Vincent Naylor is released from prison where he has been serving a sentence for assault. Naylor is a bit older and considerably wiser as a result of his stint in prison and he emerges with a new sense of discipline. With his older brother, he plots an audacious and clever crime, and he is determined to ignore any distraction that might have earlier compromised his chances of success.
At the same time, an elderly nun is wrestling with her conscience over actions she took years earlier in the service of the church. One afternoon, she sees something out her window that troubles her and she calls Bob Tidey, whom she knows from an earlier incident. This sets into motion a string of developments that will have enormous consequences for significant numbers of people.
It would be unfair to say anything beyond that, but Gene Kerrigan has created a great cast of very believable characters and inserted them into an especially intriguing plot. Additionally, his commentary about the current social and economic climate in Ireland seems dead-on. This is a book that won the Gold Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for Best Crime Novel of 2012 and it should appeal to large numbers of crime fiction fans.
November 17, 2015
Publicado en http://www.caninomag.es/critica-la-fu...
‘La furia’ – Hardboiled coral en la Irlanda contemporánea.
La novela policíaca en Irlanda no solo procede del reverso tenebroso de John Banville o John Connolly. Kerrigan insufla mucha mala leche y tensión dramática a una historia que progresa in crescendo y que no puede quedar en el olvido.
La colección Al margen de Sajalín nos está dando muchas alegrías; sobre todo porque, aunque el contenido podría ser calificado como novela negra-policíaca, la heterogeneidad de autores que van siendo escogidos y sus diferentes estilos y temáticas van un poco más allá de etiquetas estándar: Dazai, Bunker, Gresham, Vern E. Smith (y, en el futuro cercano, el gran Charles Wileford) son buena muestra de ello. El caso es que el resultado está denotando un muy buen gusto además de estar acompañados por ediciones cuidadas y traducciones conseguidas.
Otro gran ejemplo de este catálogo os lo traigo a continuación en la persona de Gene Kerrigan, periodista irlandés autor de La furia, novela negra por la que ganó en el año 2012 el prestigioso Gold Dagger Award que entrega The Crime Writers’ Association. Kerrigan compone un relato que busca más la coralidad que el solipsismo de un detective al uso y lo ambienta en una Irlanda contemporánea azotada por los coletazos de la crisis económica. Con estos ingredientes me gustaría hacer hincapié en estas características que definen esta lectura más allá de la trama.
casas-irlandesas
Hablemos de la situación: “-Siento cierta curiosidad acerca de cómo van a arreglar este follón: bancos que quiebran, colas de gente pidiendo comida –dijo James-. Cuando era joven, iba por ahí puño en alto, cantando el himno laborista, toda esa mierda. Ahora los sindicatos han pasado de moda, pero tuvimos que luchar por todo lo que conseguimos: más salario, menos horas, mejores condiciones. Hoy en día es como si todo el mundo estuviera agradecido por ser una unidad de producción, porque te enchufen o te desenchufen según la voluntad del patrón.”
Irlanda, como España, ha sufrido por la crisis debido sobre todo a la burbuja inmobiliaria que desencadenó lo que ya todos sabemos: bancos sin crédito para afrontar las deudas, personas que van al paro, empresas que no pueden luchar contra los pagos, etc. El irlandés nos muestra una conexión con un pasado que fue muy diferente por el grado de implicación, y no duda en llamar conformistas a los que sufren la situación actual. Una de las características del capitalismo es conseguir que aceptemos lo que nos sucede porque no podemos hacer más de lo que se está haciendo. En este marco, muy actual, es donde ambienta una serie de sucesos que darán lugar a varias líneas de actuación según el personaje que hable. Ante la uniformidad de lo colectivo confrontará a tres personajes que utilizará para desencadenar las líneas narrativas. Tres puntos de vista, tres formas de avanzar distintas y únicas en sí mismas.
Triunvirato narrativo
-Bob Tidey: la honestidad. Tidey lleva veinticinco años en el cuerpo luchando contra el crimen, personifica lo que debe hacerse. No es especial, solo un humilde detective que intenta hacer lo mejor posible su trabajo, a pesar de que, a veces, tenga que enfrentarse al orden establecido que le subyuga, como en esta conversación de su superior O’Keefe con él:
“-Deja que te explique una cosa, Bob. Tú no eres Sherlock Holmes, no eres Sam Spade. No tienes ningún mandato para pasearte por los barrios bajos buscando misterios que resolver. Y tampoco eres Batman, ni estás aquí para limpiar Gotham City.
-Conozco mi trabajo.
-Eres un servidor público. Se te ha entregado un expediente y se te ha dicho que interrogues a cualquiera que pueda tener respuestas. Luego devuelves el expediente y pasas página. Los demás decidirán qué hacer con ese expediente.”
Y lo hace a pesar de que su situación personal no sea la más adecuada. Separado de su mujer, necesitado de cariño, de un perdón que no se le concede; como mucho, algún momento de expansión: “En esos cuatro años, Tidey no había tenido ninguna relación que durara más de un par de semanas. No tenía ni idea de qué clase de vida llevaba Holly. Una noche, melancólica y un poco borracha, llamó a Tidey y lo invitó a pasarse por casa.
-Estamos bien, ¿no? –dijo Tidey antes de abandonar la casa aquella noche.
-Tú y yo nunca estaremos bien.
-¿Nunca me perdonarás?
Holly levantó la mirada.
-Esta noche necesitaba que alguien me abrazara. Y necesitaba un polvo sin el rollo habitual. Y todavía me gustas, todavía te deseo. Y no, nunca te perdonaré.”
Para Tidey lo mejor sería que todo se resolviera sencillamente: “El caso del asesinato ideal para un agente de policía no es aquel en el que aparecen pistas y coartadas, venenos desconocidos y móviles rocambolescos. El asesinato ideal es aquel en el que se sabe que la víctima cabreó a alguien, y cuando llega la policía ese alguien está junto al cadáver con un hacha ensangrentada en la mano. Con un poco de suerte, varias personas habrán presenciado lo que ocurrió y alguien habrá descargado un vídeo del asesinato de treinta segundos en Youtube. Cualquier cosa más complicada ya era un dolor de huevos.”
Afortunadamente, a pesar de esta posible comodidad, conseguirá salir de lo establecido para poder realizar su labor.
rage-the
-Vincent Naylor: la ansiedad. Naylor, recién salido de la prisión, quiere encauzar su vida a su manera; es la contraposición de lo que representa Tidey: “Sacudirle al friqui había sido divertido, pero no valía la pena correr esos riesgos. Se habían acabado las chorradas impulsivas, a partir de ahora solo negocios. Vincent Naylor sabía que ni con todo el cuidado del mundo podía impedir que algún día se le acabara la suerte. Pero antes obraría con inteligencia. Se dejaría de chorradas e imprudencias. Solo negocios. Los negocios son los negocios y la diversión es la diversión. Y si tienes claro que lo primero es lo primero, te queda mucho tiempo para lo segundo.”
De hecho, no duda en hacer lo que haga falta para que esto suceda; va más allá de limitaciones éticas, si necesita matar a alguien lo hará, porque ya lo ha hecho y una vez se cruza esa línea no hay marcha atrás. Sorprende la frialdad a la hora de narrar un hecho de tanta gravedad: Kerrigan no duda al pintar un enemigo de este calibre, es creíble y, según se desarrollan los hechos, desencadena una venganza de sangrientas consecuencias: “En sus trabajillos había llevado armas no más de media docena de veces, y solo en dos ocasiones había disparado a alguien. La primera vez se cargó a un listillo que le tocaba las narices a Mickey Kavanagh, un jugador que de vez en cuando le daba trabajo. Simplemente se colocó a la espalada del tipo y le pegó un tiro detrás del oído izquierdo. Antes de que aquel pringado cayera al suelo, Vincent ya había echado a andar.
Mickey estuvo generoso, pero el dinero no fue lo más importante, sino que Vincent se demostró a sí mismo que era capaz de hacerlo. Era una línea que, una vez la cruzabas por primera vez, te hacía distinto al resto del rebaño. Te señalaba como a alguien capaz de arreglárselas por su cuenta sin tener que depender de nadie. Lo que más sorprendió a Vincent fue que tampoco era nada del otro mundo. No sentía ningún impulso de volver a hacerlo, pero sabía que no se cortaría si había que repetirlo.”
-Maura Coady: el remordimiento. El tercer eje narrativo es una monja retirada, acosada por el dolor, necesitada de una expiación porque se declara culpable; es reveladora la conversación que mantiene Tidey con ella; ante las dudas del detective ella no duda en reconocer sus malos actos en el pasado: “-Algunos, pero no todos. Ni siquiera casi todos. Y no todos los sacerdotes violaban a niños, ni todas las monjas les daban palizas. En este trabajo, si quieres ser de alguna utilidad, enseguida aprendes que hay que tener una mentalidad abierta.
-¿Inocente hasta que no se demuestra la culpabilidad?
-Algo así.
Maura se quedó allí sentada, como si algo le rondara por la cabeza. A continuación dijo:
-Soy culpable.”
Precisamente, Kerrigan usa esos remordimientos para resolver la trama, la capacidad de observación de la ex monja unida a su necesidad de expiar sus pecados servirá para frustrar un robo por un lado, y para originar una sucesión de muertes por otro lado. Coady lucha cada día por reconocer lo malo que ha hecho en su vida y sabe que no hay redención, lo único que la queda es vivir con esa situación: “-Toda mi vida he creído en el sacramento de la confesión, pero siempre me he preguntado si no era, bueno… algo un tanto cómodo. –Una triste sonrisa le cruzó la cara-. Nadie tiene derecho a hacer borrón y cuenta nueva, excepto la gente a la que perjudicamos. Y ahora están ahí fuera, luchando por seguir adelante con su vida. Nuestra culpa no es su problema.
-¿No hay redención?
-Y no debería haberla. Simplemente hay que vivir con ello, creo. Reconocer nuestros actos y vivir con ellos.”
Es la actitud de Coady la que refleja donde Kerrigan nos quiere llevar: hacia la imposibilidad de obtener perdón cuando se hace mal a los demás. El impresionante acto final, cargado de violencia por todas las muertes que se producen (y la forma en que se producen, con un Naylor desatado), nos deja un atisbo de esperanza y un regusto de calidad enmedio del paladar. Esa sensación de haber leído una gran novela.
Los textos provienen de la traducción de Damià Alou de La furia de Gene Kerrigan para la editorial Sajalín.
‘La furia’ – Hardboiled coral en la Irlanda contemporánea.
La novela policíaca en Irlanda no solo procede del reverso tenebroso de John Banville o John Connolly. Kerrigan insufla mucha mala leche y tensión dramática a una historia que progresa in crescendo y que no puede quedar en el olvido.
La colección Al margen de Sajalín nos está dando muchas alegrías; sobre todo porque, aunque el contenido podría ser calificado como novela negra-policíaca, la heterogeneidad de autores que van siendo escogidos y sus diferentes estilos y temáticas van un poco más allá de etiquetas estándar: Dazai, Bunker, Gresham, Vern E. Smith (y, en el futuro cercano, el gran Charles Wileford) son buena muestra de ello. El caso es que el resultado está denotando un muy buen gusto además de estar acompañados por ediciones cuidadas y traducciones conseguidas.
Otro gran ejemplo de este catálogo os lo traigo a continuación en la persona de Gene Kerrigan, periodista irlandés autor de La furia, novela negra por la que ganó en el año 2012 el prestigioso Gold Dagger Award que entrega The Crime Writers’ Association. Kerrigan compone un relato que busca más la coralidad que el solipsismo de un detective al uso y lo ambienta en una Irlanda contemporánea azotada por los coletazos de la crisis económica. Con estos ingredientes me gustaría hacer hincapié en estas características que definen esta lectura más allá de la trama.
casas-irlandesas
Hablemos de la situación: “-Siento cierta curiosidad acerca de cómo van a arreglar este follón: bancos que quiebran, colas de gente pidiendo comida –dijo James-. Cuando era joven, iba por ahí puño en alto, cantando el himno laborista, toda esa mierda. Ahora los sindicatos han pasado de moda, pero tuvimos que luchar por todo lo que conseguimos: más salario, menos horas, mejores condiciones. Hoy en día es como si todo el mundo estuviera agradecido por ser una unidad de producción, porque te enchufen o te desenchufen según la voluntad del patrón.”
Irlanda, como España, ha sufrido por la crisis debido sobre todo a la burbuja inmobiliaria que desencadenó lo que ya todos sabemos: bancos sin crédito para afrontar las deudas, personas que van al paro, empresas que no pueden luchar contra los pagos, etc. El irlandés nos muestra una conexión con un pasado que fue muy diferente por el grado de implicación, y no duda en llamar conformistas a los que sufren la situación actual. Una de las características del capitalismo es conseguir que aceptemos lo que nos sucede porque no podemos hacer más de lo que se está haciendo. En este marco, muy actual, es donde ambienta una serie de sucesos que darán lugar a varias líneas de actuación según el personaje que hable. Ante la uniformidad de lo colectivo confrontará a tres personajes que utilizará para desencadenar las líneas narrativas. Tres puntos de vista, tres formas de avanzar distintas y únicas en sí mismas.
Triunvirato narrativo
-Bob Tidey: la honestidad. Tidey lleva veinticinco años en el cuerpo luchando contra el crimen, personifica lo que debe hacerse. No es especial, solo un humilde detective que intenta hacer lo mejor posible su trabajo, a pesar de que, a veces, tenga que enfrentarse al orden establecido que le subyuga, como en esta conversación de su superior O’Keefe con él:
“-Deja que te explique una cosa, Bob. Tú no eres Sherlock Holmes, no eres Sam Spade. No tienes ningún mandato para pasearte por los barrios bajos buscando misterios que resolver. Y tampoco eres Batman, ni estás aquí para limpiar Gotham City.
-Conozco mi trabajo.
-Eres un servidor público. Se te ha entregado un expediente y se te ha dicho que interrogues a cualquiera que pueda tener respuestas. Luego devuelves el expediente y pasas página. Los demás decidirán qué hacer con ese expediente.”
Y lo hace a pesar de que su situación personal no sea la más adecuada. Separado de su mujer, necesitado de cariño, de un perdón que no se le concede; como mucho, algún momento de expansión: “En esos cuatro años, Tidey no había tenido ninguna relación que durara más de un par de semanas. No tenía ni idea de qué clase de vida llevaba Holly. Una noche, melancólica y un poco borracha, llamó a Tidey y lo invitó a pasarse por casa.
-Estamos bien, ¿no? –dijo Tidey antes de abandonar la casa aquella noche.
-Tú y yo nunca estaremos bien.
-¿Nunca me perdonarás?
Holly levantó la mirada.
-Esta noche necesitaba que alguien me abrazara. Y necesitaba un polvo sin el rollo habitual. Y todavía me gustas, todavía te deseo. Y no, nunca te perdonaré.”
Para Tidey lo mejor sería que todo se resolviera sencillamente: “El caso del asesinato ideal para un agente de policía no es aquel en el que aparecen pistas y coartadas, venenos desconocidos y móviles rocambolescos. El asesinato ideal es aquel en el que se sabe que la víctima cabreó a alguien, y cuando llega la policía ese alguien está junto al cadáver con un hacha ensangrentada en la mano. Con un poco de suerte, varias personas habrán presenciado lo que ocurrió y alguien habrá descargado un vídeo del asesinato de treinta segundos en Youtube. Cualquier cosa más complicada ya era un dolor de huevos.”
Afortunadamente, a pesar de esta posible comodidad, conseguirá salir de lo establecido para poder realizar su labor.
rage-the
-Vincent Naylor: la ansiedad. Naylor, recién salido de la prisión, quiere encauzar su vida a su manera; es la contraposición de lo que representa Tidey: “Sacudirle al friqui había sido divertido, pero no valía la pena correr esos riesgos. Se habían acabado las chorradas impulsivas, a partir de ahora solo negocios. Vincent Naylor sabía que ni con todo el cuidado del mundo podía impedir que algún día se le acabara la suerte. Pero antes obraría con inteligencia. Se dejaría de chorradas e imprudencias. Solo negocios. Los negocios son los negocios y la diversión es la diversión. Y si tienes claro que lo primero es lo primero, te queda mucho tiempo para lo segundo.”
De hecho, no duda en hacer lo que haga falta para que esto suceda; va más allá de limitaciones éticas, si necesita matar a alguien lo hará, porque ya lo ha hecho y una vez se cruza esa línea no hay marcha atrás. Sorprende la frialdad a la hora de narrar un hecho de tanta gravedad: Kerrigan no duda al pintar un enemigo de este calibre, es creíble y, según se desarrollan los hechos, desencadena una venganza de sangrientas consecuencias: “En sus trabajillos había llevado armas no más de media docena de veces, y solo en dos ocasiones había disparado a alguien. La primera vez se cargó a un listillo que le tocaba las narices a Mickey Kavanagh, un jugador que de vez en cuando le daba trabajo. Simplemente se colocó a la espalada del tipo y le pegó un tiro detrás del oído izquierdo. Antes de que aquel pringado cayera al suelo, Vincent ya había echado a andar.
Mickey estuvo generoso, pero el dinero no fue lo más importante, sino que Vincent se demostró a sí mismo que era capaz de hacerlo. Era una línea que, una vez la cruzabas por primera vez, te hacía distinto al resto del rebaño. Te señalaba como a alguien capaz de arreglárselas por su cuenta sin tener que depender de nadie. Lo que más sorprendió a Vincent fue que tampoco era nada del otro mundo. No sentía ningún impulso de volver a hacerlo, pero sabía que no se cortaría si había que repetirlo.”
-Maura Coady: el remordimiento. El tercer eje narrativo es una monja retirada, acosada por el dolor, necesitada de una expiación porque se declara culpable; es reveladora la conversación que mantiene Tidey con ella; ante las dudas del detective ella no duda en reconocer sus malos actos en el pasado: “-Algunos, pero no todos. Ni siquiera casi todos. Y no todos los sacerdotes violaban a niños, ni todas las monjas les daban palizas. En este trabajo, si quieres ser de alguna utilidad, enseguida aprendes que hay que tener una mentalidad abierta.
-¿Inocente hasta que no se demuestra la culpabilidad?
-Algo así.
Maura se quedó allí sentada, como si algo le rondara por la cabeza. A continuación dijo:
-Soy culpable.”
Precisamente, Kerrigan usa esos remordimientos para resolver la trama, la capacidad de observación de la ex monja unida a su necesidad de expiar sus pecados servirá para frustrar un robo por un lado, y para originar una sucesión de muertes por otro lado. Coady lucha cada día por reconocer lo malo que ha hecho en su vida y sabe que no hay redención, lo único que la queda es vivir con esa situación: “-Toda mi vida he creído en el sacramento de la confesión, pero siempre me he preguntado si no era, bueno… algo un tanto cómodo. –Una triste sonrisa le cruzó la cara-. Nadie tiene derecho a hacer borrón y cuenta nueva, excepto la gente a la que perjudicamos. Y ahora están ahí fuera, luchando por seguir adelante con su vida. Nuestra culpa no es su problema.
-¿No hay redención?
-Y no debería haberla. Simplemente hay que vivir con ello, creo. Reconocer nuestros actos y vivir con ellos.”
Es la actitud de Coady la que refleja donde Kerrigan nos quiere llevar: hacia la imposibilidad de obtener perdón cuando se hace mal a los demás. El impresionante acto final, cargado de violencia por todas las muertes que se producen (y la forma en que se producen, con un Naylor desatado), nos deja un atisbo de esperanza y un regusto de calidad enmedio del paladar. Esa sensación de haber leído una gran novela.
Los textos provienen de la traducción de Damià Alou de La furia de Gene Kerrigan para la editorial Sajalín.
September 4, 2014
THE RAGE plunges the reader deep into the damaged psyche of a post-boom Ireland. It forces the reader into an uncomfortably close observation of Vincent Naylor, a vicious petty thug. Author Kerrigan also forces the reader into a close acquaintanceship with Vincent's violent criminal world. There is his older brother Noel, confederates like Liam Delaney who deals in illegal firearms, an enforcer named Micky Kavanagh who once employed Vincent and Liam, and Kavanagh's boss, Frank Tucker, to name just a few of these associates.
The sociology at first seems simple. There is a permanent criminal underclass that deals in drugs, extortion, bribery, and theft. Drug addicts, informants, disloyal gang members, and violent perpetrators are the most frequent murder victims. However, the economic collapse has changed all this. The ranks of the jobless are now swollen with the working poor. Unemployment, poverty and homelessness have violated and unraveled the implicit authority structure. The Catholic Church is still reeling from revelations of child abuse. Wealthy speculators in collusion with the politicians have caused the collapse of the banking system. James Snead, grandfather of a young drug mule broods: “'After ...the fight for freedom, about throwing off the foreign yoke — they gave the country away. The politicians fell in love with the smart fellas — gave them any law they wanted.
The smart fellas made speeches and gave interviews about how smart they were.... And in the end it was the smart fellas broke the country in pieces, without any help at all from the red brigades.'” (p.88)
Even the police labor beneath a cloud of complicity. Snead reminds Detective Sergeant Tidey about the Garda's brutal strike-breaking tactics in the '80's. The more recent Donegal Scandal that included planting of fake evidence, bullying witnesses and extortion is another bit of Garda legacy that people remember. This is a society haunted by its history. The litany of injustices have accumulated and are handed down through the generations like heirlooms. Even Tidey's father once warned him: “'...you get the habit of bowing and scraping, it becomes part of your nature. Don't get the habit....'” (p.86) Vincent Naylor's cynical pay-back mentality mirrors the society's sense of betrayal on the part of its leadership.
The case at hand seems straight forward. A millionaire is gunned down in his own home. The millionaire was a shady real estate speculator and heavily leveraged financier named Sweetman. The case only becomes interesting when ballistics reports one of the guns used in Sweetman's murder was also involved in the cold case murder of Snead's grandson. Tidey investigated the Snead case but could never prove anything, and it quickly sank into oblivion. Now, however, with a link to the murder of a high profile millionaire, a task force is quickly assembled and Tidey is assigned to the new case.
Kerrigan deftly switches between Tidey's murder investigation, Naylor's current criminal enterprise, and the observations of a retired nun — another acquaintance from Tidey's past. He does not delve deeply into the characters. The narrative dwells instead on an intricate and suspenseful plot where justice assumes a highly subjective character. Even Tidey pauses to weigh the pros and cons of committing perjury after witnessing a barroom brawl. “He'd little appetite for hanging a conviction on a couple of drunken yobs who'd had the bad luck to bump into a couple of coppers equally eager to spray testosterone over everything in sight. On the other hand, to give evidence that confirmed the amateurism of the two uniforms was the route to professional isolation. In some circumstances it might be the right thing to do — but he'd no interest in sacrificing his career on the altar of justice for a couple of drunken fools.” (p.27)
The pervasive moral ambiguity is both fresh and uncomfortable for the reader. That sense of discomfort is accentuated by the frequent references to American popular culture. It prevents the reader from distancing himself from the choices confronted by the characters, from evading the consequences of a society freighted with history in favor of an illusion that everyone is free to re-invent himself.
On the other hand, the demands of the plot at times interfered with the unflinching social commentary. Short chapters with frequent scene shifts made the narrative feel choppy. Including the murder victims, there were over two dozen characters. The diligent reader will feel as if he needs one of those whiteboards with photos and connecting strings as seen in so many TV police procedurals. This was an interesting book, but not one of my favorites.
The sociology at first seems simple. There is a permanent criminal underclass that deals in drugs, extortion, bribery, and theft. Drug addicts, informants, disloyal gang members, and violent perpetrators are the most frequent murder victims. However, the economic collapse has changed all this. The ranks of the jobless are now swollen with the working poor. Unemployment, poverty and homelessness have violated and unraveled the implicit authority structure. The Catholic Church is still reeling from revelations of child abuse. Wealthy speculators in collusion with the politicians have caused the collapse of the banking system. James Snead, grandfather of a young drug mule broods: “'After ...the fight for freedom, about throwing off the foreign yoke — they gave the country away. The politicians fell in love with the smart fellas — gave them any law they wanted.
The smart fellas made speeches and gave interviews about how smart they were.... And in the end it was the smart fellas broke the country in pieces, without any help at all from the red brigades.'” (p.88)
Even the police labor beneath a cloud of complicity. Snead reminds Detective Sergeant Tidey about the Garda's brutal strike-breaking tactics in the '80's. The more recent Donegal Scandal that included planting of fake evidence, bullying witnesses and extortion is another bit of Garda legacy that people remember. This is a society haunted by its history. The litany of injustices have accumulated and are handed down through the generations like heirlooms. Even Tidey's father once warned him: “'...you get the habit of bowing and scraping, it becomes part of your nature. Don't get the habit....'” (p.86) Vincent Naylor's cynical pay-back mentality mirrors the society's sense of betrayal on the part of its leadership.
The case at hand seems straight forward. A millionaire is gunned down in his own home. The millionaire was a shady real estate speculator and heavily leveraged financier named Sweetman. The case only becomes interesting when ballistics reports one of the guns used in Sweetman's murder was also involved in the cold case murder of Snead's grandson. Tidey investigated the Snead case but could never prove anything, and it quickly sank into oblivion. Now, however, with a link to the murder of a high profile millionaire, a task force is quickly assembled and Tidey is assigned to the new case.
Kerrigan deftly switches between Tidey's murder investigation, Naylor's current criminal enterprise, and the observations of a retired nun — another acquaintance from Tidey's past. He does not delve deeply into the characters. The narrative dwells instead on an intricate and suspenseful plot where justice assumes a highly subjective character. Even Tidey pauses to weigh the pros and cons of committing perjury after witnessing a barroom brawl. “He'd little appetite for hanging a conviction on a couple of drunken yobs who'd had the bad luck to bump into a couple of coppers equally eager to spray testosterone over everything in sight. On the other hand, to give evidence that confirmed the amateurism of the two uniforms was the route to professional isolation. In some circumstances it might be the right thing to do — but he'd no interest in sacrificing his career on the altar of justice for a couple of drunken fools.” (p.27)
The pervasive moral ambiguity is both fresh and uncomfortable for the reader. That sense of discomfort is accentuated by the frequent references to American popular culture. It prevents the reader from distancing himself from the choices confronted by the characters, from evading the consequences of a society freighted with history in favor of an illusion that everyone is free to re-invent himself.
On the other hand, the demands of the plot at times interfered with the unflinching social commentary. Short chapters with frequent scene shifts made the narrative feel choppy. Including the murder victims, there were over two dozen characters. The diligent reader will feel as if he needs one of those whiteboards with photos and connecting strings as seen in so many TV police procedurals. This was an interesting book, but not one of my favorites.
May 9, 2012
Gene Kerrigan is one of Ireland’s leading columnists and a keen observer and critic of Irish social and political life. In The Rage he weaves together a whole series of astute observations regarding the financial crisis, the property bust, the Ryan Report and Church abuses, and gangland crime. The writing is superb, with prose that is engaging and well paced, credible dialogue and a range of nicely penned characters that feel like real people. Kerrigan does a fine job at tugging and twisting the various strands together to produce a compelling narrative. Whilst there are resolutions with respect to both the Sweetman and Naylor cases, I like that Kerrigan has left them somewhat ambiguous and unsettling. It fits with the whole unsettling feel of the book. For anyone who lives in Ireland what is disconcerting is that reading the novel feels like seeing society reflected back as it is, rather than simply reading a story. Excellent stuff.
March 21, 2013
I'm going to Ireland in a few weeks, so like any sensible fan of mysteries and thrillers, I've been reading contemporary Irish writers. Gene Kerrigan's latest book, "The Rage", came to my attention via an interview with the author on NPR's "Fresh Air." Other reviews have summarized the plot and central characters better than I could. If it's a synopsis you're looking for, check out a couple of the long reviews on Amazon. I'll keep my comments brief and focus on why I think Kerrigan's book is worth buying and reading. Yes, the characters are interesting and the plot moves along crisply. But what distinguishes Kerrigan's book from the above-average mystery is neither the characters nor the plot. It is his insight into contemporary Irish culture. It is the way he educates the reader about the the impact of boom and bust cycles (the machine is the conglomerate of bankers and politicians) on the lives of Irish people. The choices available to both cops and criminals is impacted by these faceless merchants of greed and power. Fiction books, I find, often are the best medium for educating the willing learner. Kerrigan manages to entertain and educate . He makes me want to walk the streets of Dublin, but he also makes me wary of the dark that lurks just around the corner. Unless your idea of a good airplane read in Joyce's "Ulysses", Kerrigan is a journey worth making.
April 29, 2016
The fourth and (thus far) the last, I believe, of Gene Kerrigan's crime novels – it is a touch slower than the first three, but still first-rate. If you like the genre, Kerrigan should go to the very, very top of your TBR list.
March 1, 2013
No wonder that this amazing novel by Gene Kerrigan won the prestigious Crime Writers Association 2012 Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year . Not only Kerrigan's prose is flawless, but his pace and intricate plot, makes this novel a true discovery. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy World Noir and want to be entertained as well as enthralled form page one.
November 27, 2015
Another high quality Irish crime novel from the author. Dark and gritty with completely realistic characters and situations and excellent plotting and pacing.
September 21, 2017
...engaging and colorful Irish setting made it more interesting
Want to read
April 30, 2019Synopsis: Vincent Naylor, just released from jail, resumes doing what he does best, planning and taking part in armoured-car robberies.
October 4, 2018
„Das hier waren Peanuts. Er hatte zig Millionen – so was wie hundertvierzig Millionen – in Grundstücke investiert. Alles mit geborgtem Geld – und beliehen mit Aktien, die keinen Cent wert waren. Das wird nie zurückgezahlt. Dann ist da noch der Betrug – Sweetman und seine Kumpels haben Millionen von Bank zu Bank verschoben, um die Rechnungsprüfer im Dunkel n zu lassen, haben Transfers als Einzahlungen abgeschrieben, um den Aktienkurs anzukurbeln. Schließlich hätten wir da noch die Steuertricks – der Kerl hätte eine Enzyklopädie über >Wie bescheiße ich am besten< verfassen können.“ (S. 116)
Der Bulle
Dublin kurz nach der Bankenkrise. Leer stehende Gebäude, nicht fertig gebaute Hüllen, geplatzte Träume. Nur nicht für die Banker. Zumindest für die meisten. Einen hat es doch erwischt, ermordet in seinem eigenen Haus. Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey ermittelt. Gleichzeitig erhält er von einer alten Bekannten, Maura Cody, einer früheren Nonne, einen Anruf. Ein Wagen wurde in ihrer Straße geparkt. Einer Seitenstraße, kaum Verkehr, unbekannte Männer. Ein Fluchtwagen? Tidey meldet es weiter und der Wagen wird observiert.
Tidey ist lange im Dienst, hat einiges gesehen. Und er weiß, dass Recht nicht immer unbedingt etwas mit Gerechtigkeit zu tun hat. Doch der Bulle liegt ihm. Besonnen und pragmatisch geht er an seine Fälle, schreckt aber eben auch nicht davor zurück, für eine alte Frau alles mal kurz liegen zu lassen. Ein einsamer Wolf, ja, aber einer, der es nicht gerne ist. Seine Exfrau lässt ihn ab und an in sein altes Leben zurück, seine Vorgesetzten verpassen ihm zwar gerne einen Maulkorb, wissen aber, was sie an ihm haben.
Der Dieb
Vincent Naylor ist gerade aus dem Knast entlassen und richtet sich sein Leben ein. Eine neue Freundin ist gefunden, er wohnt in einer Wohnung in einem leer stehenden Apartmenthaus. Kein Luxus, aber auch keine Miete, nur ein wenig Schmiergeld. Außerdem wird sich das schon bald ändern, denn Vincent hat einen todsicheren Plan, um gemeinsam mit Noel, seinem Bruder und zwei weiteren, an massig viel Geld heranzukommen: Übernahme eines Geldtransporters. Und der Plan klappt hervorragend, bis Noel und einer der anderen beim Fluchtwagen ankommen und er fürchterlich in die Brüche geht.
Vincent Naylor, jemand, der von sich behauptet nicht jähzornig zu sein, sich zurückhalten zu können, seine Wut unter Kontrolle zu haben – und doch ist er genau weil er sich nicht zurückhalten konnte, eingefahren. Doch jetzt ist er ja draußen und alles wird anders. Mit diesem einen, letzten Coup. Damit kommt so viel Geld in die Kasse, dass man es sich danach gemütlich machen kann. Und der Plan ist schließlich absolut narrensicher. Doch als sein geliebter Bruder, der sich gerade ergeben wollte, von einem Polizisten beim Fluchtwagen erschossen wird, sieht Naylor rot. All seine Wut bricht sich Bahn und er begibt sich in einen beispiellosen Amoklauf.
Mit Makeln
Keiner der Beteiligten ist über Fehl und Tadel erhaben. Tidey lässt sich in einem Gerichtsprozess bei der Falschaussage erwischen, auch wenn er nur keine Lust hatte, einen Streit zu schlichten, erhält er dafür natürlich eine Rüge. Der tote Banker hatte sowieso Dreck am Stecken, aber als Banker gehört das ja zum guten Ton – welcher von denen hat denn damals in der Krise nicht mitgemischt? Doch höchstens die kleinen Rädchen ganz unten im Getriebe. Doch auch Maura Cody, als Nonne eigentlich untadelig, erhob damals ihre Hand zur „Erziehung“ der Waisenkinder. Jeder kämpft mit seinen eigenen Dämonen, manche können diese besiegen, andere verlieren.
Sieg und Niederlage
Die Schlacht mag vielleicht gewonnen sein, der Krieg noch lange nicht. Der Autor beleuchtet die irische Gesellschaft, zwischen Religion und Kapitalismus, und dies grelle Licht zeigt, keiner ist hier der Gewinner. Alle haben verloren. Brüder, Moral, Geld – was spielt letztendlich keine Rolle. So gesehen, ein düsterer, irischer Noir mit nur wenig Aussicht auf Hoffnung, wenn auch Tidey einen kleinen Funken im Dunklen aufrecht erhält. Zwei Fälle, die an sich erst mal nur den Detective gemein haben, zufällig verknüpft, die in einem Alptraum enden. Und doch hat der Krimi wenig mit dem Mainstream gemein, es geht nicht um Ermittlungen, es geht um Hintergründe, Schuld, Reue und Wut. Um das Leben. So wie es eben manchmal ist. Hart und ungerecht. Noir.
Fazit:
Ein Buch wie ein wütender Hornissenschwarm. Es trifft einen und piesackt jede Stelle im Körper, so wie ein Noir das auch machen soll. Düster, packend und gewaltig!
Der Bulle
Dublin kurz nach der Bankenkrise. Leer stehende Gebäude, nicht fertig gebaute Hüllen, geplatzte Träume. Nur nicht für die Banker. Zumindest für die meisten. Einen hat es doch erwischt, ermordet in seinem eigenen Haus. Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey ermittelt. Gleichzeitig erhält er von einer alten Bekannten, Maura Cody, einer früheren Nonne, einen Anruf. Ein Wagen wurde in ihrer Straße geparkt. Einer Seitenstraße, kaum Verkehr, unbekannte Männer. Ein Fluchtwagen? Tidey meldet es weiter und der Wagen wird observiert.
Tidey ist lange im Dienst, hat einiges gesehen. Und er weiß, dass Recht nicht immer unbedingt etwas mit Gerechtigkeit zu tun hat. Doch der Bulle liegt ihm. Besonnen und pragmatisch geht er an seine Fälle, schreckt aber eben auch nicht davor zurück, für eine alte Frau alles mal kurz liegen zu lassen. Ein einsamer Wolf, ja, aber einer, der es nicht gerne ist. Seine Exfrau lässt ihn ab und an in sein altes Leben zurück, seine Vorgesetzten verpassen ihm zwar gerne einen Maulkorb, wissen aber, was sie an ihm haben.
Der Dieb
Vincent Naylor ist gerade aus dem Knast entlassen und richtet sich sein Leben ein. Eine neue Freundin ist gefunden, er wohnt in einer Wohnung in einem leer stehenden Apartmenthaus. Kein Luxus, aber auch keine Miete, nur ein wenig Schmiergeld. Außerdem wird sich das schon bald ändern, denn Vincent hat einen todsicheren Plan, um gemeinsam mit Noel, seinem Bruder und zwei weiteren, an massig viel Geld heranzukommen: Übernahme eines Geldtransporters. Und der Plan klappt hervorragend, bis Noel und einer der anderen beim Fluchtwagen ankommen und er fürchterlich in die Brüche geht.
Vincent Naylor, jemand, der von sich behauptet nicht jähzornig zu sein, sich zurückhalten zu können, seine Wut unter Kontrolle zu haben – und doch ist er genau weil er sich nicht zurückhalten konnte, eingefahren. Doch jetzt ist er ja draußen und alles wird anders. Mit diesem einen, letzten Coup. Damit kommt so viel Geld in die Kasse, dass man es sich danach gemütlich machen kann. Und der Plan ist schließlich absolut narrensicher. Doch als sein geliebter Bruder, der sich gerade ergeben wollte, von einem Polizisten beim Fluchtwagen erschossen wird, sieht Naylor rot. All seine Wut bricht sich Bahn und er begibt sich in einen beispiellosen Amoklauf.
Mit Makeln
Keiner der Beteiligten ist über Fehl und Tadel erhaben. Tidey lässt sich in einem Gerichtsprozess bei der Falschaussage erwischen, auch wenn er nur keine Lust hatte, einen Streit zu schlichten, erhält er dafür natürlich eine Rüge. Der tote Banker hatte sowieso Dreck am Stecken, aber als Banker gehört das ja zum guten Ton – welcher von denen hat denn damals in der Krise nicht mitgemischt? Doch höchstens die kleinen Rädchen ganz unten im Getriebe. Doch auch Maura Cody, als Nonne eigentlich untadelig, erhob damals ihre Hand zur „Erziehung“ der Waisenkinder. Jeder kämpft mit seinen eigenen Dämonen, manche können diese besiegen, andere verlieren.
Sieg und Niederlage
Die Schlacht mag vielleicht gewonnen sein, der Krieg noch lange nicht. Der Autor beleuchtet die irische Gesellschaft, zwischen Religion und Kapitalismus, und dies grelle Licht zeigt, keiner ist hier der Gewinner. Alle haben verloren. Brüder, Moral, Geld – was spielt letztendlich keine Rolle. So gesehen, ein düsterer, irischer Noir mit nur wenig Aussicht auf Hoffnung, wenn auch Tidey einen kleinen Funken im Dunklen aufrecht erhält. Zwei Fälle, die an sich erst mal nur den Detective gemein haben, zufällig verknüpft, die in einem Alptraum enden. Und doch hat der Krimi wenig mit dem Mainstream gemein, es geht nicht um Ermittlungen, es geht um Hintergründe, Schuld, Reue und Wut. Um das Leben. So wie es eben manchmal ist. Hart und ungerecht. Noir.
Fazit:
Ein Buch wie ein wütender Hornissenschwarm. Es trifft einen und piesackt jede Stelle im Körper, so wie ein Noir das auch machen soll. Düster, packend und gewaltig!
October 24, 2019
A cop manipulates the system to stop an enraged killer, neatly contrasted against post-financial crisis Ireland, where an upper class of bankers and politicos manipulate the system to keep down an enraged working class.
The robbery of an armoured car is a highlight, very little action but adrenaline-filled nonetheless.
A great reminder of how crime fiction is great for studying contemporary social issues, though the scene where the cop converses with the (former?) nun about what it’s like to belong to an organization that suddenly loses the public’s trust was a little too on the nose.
From Rage:
Austerity hits the crime genre:
The robbery of an armoured car is a highlight, very little action but adrenaline-filled nonetheless.
A great reminder of how crime fiction is great for studying contemporary social issues, though the scene where the cop converses with the (former?) nun about what it’s like to belong to an organization that suddenly loses the public’s trust was a little too on the nose.
From Rage:
Austerity hits the crime genre:
October 16, 2025
Novela negra con una ambientación muy buena y un lenguaje a la altura de la misma. Me ha convencido la trama y me han convencido los personajes.
September 7, 2013
I won a copy of "The Rage" by Gene Kerrigan through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest. This is an excellent crime thriller with non-stop action, set in Dublin, Ireland. The Rage won the "Crime Writers Association for Best Novel of the Year in 2012." This book was so well written, it was a pleasure to read.
Detective Sgt.Bob Tidey, Cavendish Avenue is called in to investigate the murder of a crooked banker, Emmet Sweetman, who was assaulted at the door of his home by two men with a double-barrelled shotgun and everything happened so fast...he was now lying on his back on the floor...icy cold.
James Snead was a former construction worker. He was a friend of Tidey, and when Jame's daughter died of an overdose, Tidey was part of the investigation. But Tidey and James still remained friends. Tidey tells James that he has just been assigned to a murder case, the Sweetman case, where one of the guns turned out to be the gun that killed Oliver Snead,an unsolved killing eighteen months earlier. If Tidey can find out who killed Sweetman, it might lead to whoever killed Oliver. Tidey's job was to concentrate on possible connections between the two murders.
Vincent Naylor is an ex-con, recently released from jail, and was now planning his next job, robbery of an armored car. The wheels were in motion.
A retired nun, Maura Coady was concerned about two men, wearing plastic gloves, who left their car in front of her house...and they never came back for it. After suspecting something isn't right, she calls in a tip to the police, which may have placed her life in danger.
This novel reflects the political and economic issues of its time. There is an abundance of characters in this novel, but all believable and rich in their makeup. This novel is fast-paced with scenes overlapping, but everything comes together by the end of the novel. The novel is nonstop action and suspense. And all players must live with the consequences of their decisions.
Detective Sgt.Bob Tidey, Cavendish Avenue is called in to investigate the murder of a crooked banker, Emmet Sweetman, who was assaulted at the door of his home by two men with a double-barrelled shotgun and everything happened so fast...he was now lying on his back on the floor...icy cold.
James Snead was a former construction worker. He was a friend of Tidey, and when Jame's daughter died of an overdose, Tidey was part of the investigation. But Tidey and James still remained friends. Tidey tells James that he has just been assigned to a murder case, the Sweetman case, where one of the guns turned out to be the gun that killed Oliver Snead,an unsolved killing eighteen months earlier. If Tidey can find out who killed Sweetman, it might lead to whoever killed Oliver. Tidey's job was to concentrate on possible connections between the two murders.
Vincent Naylor is an ex-con, recently released from jail, and was now planning his next job, robbery of an armored car. The wheels were in motion.
A retired nun, Maura Coady was concerned about two men, wearing plastic gloves, who left their car in front of her house...and they never came back for it. After suspecting something isn't right, she calls in a tip to the police, which may have placed her life in danger.
This novel reflects the political and economic issues of its time. There is an abundance of characters in this novel, but all believable and rich in their makeup. This novel is fast-paced with scenes overlapping, but everything comes together by the end of the novel. The novel is nonstop action and suspense. And all players must live with the consequences of their decisions.
November 20, 2013
Ireland's economic bubble has burst and people are out of work, losing their houses, and furious with the banking industry. In this setting, a noir mystery takes place. Bob Tidey is a sergeant in the Irish Garda, a good cop with a dilemma. "No moral thing to do. But something had to be done."
Bob Tidey is the guarda (Irish policeman) on site when the murder of Eric Sweetman takes place. Sweetman is a banker with ties to fraudulent scams that involve big money. Tidey thinks this murder is connected to the murder of a low level hood named Snead and he wants to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Enter into this picture one Vincent Naylor, recently released from jail for viciously beating up someone. Now, Vincent has big plans. He wants to rob a Protecta Van, the van that picks up money from different banks. Along with him on this crime scheme are his brother Noel and a couple of other lowlifes. Vincent thinks he's now in the big time. Vincent, however, is a psychopath and his behavior becomes quite unpredictable.
Maura Coady is a nun who happens to realize that there is a car parked in front of her house that shouldn't be there. It is identified as a get-away car for a crime. It has false plates and no registration. The police are on to it. However, Maura is now in trouble for identifying the vehicle and calling the guardai.
The above is the setting for the book which is a thriller with complex characterizations, moral twists and turns, and good writing. Kerrigan knows how to get the reader's attention and his characters are far from plastic models. They breathe deeply and come alive in the pages. I highly recommend this mystery to anyone who enjoys good noir and a heart-racing mystery.
Bob Tidey is the guarda (Irish policeman) on site when the murder of Eric Sweetman takes place. Sweetman is a banker with ties to fraudulent scams that involve big money. Tidey thinks this murder is connected to the murder of a low level hood named Snead and he wants to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Enter into this picture one Vincent Naylor, recently released from jail for viciously beating up someone. Now, Vincent has big plans. He wants to rob a Protecta Van, the van that picks up money from different banks. Along with him on this crime scheme are his brother Noel and a couple of other lowlifes. Vincent thinks he's now in the big time. Vincent, however, is a psychopath and his behavior becomes quite unpredictable.
Maura Coady is a nun who happens to realize that there is a car parked in front of her house that shouldn't be there. It is identified as a get-away car for a crime. It has false plates and no registration. The police are on to it. However, Maura is now in trouble for identifying the vehicle and calling the guardai.
The above is the setting for the book which is a thriller with complex characterizations, moral twists and turns, and good writing. Kerrigan knows how to get the reader's attention and his characters are far from plastic models. They breathe deeply and come alive in the pages. I highly recommend this mystery to anyone who enjoys good noir and a heart-racing mystery.
Read
August 6, 2013I read somewhere that the best way to get to know a city is to read a mystery set there. On the plane to Dublin, I started reading Gene Kerrigan's The Rage, and by the time I finished it, I could easily picture the scenes of Detective Bob Tidey on the boardwalk on the north bank of the Liffey, as well as other classic Dublin settings.
The story is told through multiple close third person POVs including Tidey, a career criminal named Vincent Naylor and a few others. The plot is tight and the characters are full -- the one character I thought was kind of one dimensional is revealed to be anything but in a passage where she describes her involvement with Catholic abuse scandals. All in all, a very entertaining thriller that paints a portrait of Dublin in 2012 -- the Celtic Tiger and subsequent bust are as much characters as the petty criminals and newspaper reporters.
One thing to note for readers accustomed to violent stories: Irish police officers are generally unarmed and carrying small firearms requires a lot of registration for private citizens and therefore gun violence is low. The point is, if you're used to reading Lee Child, you have to get back into a more realistic state of mind to understand the impact of the violence in this book.
The story is told through multiple close third person POVs including Tidey, a career criminal named Vincent Naylor and a few others. The plot is tight and the characters are full -- the one character I thought was kind of one dimensional is revealed to be anything but in a passage where she describes her involvement with Catholic abuse scandals. All in all, a very entertaining thriller that paints a portrait of Dublin in 2012 -- the Celtic Tiger and subsequent bust are as much characters as the petty criminals and newspaper reporters.
One thing to note for readers accustomed to violent stories: Irish police officers are generally unarmed and carrying small firearms requires a lot of registration for private citizens and therefore gun violence is low. The point is, if you're used to reading Lee Child, you have to get back into a more realistic state of mind to understand the impact of the violence in this book.
January 3, 2014
Difficult one this. I thought I was having trouble getting into it but then realised I had read fifty pages just as a taster. I carried on reading, still thinking it was a bit cliched and too many characters to deal with, and soon passed the one hundred mark. I was casually criticising the book for having two dimensional characters as I raced past page two hundred and then imposed a late supper on everyone by finishing the book in one sitting.
It touches on some important subjects and deals with them (catholic church and abuse) in a very sensitive and very courageous way. There are surprises in this novel. The main character (I guess) is a very unlikeable young man and the Irish cop is a bit of a composite. But that's where crime fiction sort of has to be (bad sentence).
This delivers on the entertainment level, it grips as a genre novel should, and it leaves the reader with uncomfortable questions that he or she probably didn't think needed answering.
Only three stars, but I reserve the right to increase that as I dwell on the effects of reading it.
A bit of a surprise.
It touches on some important subjects and deals with them (catholic church and abuse) in a very sensitive and very courageous way. There are surprises in this novel. The main character (I guess) is a very unlikeable young man and the Irish cop is a bit of a composite. But that's where crime fiction sort of has to be (bad sentence).
This delivers on the entertainment level, it grips as a genre novel should, and it leaves the reader with uncomfortable questions that he or she probably didn't think needed answering.
Only three stars, but I reserve the right to increase that as I dwell on the effects of reading it.
A bit of a surprise.
November 20, 2016
I personally found this book quite hard to get into, there are lots of characters and the fact that the story jumps between them means that you have to concentrate to keep track. I didn't feel overall that the key personalities were developed enough to fully keep my interest.
The first crook introduced is Vincent Naylor who has just completed a stretch of time in prison for assault even though his preferred crime is robbery. He vows to only do jobs in future which are worth returning to prison for. The policeman, Detective Sergent Bob Tidey is introduced via court, he perjured himself to protect a couple of hot headed colleagues, he is assigned to a murder case which brings him into contact with Vincent Naylor.
There is a lot in this book which reflects the effects of the recent financial crisis along with criticism of the politicians which makes this more than a simple crime story,
The first crook introduced is Vincent Naylor who has just completed a stretch of time in prison for assault even though his preferred crime is robbery. He vows to only do jobs in future which are worth returning to prison for. The policeman, Detective Sergent Bob Tidey is introduced via court, he perjured himself to protect a couple of hot headed colleagues, he is assigned to a murder case which brings him into contact with Vincent Naylor.
There is a lot in this book which reflects the effects of the recent financial crisis along with criticism of the politicians which makes this more than a simple crime story,
March 20, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It had a great sense of place within Ireland and Kerrigan had some wonderful characters. Tidey the detective was likable as a protagonist and I felt that the portrayal of the antagonist in Vincent Naylor was well done. So much so that there was a sense of sympathy for him. This probably came from Kerrigan’s writing of grief that Naylor goes through. There are some tough subjects covered within the book and they are covered well without making readers feel uncomfortable or preached to. I will definitely read Kerrigan again.
September 30, 2018
Oh how I wish Gene Kerrigan were more prolific. This is an author who would make the world a much better place for lovers of crime and detective fiction if he would write a really, really long series.
His characters are fully developed and authentic. His plots are meticulous and do not disappoint in the last quarter of the book, as do so many other authors’ efforts.
His characters are fully developed and authentic. His plots are meticulous and do not disappoint in the last quarter of the book, as do so many other authors’ efforts.
January 26, 2013
Superb - gifted Irish journalist Kerrigan (for example The Usual Suspects) delivers cogent mix of violence and corruption in post Celtic Tiger Ire4land. Also see starred Review in the Library Journal
August 16, 2024
I did not think this was a great story. None of the characters gained my interest - they appeared to be all flawed (maybe that was the author's point) and their flaws were all fairly major.
The book ended in the way the story unfolded, a little disappointedly.
The book ended in the way the story unfolded, a little disappointedly.
February 7, 2013
Full review posted at The New York Journal Of Books:
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie...
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/revie...
May 11, 2013
THE RAGE is a darned good police/crime novel. In some ways, Bob Tidey reminded me of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and that is a good thing.
September 19, 2015
Quite good. For once i'd like the 'bad guys' to come out winners:(
I would give this 3 1/2 stars.
I would give this 3 1/2 stars.
January 17, 2017
Another wander through Dublin's mean streets; emphasis on the mean.
August 19, 2021
This is a 2011 book by Irish author Gene Kerrigan. The book won the Crime Writers' Association’s 2012 Gold Dagger Award. The setting is in Dublin after the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, which severely damaged the Irish economy. The book basically has two parallel stories. The first story is a heist story plotted by a man called Vincent Naylor. We got to see the heist and how it got played out starting from the planning stage to execution and its aftermath (which turned into a revenge mass shooting story). The second story is a police procedural story on a murder investigation of a millionaire corrupt banker, real estate speculator and fraudster Emmet Sweetman. The two stories are tied together by our protagonist Detective Sergeant Bob Tidey of the Garda (the Irish police force). The book is well written and fast paced, filled with a lot of short chapters and episodes to allow multiple stories and plot lines to move forward at the same time. The plot is interesting and it is definitely a good Irish noir.
Spoiler Alert. The story starts with the murder of Sweetman in his house and Tidey being assigned to a special task force to investigate that murder. Given that is the time right after the 2008 financial crisis, and most of the people in Ireland blamed their economic plight on bankers and real estate speculators, the murder of a high-profile banker made all other bankers worried and they put pressure on the police to solve the case quickly. In parallel, Kerrigan also set out the second story, which involves a hardcore criminal Vincent Naylor planning a heist of an armored truck. As part of that heist, one of his gang members stole a car and parked it somewhere, with the plan of using it after the robbery so they can switch cars. Unfortunately for Vincent and his gang, they parked the second car outside the house of Maura Coady, an ex-nun in her 70s. She reported the suspicious car to police, who suspected it is a pre-parked clean car for an impending major crime so they put a surveillance team on the car. On the day of the heist, Vincent’s gang broke into the house of a depot manager of the armored truck company and held his wife hostage. With that the gang forced the depot manager Turlough McGuigan to convince the three guards on an armored truck (with the help of Vincent threatening all their families as well) to continue its normal route from location to location to do their daily pickup of cash. After the heist was over, Vincent and another gang member, Liam Delancey, got away clean. However, two other members of the gang, Vincent’s brother Noel Naylor and Kevin Broe, was not so lucky. When they went to pick up their prepared clean getaway car, they were ambushed by police and both were killed. Vincent, who adores his older brother Noel, was very angry (hence the book’s title The Rage). He decided to take revenge on everybody who he believes has contributed to the death of Noel and he went on a multi day shooting rampage. He first killed the security guard who was his inside man, then Noel’s ex-girlfriend Lorraine who dumped Noel, then Lorraine’s new boyfriend Albert Bannerman, a gangster. Vincent then kidnapped and killed Anthony Prendergast, a reporter who wrote disrespectfully about Noel in a newspaper article. After Vincent shot at but failed to kill the police officer in charge of the ambush, Vincent set his sight on Maura Coady the ex-nun as his next target.
In the meantime, another banker, Justin Kennedy, an associate of dead banker Sweetman, committed suicide. The Garda top brass, in order to find a way to close the Sweetman case which has dragged on for a while, came up with the convenient theory that Sweetman was about to turn state witness and was ready to testify against Kennedy. Therefore, Kennedy shot Sweetman, and then Kennedy committed suicide. Tidey was not convinced that is correct because he has discovered by then certain gangland connection to the killing that suggested some hard core criminals are involved. When the top brass ignored him and closed the case for political convenience, Tidey got very angry, fought with his boss, and was put on suspension. That was also the time when Tidey learnt his friend Coady was in trouble and could be the next target of Vincent’s revenge shootings. His boss disagreed with his risk assessment and refused to give Coady protection. Tidey then took the law into his own hands and used his connection to spread rumors that Vincent (who was in hiding and the police could not find him) has done a deal with prosecutors and Vincent has evidence he will turn over that can take down major crime boss Frank Tucker. Tucker put a hit on Vincent and smoked him out. In the end, Vincent was murdered by Tucker’s men before he got a chance to kill Coady.
Spoiler Alert. The story starts with the murder of Sweetman in his house and Tidey being assigned to a special task force to investigate that murder. Given that is the time right after the 2008 financial crisis, and most of the people in Ireland blamed their economic plight on bankers and real estate speculators, the murder of a high-profile banker made all other bankers worried and they put pressure on the police to solve the case quickly. In parallel, Kerrigan also set out the second story, which involves a hardcore criminal Vincent Naylor planning a heist of an armored truck. As part of that heist, one of his gang members stole a car and parked it somewhere, with the plan of using it after the robbery so they can switch cars. Unfortunately for Vincent and his gang, they parked the second car outside the house of Maura Coady, an ex-nun in her 70s. She reported the suspicious car to police, who suspected it is a pre-parked clean car for an impending major crime so they put a surveillance team on the car. On the day of the heist, Vincent’s gang broke into the house of a depot manager of the armored truck company and held his wife hostage. With that the gang forced the depot manager Turlough McGuigan to convince the three guards on an armored truck (with the help of Vincent threatening all their families as well) to continue its normal route from location to location to do their daily pickup of cash. After the heist was over, Vincent and another gang member, Liam Delancey, got away clean. However, two other members of the gang, Vincent’s brother Noel Naylor and Kevin Broe, was not so lucky. When they went to pick up their prepared clean getaway car, they were ambushed by police and both were killed. Vincent, who adores his older brother Noel, was very angry (hence the book’s title The Rage). He decided to take revenge on everybody who he believes has contributed to the death of Noel and he went on a multi day shooting rampage. He first killed the security guard who was his inside man, then Noel’s ex-girlfriend Lorraine who dumped Noel, then Lorraine’s new boyfriend Albert Bannerman, a gangster. Vincent then kidnapped and killed Anthony Prendergast, a reporter who wrote disrespectfully about Noel in a newspaper article. After Vincent shot at but failed to kill the police officer in charge of the ambush, Vincent set his sight on Maura Coady the ex-nun as his next target.
In the meantime, another banker, Justin Kennedy, an associate of dead banker Sweetman, committed suicide. The Garda top brass, in order to find a way to close the Sweetman case which has dragged on for a while, came up with the convenient theory that Sweetman was about to turn state witness and was ready to testify against Kennedy. Therefore, Kennedy shot Sweetman, and then Kennedy committed suicide. Tidey was not convinced that is correct because he has discovered by then certain gangland connection to the killing that suggested some hard core criminals are involved. When the top brass ignored him and closed the case for political convenience, Tidey got very angry, fought with his boss, and was put on suspension. That was also the time when Tidey learnt his friend Coady was in trouble and could be the next target of Vincent’s revenge shootings. His boss disagreed with his risk assessment and refused to give Coady protection. Tidey then took the law into his own hands and used his connection to spread rumors that Vincent (who was in hiding and the police could not find him) has done a deal with prosecutors and Vincent has evidence he will turn over that can take down major crime boss Frank Tucker. Tucker put a hit on Vincent and smoked him out. In the end, Vincent was murdered by Tucker’s men before he got a chance to kill Coady.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2021
This is billed for fans of The Wire and I totally get that. I always think that Wire-like books are ones similar to George Pelecanos novels, books I admire more than enjoy. This is one such work.
There is a lot to admire about this one. Gene Kerrigan’s prose is smooth and he definitely understands Recession Era Ireland. I got a good sense of what happened over there and how it affected everyone from the moneymakers to the lower class. The set ups to all of the crimes are very well done; a few were even clever, especially near the end. The dialogue was fine.
So again, I admired this book. It’s good. It’s competently written. It deserves 4 stars and I’ll read Kerrigan again, especially when I want to reconnect with the Irish underworld.
However…
I just never seem to get the full amount of satisfaction from these kinds of crime novels. The Wire comp is accurate because books like these (and most Pelecanos stories) always feel like I’m watching a random episode of The Wire. It makes for great reading (or, to use the example, “watching”) but if you don’t have the full context, you can’t appreciate it. Between the characterization and the commitment to natural dialogue over hard boiled flair, these books just never feel like they hit another gear. That’s more on me than the writer, I suppose.
But they’re still good. I really want to read another Gene Kerrigan novel, and I probably will at some point. I just wish I liked them more.
There is a lot to admire about this one. Gene Kerrigan’s prose is smooth and he definitely understands Recession Era Ireland. I got a good sense of what happened over there and how it affected everyone from the moneymakers to the lower class. The set ups to all of the crimes are very well done; a few were even clever, especially near the end. The dialogue was fine.
So again, I admired this book. It’s good. It’s competently written. It deserves 4 stars and I’ll read Kerrigan again, especially when I want to reconnect with the Irish underworld.
However…
I just never seem to get the full amount of satisfaction from these kinds of crime novels. The Wire comp is accurate because books like these (and most Pelecanos stories) always feel like I’m watching a random episode of The Wire. It makes for great reading (or, to use the example, “watching”) but if you don’t have the full context, you can’t appreciate it. Between the characterization and the commitment to natural dialogue over hard boiled flair, these books just never feel like they hit another gear. That’s more on me than the writer, I suppose.
But they’re still good. I really want to read another Gene Kerrigan novel, and I probably will at some point. I just wish I liked them more.
June 22, 2018
Your basic slightly-damaged detective going above and beyond, defying his superior's order to close the case and move on, who solves and resolves both the original case and one loosely tied to it through stubbornness and a morally suspect manipulation of some bad guys. But ... set in contemporary Ireland, still reeling from the greed and damage done by the Celtic Tiger's gluttonous bankers, exploring both high and low society, with side trips to the Garda, the Catholic Church, and a psychotic killer made almost human, in the hands of a very capable writer, The Rage is a solid, very enjoyable read. Kudos to Kerrigan. He knows his stuff and he knows how to spin a yarn. In fact, I have just ordered his "Dark Times in the City." Seems I can use a bit more of Gene Kerrigan.
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