What do you think?
Rate this book
Abbie Kearney #1
Black Irish
In this explosive debut thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water, a brilliant homicide detective returns home, where she confronts a city’s dark demons and her own past while pursuing a brutal serial killer on a vengeful rampage.
Absalom “Abbie” Kearney grew up an outsider in her own hometown. Even being the adopted daughter of a revered cop couldn’t keep Abbie’s troubled past from making her a misfit in the working-class Irish American enclave of South Buffalo. And now, despite a Harvard degree and a police detective’s badge, she still struggles to earn the respect and trust of those she’s sworn to protect. But all that may change, once the killing starts.
When Jimmy Ryan’s mangled corpse is found in a local church basement, this sadistic sacrilege sends a bone-deep chill through the winter-whipped city. It also seems to send a message—one that Abbie believes only the fiercely secretive citizens of the neighborhood known as “the County” understand. But in a town ruled by an old-world code of silence and secrecy, her search for answers is stonewalled at every turn, even by fellow cops. Only when Abbie finds a lead at the Gaelic Club, where war stories, gossip, and confidences flow as freely as the drink, do tongues begin to wag—with desperate warnings and dire threats. And when the killer’s mysterious calling card appears on her own doorstep, the hunt takes a shocking twist into her own family’s past. As the grisly murders and grim revelations multiply, Abbie wages a chilling battle of wits with a maniac who sees into her soul, and she swears to expose the County’s hidden history—one bloody body at a time.
Absalom “Abbie” Kearney grew up an outsider in her own hometown. Even being the adopted daughter of a revered cop couldn’t keep Abbie’s troubled past from making her a misfit in the working-class Irish American enclave of South Buffalo. And now, despite a Harvard degree and a police detective’s badge, she still struggles to earn the respect and trust of those she’s sworn to protect. But all that may change, once the killing starts.
When Jimmy Ryan’s mangled corpse is found in a local church basement, this sadistic sacrilege sends a bone-deep chill through the winter-whipped city. It also seems to send a message—one that Abbie believes only the fiercely secretive citizens of the neighborhood known as “the County” understand. But in a town ruled by an old-world code of silence and secrecy, her search for answers is stonewalled at every turn, even by fellow cops. Only when Abbie finds a lead at the Gaelic Club, where war stories, gossip, and confidences flow as freely as the drink, do tongues begin to wag—with desperate warnings and dire threats. And when the killer’s mysterious calling card appears on her own doorstep, the hunt takes a shocking twist into her own family’s past. As the grisly murders and grim revelations multiply, Abbie wages a chilling battle of wits with a maniac who sees into her soul, and she swears to expose the County’s hidden history—one bloody body at a time.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
319 people are currently reading
2925 people want to read
About the author
Stephan Talty
35 books293 followersStephan Talty is the New York Times bestselling author of six acclaimed books of narrative nonfiction, as well as the Abbie Kearney crime novels. Originally from Buffalo, he now lives outside New York City.
Talty began as a widely-published journalist who has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men’s Journal, Time Out New York, Details, and many other publications. He is the author of the forthcoming thriller Hangman (the sequel to Black Irish), as well as Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Double Agent who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day (2012) and Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws Bloody Reign (2008).
His short e-book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy was the best-selling Amazon Single of 2013.
Talty began as a widely-published journalist who has contributed to the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men’s Journal, Time Out New York, Details, and many other publications. He is the author of the forthcoming thriller Hangman (the sequel to Black Irish), as well as Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Double Agent who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day (2012) and Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws Bloody Reign (2008).
His short e-book, The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy was the best-selling Amazon Single of 2013.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 463 reviews
July 20, 2014
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: In this explosive debut thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water, a brilliant homicide detective returns home, where she confronts a city’s dark demons and her own past while pursuing a brutal serial killer on a vengeful rampage.
Absalom “Abbie” Kearney grew up an outsider in her own hometown. Even being the adopted daughter of a revered cop couldn’t keep Abbie’s troubled past from making her a misfit in the working-class Irish American enclave of South Buffalo. And now, despite a Harvard degree and a police detective’s badge, she still struggles to earn the respect and trust of those she’s sworn to protect. But all that may change, once the killing starts.
When Jimmy Ryan’s mangled corpse is found in a local church basement, this sadistic sacrilege sends a bone-deep chill through the winter-whipped city. It also seems to send a message—one that Abbie believes only the fiercely secretive citizens of the neighborhood known as “the County” understand. But in a town ruled by an old-world code of silence and secrecy, her search for answers is stonewalled at every turn, even by fellow cops. Only when Abbie finds a lead at the Gaelic Club, where war stories, gossip, and confidences flow as freely as the drink, do tongues begin to wag—with desperate warnings and dire threats. And when the killer’s mysterious calling card appears on her own doorstep, the hunt takes a shocking twist into her own family’s past. As the grisly murders and grim revelations multiply, Abbie wages a chilling battle of wits with a maniac who sees into her soul, and she swears to expose the County’s hidden history—one bloody body at a time.
My Review: The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day for July 2014, is the goad I'm using to get through my snit-based unwritten reviews. Today's prompt is to discuss one's favorite crime novel, in honor of some British crime-novel beano.
Despite there being naggingly annoying lapses in continuity at three or four points, I was sucked into the violent and rage-filled vortex of this book from the get-go. The story, a standard one, is told at a breathless pace in direct, unpretentious language. The setting is seared into my memory. I feel as if I could find the park, drive the streets, point to the places I'd read about. I'm sure as hell not stopping for the cops there, Absalom/Abbie excepted.
The family secrets, the community guilt, the larger and wider implications of the vicious and bloody killings, make this procedural far more than an afternoon's entertainment. It's not Art, it's excitement! It's brutal and tough and doesn't give a flying fuck if your girlie-girl feelies are all bent. It's too busy setting you up for the next bashing!
I liked the hell out of it. It's good, every now and then, to sluice the nicey-nice from one's brain with a bracing dose of mean as fuck because I wanna be. There is NO oxytocin released in the reading of this book. Adrenaline, yes; androgen, oh my yes. We won't go into the testosterone release figures. Post-menopausal women are cautioned that they might find themselves assuming male secondary characteristics.
The sensitive members of the party are STRONGLY cautioned not to so much as handle this book. Don't do it, don't even contemplate it. Not for yinz.
Fans of the 87th Precinct, we found you a new writer to follow!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: In this explosive debut thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water, a brilliant homicide detective returns home, where she confronts a city’s dark demons and her own past while pursuing a brutal serial killer on a vengeful rampage.
Absalom “Abbie” Kearney grew up an outsider in her own hometown. Even being the adopted daughter of a revered cop couldn’t keep Abbie’s troubled past from making her a misfit in the working-class Irish American enclave of South Buffalo. And now, despite a Harvard degree and a police detective’s badge, she still struggles to earn the respect and trust of those she’s sworn to protect. But all that may change, once the killing starts.
When Jimmy Ryan’s mangled corpse is found in a local church basement, this sadistic sacrilege sends a bone-deep chill through the winter-whipped city. It also seems to send a message—one that Abbie believes only the fiercely secretive citizens of the neighborhood known as “the County” understand. But in a town ruled by an old-world code of silence and secrecy, her search for answers is stonewalled at every turn, even by fellow cops. Only when Abbie finds a lead at the Gaelic Club, where war stories, gossip, and confidences flow as freely as the drink, do tongues begin to wag—with desperate warnings and dire threats. And when the killer’s mysterious calling card appears on her own doorstep, the hunt takes a shocking twist into her own family’s past. As the grisly murders and grim revelations multiply, Abbie wages a chilling battle of wits with a maniac who sees into her soul, and she swears to expose the County’s hidden history—one bloody body at a time.
My Review: The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day for July 2014, is the goad I'm using to get through my snit-based unwritten reviews. Today's prompt is to discuss one's favorite crime novel, in honor of some British crime-novel beano.
Despite there being naggingly annoying lapses in continuity at three or four points, I was sucked into the violent and rage-filled vortex of this book from the get-go. The story, a standard one, is told at a breathless pace in direct, unpretentious language. The setting is seared into my memory. I feel as if I could find the park, drive the streets, point to the places I'd read about. I'm sure as hell not stopping for the cops there, Absalom/Abbie excepted.
The family secrets, the community guilt, the larger and wider implications of the vicious and bloody killings, make this procedural far more than an afternoon's entertainment. It's not Art, it's excitement! It's brutal and tough and doesn't give a flying fuck if your girlie-girl feelies are all bent. It's too busy setting you up for the next bashing!
I liked the hell out of it. It's good, every now and then, to sluice the nicey-nice from one's brain with a bracing dose of mean as fuck because I wanna be. There is NO oxytocin released in the reading of this book. Adrenaline, yes; androgen, oh my yes. We won't go into the testosterone release figures. Post-menopausal women are cautioned that they might find themselves assuming male secondary characteristics.
The sensitive members of the party are STRONGLY cautioned not to so much as handle this book. Don't do it, don't even contemplate it. Not for yinz.
Fans of the 87th Precinct, we found you a new writer to follow!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
August 23, 2022
Book Blog | Bookstagram
“That’s what I hate about this place,” she said.
“What?”
“Even when people are telling you the truth, it seems like they’re lying.”
Gotta say, I loved this.
The writing straight-up hits all my sweet spot - between the perfect flow of tangible detail and emotional layers, all wrapped up in a gripping mystery taking place in a next-level setting. The author even managed to completely engage me with history lessons about the city, the people and the IRA. It added depth and character to the story, the city and the people.
And there is SO MUCH HAPPENING. Never a dull moment.
Abbie is probably one of my favourite female detectives I've been introduced to in a while. She was so real. She runs her mouth, she's got attitude and emotional baggage in the most authentic amounts, and her emotional undercurrent is always just there, right under the surface of the plot.
This is one of my favourite books this year. Rich, riveting and vivid in all ways.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 5 stars
“That’s what I hate about this place,” she said.
“What?”
“Even when people are telling you the truth, it seems like they’re lying.”
Gotta say, I loved this.
The writing straight-up hits all my sweet spot - between the perfect flow of tangible detail and emotional layers, all wrapped up in a gripping mystery taking place in a next-level setting. The author even managed to completely engage me with history lessons about the city, the people and the IRA. It added depth and character to the story, the city and the people.
And there is SO MUCH HAPPENING. Never a dull moment.
Abbie is probably one of my favourite female detectives I've been introduced to in a while. She was so real. She runs her mouth, she's got attitude and emotional baggage in the most authentic amounts, and her emotional undercurrent is always just there, right under the surface of the plot.
This is one of my favourite books this year. Rich, riveting and vivid in all ways.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 5 stars
November 16, 2024
Black Irish, the first book in the Abbie Kearney series is a very solid Crime Thriller with a few scenes that gave me chills.
I loved the investigation and found the topic of the IRA experience in America very interesting.
I will read the second book in this series -- I actually wish there were more.
I really liked the protagonist, Abbie Kearney. It is nice to have a strong, smart female character who isn't afraid to be on her own. Well done.
I loved the investigation and found the topic of the IRA experience in America very interesting.
I will read the second book in this series -- I actually wish there were more.
I really liked the protagonist, Abbie Kearney. It is nice to have a strong, smart female character who isn't afraid to be on her own. Well done.
April 21, 2023
This book is a police procedural set in Buffalo, NY. More specifically, in South Buffalo, an Irish enclave where outsiders are always suspect. If you weren't born there (or better yet, in Ireland) you will always be kept at arm's length - even if you are a second-generation cop trying to solve a series of grisly murders. That cop would be Absalom (Abbie) Kearney, adopted and raised by a widowed policeman, educated at Harvard, and recently returned to the city after beginning her career as a police detective in Miami.
There are a few interesting elements to the story, but I have to admit that it was the descriptions of Buffalo that I appreciated the most. I grew up not far from Buffalo and lived in a different part of the city for many years, and the references to the places, the weather, the culture, and the economic decline kept me engaged, even though they came across as a bit outdated or heavy handed at times. The descriptions of the nerve-wracking experience of driving across Buffalo's Skyway in the winter were especially well done.
The writing is OK but no more than that, although the pacing is very good. The plot actually has potential, but the final resolution comes out of the blue. In my opinion, if Talty had omitted that and managed to structure the whole thing around the main plot, the one that dominates most of the book, it would have been stronger and more satisfying. But with less excuse for the truly bizarre circumstances of the murders, so there's that.
It doesn't help that it's difficult to get a handle on Abbie. What we learn about her doesn't add up to a complete person. For instance, her marriage and the events in her life in Miami that seem to have driven her to return to Buffalo are only vaguely sketched in. And for as sharp and capable as she is in many respects, she makes a couple of bonehead moves that nearly get her, and her partner, killed. (Note: Talty writes about how it's possible to walk across Lake Erie from Buffalo to Ft. Erie, Canada, on the ice. Do not try this. It is rarely successful and sometime fatal. Use the walkway on the Peace Bridge instead.)
It's only fair to acknowledge that I read this immediately after finishing The Heretic, a police procedural I found so well done that I gave it 5 stars, probably setting up an unfair comparison. OTOH, Talty wrote another Abbie Kearney book, this one set in North Buffalo, a part of town where I actually did live, so I will undoubtedly read that one as well. :-)
There are a few interesting elements to the story, but I have to admit that it was the descriptions of Buffalo that I appreciated the most. I grew up not far from Buffalo and lived in a different part of the city for many years, and the references to the places, the weather, the culture, and the economic decline kept me engaged, even though they came across as a bit outdated or heavy handed at times. The descriptions of the nerve-wracking experience of driving across Buffalo's Skyway in the winter were especially well done.
The writing is OK but no more than that, although the pacing is very good. The plot actually has potential, but the final resolution comes out of the blue. In my opinion, if Talty had omitted that and managed to structure the whole thing around the main plot, the one that dominates most of the book, it would have been stronger and more satisfying. But with less excuse for the truly bizarre circumstances of the murders, so there's that.
It doesn't help that it's difficult to get a handle on Abbie. What we learn about her doesn't add up to a complete person. For instance, her marriage and the events in her life in Miami that seem to have driven her to return to Buffalo are only vaguely sketched in. And for as sharp and capable as she is in many respects, she makes a couple of bonehead moves that nearly get her, and her partner, killed. (Note: Talty writes about how it's possible to walk across Lake Erie from Buffalo to Ft. Erie, Canada, on the ice. Do not try this. It is rarely successful and sometime fatal. Use the walkway on the Peace Bridge instead.)
It's only fair to acknowledge that I read this immediately after finishing The Heretic, a police procedural I found so well done that I gave it 5 stars, probably setting up an unfair comparison. OTOH, Talty wrote another Abbie Kearney book, this one set in North Buffalo, a part of town where I actually did live, so I will undoubtedly read that one as well. :-)
July 1, 2013
Sometimes, evil can simply be the turning away from a cry for help, an inaction rather than an action. Sometimes, evil is birthed in the moral apathy and emotional indifference of a community. It is sometimes said that evil is born, not made. This is not true. Evil is very definitely made, by man.
Absalom "Abbie" Kearney, the protagonist of Stephan Talty's debut thriller "Black Irish", knows this instinctually. Born and raised in the mean streets of south Buffalo, New York---a mean town full of mean people, where dive bars and drunks and wife-beaters and fag-bashers simmer in a cesspool of blue-collar Irish American self-loathing---Abbie has seen the evils that ethnic cliquishness and a troubled history has borne, and she wants out. Unfortunately, she is unable to escape it. Her career as a police detective (almost an inevitability given her temperament and the fact that she is James Kearney's daughter, the cop daughter of a legendary Buffalo cop) and the failing health of her father brings her back to Buffalo, reluctantly and cautiously.
Almost immediately, Abbie is involved in a murder case of someone she knew. Jimmy Ryan is found viciously murdered in a church basement. Soon after, another body shows up, this one of a local well-known lawyer. He is brutally skinned alive and placed in the center of the town park. More bodies are soon discovered. Abbie is now investigating a serial killer, and the worst thing: she may somehow be at the center of it.
Her investigation quickly uncovers a truth that the entire city is seemingly afraid to speak about, a truth that could explode in everyone's face and force them to confront their own guilt and complicity. It's also a truth that could shatter Abbie's already-fragile grasp on sanity and force her to confront truths about her own past.
Talty's first novel is, not to put to fine a point on it, amazing. Primarily a writer of historical non-fiction, Talty's first foray into fiction is an exciting, dark, emotionally multi-layered novel with a rich undercurrent of history and current events as well as a strong sense of place. Indeed, the Irish-American neighborhoods of South Buffalo are vividly real in this book and the city becomes a character all its own. Detective Abbie Kearney is also one of the feistiest, most adorable new heroines of the genre to come along in a while. Fans of Dennis Lehane will enjoy Talty, and I look forward to reading more of him in the near future.
Absalom "Abbie" Kearney, the protagonist of Stephan Talty's debut thriller "Black Irish", knows this instinctually. Born and raised in the mean streets of south Buffalo, New York---a mean town full of mean people, where dive bars and drunks and wife-beaters and fag-bashers simmer in a cesspool of blue-collar Irish American self-loathing---Abbie has seen the evils that ethnic cliquishness and a troubled history has borne, and she wants out. Unfortunately, she is unable to escape it. Her career as a police detective (almost an inevitability given her temperament and the fact that she is James Kearney's daughter, the cop daughter of a legendary Buffalo cop) and the failing health of her father brings her back to Buffalo, reluctantly and cautiously.
Almost immediately, Abbie is involved in a murder case of someone she knew. Jimmy Ryan is found viciously murdered in a church basement. Soon after, another body shows up, this one of a local well-known lawyer. He is brutally skinned alive and placed in the center of the town park. More bodies are soon discovered. Abbie is now investigating a serial killer, and the worst thing: she may somehow be at the center of it.
Her investigation quickly uncovers a truth that the entire city is seemingly afraid to speak about, a truth that could explode in everyone's face and force them to confront their own guilt and complicity. It's also a truth that could shatter Abbie's already-fragile grasp on sanity and force her to confront truths about her own past.
Talty's first novel is, not to put to fine a point on it, amazing. Primarily a writer of historical non-fiction, Talty's first foray into fiction is an exciting, dark, emotionally multi-layered novel with a rich undercurrent of history and current events as well as a strong sense of place. Indeed, the Irish-American neighborhoods of South Buffalo are vividly real in this book and the city becomes a character all its own. Detective Abbie Kearney is also one of the feistiest, most adorable new heroines of the genre to come along in a while. Fans of Dennis Lehane will enjoy Talty, and I look forward to reading more of him in the near future.
May 16, 2013
Anyone who lived in Charlestown or South Boston back in the day will feel right at home in Stephan Talty’s South Buffalo in “Black Irish.” Residents call the neighborhood “the County.” It’s a tight-knit community of Irish immigrant families with a rampant distrust of outsiders. Even though Detective Absalom “Abbie” Kearney grew up there and was adopted by the town’s legendary Detective John Kearney, with her “black Irish” hair, blue eyes, and Harvard degree, she’s treated as an outsider. It’s an uneasy homecoming when she returns to care for her ailing dad and investigate a series of torture killings that may be connected to a secret society with ties to the Irish Republican Army.
The first murder victim is discovered stuffed into a small crypt in a church, and the novel opens with this killing rendered from the victim’s viewpoint. Each new murder is gruesome in a different way, and Abbie becomes convinced that the killer is telling a personal story. But she hits a wall of silence when she questions relatives and friends of the victims, and soon it seems as if the killer is playing with her, leading her from one corpse to the next and dropping clues that cut frighteningly close to home.
Buffalo feels like downscale Detroit, its highway system “a network of veins laid across a dead heart.” The characters are just as vivid, especially Abbie, who is constantly being challenged to prove herself while trying to win the love of her adoptive father before he loses himself to Alzheimer’s.
-- Review originally published in the Boston Globe 4/11/2013
The first murder victim is discovered stuffed into a small crypt in a church, and the novel opens with this killing rendered from the victim’s viewpoint. Each new murder is gruesome in a different way, and Abbie becomes convinced that the killer is telling a personal story. But she hits a wall of silence when she questions relatives and friends of the victims, and soon it seems as if the killer is playing with her, leading her from one corpse to the next and dropping clues that cut frighteningly close to home.
Buffalo feels like downscale Detroit, its highway system “a network of veins laid across a dead heart.” The characters are just as vivid, especially Abbie, who is constantly being challenged to prove herself while trying to win the love of her adoptive father before he loses himself to Alzheimer’s.
-- Review originally published in the Boston Globe 4/11/2013
January 25, 2013
I was thoroughly enjoying this book until about halfway through when the main character (a sharp minded, quick thinking, strong willed but emotionally damaged woman) decided to use sex as a means of getting information from someone. It really threw a wrench in the story for me and took away from this incredible female lead. The ending seemed a bit thrown together and lacking any clues to point to who the killer really was. Well written but absolutely fizzled at the end.
July 1, 2013
Beware of the Irish mob....of Buffalo....
That is pretty much the message of Black Irish, the new mystery/thriller by author Stephan Talty.
Before one sees the 'two stars' and thinks that this book is a clunker...I want to rest assured that there is a lot in this book that is good.
The setting is interesting and having no knowledge of Buffalo...or of the rampant Irish mob they apparently have there.
Talty's heroine, Absalom Kearney is a brand new police officer to the Buffalo PD. Her adopted father was a legend on the force and Abbie now has to deal with a murder spree that threatens the relative peace of Buffalo and its suburbs.
The best part of the book are the descriptions of the Irish community in Buffalo and the character development of Kearney. One can almost imagine this as a real world and the story is believable, until about two hundred pages in. That's when everything that was credible about Talty's world comes crashing down around him and he is never quite sure about how to recover from it.
For me, the book's third act was unnecessarily problematic and destroyed the credibility of the book that had been established to that point. And ultimately, for me, this is what made the book less enjoyable.
This is a fine summer read, and if you are not expecting too much, will be a fun little tromp through a thoroughly neglected setting.
Grade: C+
That is pretty much the message of Black Irish, the new mystery/thriller by author Stephan Talty.
Before one sees the 'two stars' and thinks that this book is a clunker...I want to rest assured that there is a lot in this book that is good.
The setting is interesting and having no knowledge of Buffalo...or of the rampant Irish mob they apparently have there.
Talty's heroine, Absalom Kearney is a brand new police officer to the Buffalo PD. Her adopted father was a legend on the force and Abbie now has to deal with a murder spree that threatens the relative peace of Buffalo and its suburbs.
The best part of the book are the descriptions of the Irish community in Buffalo and the character development of Kearney. One can almost imagine this as a real world and the story is believable, until about two hundred pages in. That's when everything that was credible about Talty's world comes crashing down around him and he is never quite sure about how to recover from it.
For me, the book's third act was unnecessarily problematic and destroyed the credibility of the book that had been established to that point. And ultimately, for me, this is what made the book less enjoyable.
This is a fine summer read, and if you are not expecting too much, will be a fun little tromp through a thoroughly neglected setting.
Grade: C+
February 1, 2020
'Black Irish', Stephan Talty's first fiction effort, is a serial killer mystery with a couple unique twists: its lead detective Absalom 'Abby' Kearney and the location, an all-Irish portion of Buffalo, NY. Kearney's a real piece of work. She's the adopted daughter of a legendary Buffalo detective who made it into Harvard, decided on a law enforcement career in Miami which ended badly, and returned to her old neighborhood to quickly climb the ladder to her detective rank. The neighborhood is quite interesting as well: insular, suspicious of any and all outsiders, almost homogeneously Irish, and used to taking care of its own crime problems without police intervention. Kearney may be the main character, but the setting is a huge part of the story as well.
It begins with a gruesome murder with a little something left behind, a small toy monkey. Subsequent murders, each more bloody and awful than the last and with the same sort of toy monkey involved, follow. Abby takes the lead and, with a total lack of cooperation from the neighborhood, mixed support from her fellow officers, but great investigative technique, makes progress in identifying relationships between the victims. Her ailing father, suffering from a bit of dementia, helps a bit but has a curious relationship with his daughter that seems to be at odds with their shared family and professional backgrounds. Twists and turns abound but they're all well done and make sense as the investigation proceeds. The ending is a bit of a shock and the author does us a favor by summarizing the activities of the various players after things shake out.
The writing is well above average, the dialogue crackles, and the characters, especially Abby Kearney and the strange Irish enclave in Buffalo, are well developed. A great start to what I hope is a long series.
It begins with a gruesome murder with a little something left behind, a small toy monkey. Subsequent murders, each more bloody and awful than the last and with the same sort of toy monkey involved, follow. Abby takes the lead and, with a total lack of cooperation from the neighborhood, mixed support from her fellow officers, but great investigative technique, makes progress in identifying relationships between the victims. Her ailing father, suffering from a bit of dementia, helps a bit but has a curious relationship with his daughter that seems to be at odds with their shared family and professional backgrounds. Twists and turns abound but they're all well done and make sense as the investigation proceeds. The ending is a bit of a shock and the author does us a favor by summarizing the activities of the various players after things shake out.
The writing is well above average, the dialogue crackles, and the characters, especially Abby Kearney and the strange Irish enclave in Buffalo, are well developed. A great start to what I hope is a long series.
March 29, 2020
I was in the mood for Irish mystery and used that as my search criteria on my library website resulting in my reading this 2013 book. There is a second book featuring Abbie Kearney that came along one year later.
I would categorize this book as a thriller vs ordinary police/crime book. It was definitely not a simple police story.
What I liked: It gives you a threatened heroine to root for going against all odds with all cards stacked against her.
Also- it featured Buffalo, NY in a realistic manner with sympathetic descriptions of their stark realities after prosperity left the town.
What I didn't like: It was stretched beyond my ability to go along with the plotting as any mere mortal would have died several times. You just can't survive Abbie's near fatalities.
Also- The IRA sending people over by way of Canada as described is also hard to swallow.
This could be just the thing for people who enjoy thrillers, but I rarely do.
Library Loan
I would categorize this book as a thriller vs ordinary police/crime book. It was definitely not a simple police story.
What I liked: It gives you a threatened heroine to root for going against all odds with all cards stacked against her.
Also- it featured Buffalo, NY in a realistic manner with sympathetic descriptions of their stark realities after prosperity left the town.
What I didn't like: It was stretched beyond my ability to go along with the plotting as any mere mortal would have died several times. You just can't survive Abbie's near fatalities.
Also- The IRA sending people over by way of Canada as described is also hard to swallow.
This could be just the thing for people who enjoy thrillers, but I rarely do.
Library Loan
March 8, 2013
Black Irish written by Stephan Talty is a March 2013 release, published by Ballantine Books/Random House.
Absalom ( Abbie) Kearney is a cop working for the small enclave dubbed "The County" in Buffalo, New York. Abbie grew up here, but always felt like an outsider. She had been adopted by a highly respected cop in this predomintately Irish community. Abbie's dark hair and translucent skin made her stand out. She worked in Miami for awhile, but has come home to care for her father who has Alzheimer's.
The mutilated body found in a church has Abbie and her partner "Z" on the case. But, not only is the murder itself shocking, but the reaction of the victims wife and mother are equally strange. As Abbie works the case, she discovers the victim was a member of a secret society.
Then another murder takes place, more grizzly than the first. The more Abbie digs the more she is stonewalled by her fellow cops, "The County" and anyone else that may have a clue about who is behind these murders.
A lonely librarian is Abbie's best source of information as she learns how involved the IRA has been over the years in this very part of Buffalo.
Is the secret society and IRA involved in these murders or is it the work of a serial killer with huge vendetta? Abbie's investigation leads her to the darkest place of her past as she suspects her father may be the next person on the killer's list. On top of that, the killer has left little toy monkeys at his crime scenes like a signature.
This is taut suspense thriller. In fact, it's the best thriller I've read in a while. It's hard to believe this is the author's first novel. Incredible. In the beginning the novel is like a police procedural. A body is found and the normal investigation steps are taken. But, then the novel takes a turn when Abbie finds out about the Clan. The history of this secret society, the IRA and it's role changes after 1998, the closed off community that keeps Abbie on the outside looking in as much as possible, Abbie's fear for her father, and the personal communication the killer seems to have with Abbie all build the suspense. There are scenes that had me riveted. I could actually feel the inhuman cold and sleet and could taste the fear of the victims and and the cops working the case. This is one mean serial killer. The killings are graphic and brutal. This book is not for the faint of heart. This is a very gritty crime thriller, with lots of twist and turns. You will not feel relief until the last few pages. No one is to be trusted and Abbie, ever the outsider, must face down the killer alone as she learns shocking secrets about her own past.
Highly recommend! A+ Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.
Absalom ( Abbie) Kearney is a cop working for the small enclave dubbed "The County" in Buffalo, New York. Abbie grew up here, but always felt like an outsider. She had been adopted by a highly respected cop in this predomintately Irish community. Abbie's dark hair and translucent skin made her stand out. She worked in Miami for awhile, but has come home to care for her father who has Alzheimer's.
The mutilated body found in a church has Abbie and her partner "Z" on the case. But, not only is the murder itself shocking, but the reaction of the victims wife and mother are equally strange. As Abbie works the case, she discovers the victim was a member of a secret society.
Then another murder takes place, more grizzly than the first. The more Abbie digs the more she is stonewalled by her fellow cops, "The County" and anyone else that may have a clue about who is behind these murders.
A lonely librarian is Abbie's best source of information as she learns how involved the IRA has been over the years in this very part of Buffalo.
Is the secret society and IRA involved in these murders or is it the work of a serial killer with huge vendetta? Abbie's investigation leads her to the darkest place of her past as she suspects her father may be the next person on the killer's list. On top of that, the killer has left little toy monkeys at his crime scenes like a signature.
This is taut suspense thriller. In fact, it's the best thriller I've read in a while. It's hard to believe this is the author's first novel. Incredible. In the beginning the novel is like a police procedural. A body is found and the normal investigation steps are taken. But, then the novel takes a turn when Abbie finds out about the Clan. The history of this secret society, the IRA and it's role changes after 1998, the closed off community that keeps Abbie on the outside looking in as much as possible, Abbie's fear for her father, and the personal communication the killer seems to have with Abbie all build the suspense. There are scenes that had me riveted. I could actually feel the inhuman cold and sleet and could taste the fear of the victims and and the cops working the case. This is one mean serial killer. The killings are graphic and brutal. This book is not for the faint of heart. This is a very gritty crime thriller, with lots of twist and turns. You will not feel relief until the last few pages. No one is to be trusted and Abbie, ever the outsider, must face down the killer alone as she learns shocking secrets about her own past.
Highly recommend! A+ Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.
February 21, 2020
After a career as a journalist and writer of nonfiction, this is Stephan Talty's debut novel and what an intriguing story this is.
He introduces us to a specific community and a cast of characters that feel real. Talty paints a detailed picture which depicts an insular community within a city struggling to find its footing after the heyday of its industrial past. In addition to the murders and the ongoing investigation, we are treated to descriptive passages that paint a larger picture and set the mood.
"Lake Erie was frozen over far below and to her right; to her left, Buffalo's industrial waterfront slept as quiet and still as an oil painting. The factory smokestacks rode past, even with her windshield, but not a smudge of smoke drifted up from them. The waterfront was dead, slumbering for the past three decades. ...
White tendrils of snow skimmed ahead of her Ford Crown Vic, pushed by the wind. The front edge of the storm was blowing in, spinning a spiderweb of frozen lace on the asphalt. Her eyes followed them as the road rose. Endlessly intricate patterns, hypnotic to watch them form and break, form and break."
An additional layer of the narrative is the introduction of Det. Absalom "Ab, don't call her Abbie" Kearney who is also finding her footing in the PD after returning to Buffalo. Although she was raised here by a legendary cop, she was never fully part of the life in the County. I am calling this an elegantly gritty story: the details of the murders are graphic but do not feel gratuitous; the main characters are complex; and the language has an elegant but no-nonsense style.
I usually stay away from this type of book, because I have found that it's just an excuse for a lot of bad language and poor grammar.
I really enjoy Talty's writing style and will have to circle back to read some of the biographies he has previously written.
He introduces us to a specific community and a cast of characters that feel real. Talty paints a detailed picture which depicts an insular community within a city struggling to find its footing after the heyday of its industrial past. In addition to the murders and the ongoing investigation, we are treated to descriptive passages that paint a larger picture and set the mood.
"Lake Erie was frozen over far below and to her right; to her left, Buffalo's industrial waterfront slept as quiet and still as an oil painting. The factory smokestacks rode past, even with her windshield, but not a smudge of smoke drifted up from them. The waterfront was dead, slumbering for the past three decades. ...
White tendrils of snow skimmed ahead of her Ford Crown Vic, pushed by the wind. The front edge of the storm was blowing in, spinning a spiderweb of frozen lace on the asphalt. Her eyes followed them as the road rose. Endlessly intricate patterns, hypnotic to watch them form and break, form and break."
An additional layer of the narrative is the introduction of Det. Absalom "Ab, don't call her Abbie" Kearney who is also finding her footing in the PD after returning to Buffalo. Although she was raised here by a legendary cop, she was never fully part of the life in the County. I am calling this an elegantly gritty story: the details of the murders are graphic but do not feel gratuitous; the main characters are complex; and the language has an elegant but no-nonsense style.
I usually stay away from this type of book, because I have found that it's just an excuse for a lot of bad language and poor grammar.
I really enjoy Talty's writing style and will have to circle back to read some of the biographies he has previously written.
December 5, 2013
This was a really good, page turning mystery. The author brings the segregation and social attitudes of Buffalo to life, and the main character is very likable. My only complaint is that while his writing is great, Talty doesn't always do a great job getting into the head of a woman. But that's hard to do:) I read this book in just a few sittings, so I'd definitely recommend!
November 16, 2025
This novel on audiobook is a debut thriller and the first in a new series by the author Stephan Talty. It was a really fast moving and interesting read. It features Yale educated, police detective, Abby Kearney, in a very Irish-rooted suburb of Buffalo NY.
Most of us have been to NY but maybe not to Buffalo. I learned a lot about this area and some of the Irish/IRA historical info throughout this area.
There is a killer on the loose and Abby needs to catch him as the dead bodies keep piling up, and somehow her retired police officer father knows something. Abby can’t trust anyone.
Finished it in a day and a half. Great narrator too.
Most of us have been to NY but maybe not to Buffalo. I learned a lot about this area and some of the Irish/IRA historical info throughout this area.
There is a killer on the loose and Abby needs to catch him as the dead bodies keep piling up, and somehow her retired police officer father knows something. Abby can’t trust anyone.
Finished it in a day and a half. Great narrator too.
March 13, 2013
This was, I believe, Mr. Talty's first published work of fiction. Talty’s South Buffalo is insular, paranoid, parochial, dying and dangerous. I grew up in a tiny, insular, paranoid, parochial (though not dangerous) farm community -- I can relate.
I really came to like the Harvard educated Buffalo police detective, Absalom “Abbie” Kearney. I'd read another of her adventures, if Mr. Talty feels he has one in him.
Ratings: Again... *sigh* I'm vexed by the lack of half stars. If I could, I'd give it 3 and a half. Generally, if I really enjoyed an aspect of the book, I'll just grade up. In this case, I won't. As it is, as much as I enjoyed the character and his world building -- this needed to go through one more edit and revision. Just to shine it up, fix some sentence structure issues, tense changes and at least one glaring continuity error. I'm not nit-picking; it's a good first work of fiction, but at times it was a bit too uneven and "cinematic". I have no doubt that he'll grow as a fiction/thriller writer and I, for one, will gladly go along for the ride.
I really came to like the Harvard educated Buffalo police detective, Absalom “Abbie” Kearney. I'd read another of her adventures, if Mr. Talty feels he has one in him.
Ratings: Again... *sigh* I'm vexed by the lack of half stars. If I could, I'd give it 3 and a half. Generally, if I really enjoyed an aspect of the book, I'll just grade up. In this case, I won't. As it is, as much as I enjoyed the character and his world building -- this needed to go through one more edit and revision. Just to shine it up, fix some sentence structure issues, tense changes and at least one glaring continuity error. I'm not nit-picking; it's a good first work of fiction, but at times it was a bit too uneven and "cinematic". I have no doubt that he'll grow as a fiction/thriller writer and I, for one, will gladly go along for the ride.
August 19, 2017
A 5 star most excellent read!
Wow. I need aspirin. I have a tension headache from being so dang tense for most of this book!
This story drove me nuts trying to figure it all out. Lots of twists and turns, page turning thrills, one tough ass heroine and just when you think you have it…whapow, another twist. Great believable characters and a very interesting plot line.
I learned a lot of things about my Irish heritage and the IRA I didn't know. Who had ever heard of the "Clan na Gael" before? The Irish war of independence in the 1920’s was largely funded by the clan. Seems I got a nifty little history lesson as well.
I wanted to read this book when I saw the title. My father is 100% Irish and my family has often been referred to as “Black Irish”. I don't know if any of you out there are Irish but, we are a proud and stubborn people and like Abbie’s dad my father has many similar quirky personality characteristics. My parents had their honey moon at Niagara Falls and I have worked with kids in crisis, seems like me and Absalom do have a few things in common!
Detective Absalom Kearney, Abbie, left home years ago to escape the stifling small town life only to return home to Buffalo many years later to tend her ailing father. The town she grew up in is very Irish and close knit. Taking care of their own and dispensing with punishment as they see fit is the Irish law of this new land.
There is a serial killer on the loose and it seems it is up to Abbie and her partner Z to figure it out.
Men in town are being tortured, killed and a toy monkey is left in or near each victim. Does Abbie’s Adoptive father have something to do with these gruesome killings? Are the police involved? does the Clan na Gael have a long reach from Ireland? The town clams up and as Absalom gets closer who will be the next to die?
Wow. I need aspirin. I have a tension headache from being so dang tense for most of this book!
This story drove me nuts trying to figure it all out. Lots of twists and turns, page turning thrills, one tough ass heroine and just when you think you have it…whapow, another twist. Great believable characters and a very interesting plot line.
I learned a lot of things about my Irish heritage and the IRA I didn't know. Who had ever heard of the "Clan na Gael" before? The Irish war of independence in the 1920’s was largely funded by the clan. Seems I got a nifty little history lesson as well.
I wanted to read this book when I saw the title. My father is 100% Irish and my family has often been referred to as “Black Irish”. I don't know if any of you out there are Irish but, we are a proud and stubborn people and like Abbie’s dad my father has many similar quirky personality characteristics. My parents had their honey moon at Niagara Falls and I have worked with kids in crisis, seems like me and Absalom do have a few things in common!
Detective Absalom Kearney, Abbie, left home years ago to escape the stifling small town life only to return home to Buffalo many years later to tend her ailing father. The town she grew up in is very Irish and close knit. Taking care of their own and dispensing with punishment as they see fit is the Irish law of this new land.
There is a serial killer on the loose and it seems it is up to Abbie and her partner Z to figure it out.
Men in town are being tortured, killed and a toy monkey is left in or near each victim. Does Abbie’s Adoptive father have something to do with these gruesome killings? Are the police involved? does the Clan na Gael have a long reach from Ireland? The town clams up and as Absalom gets closer who will be the next to die?
March 16, 2013
3.5 This thriller takes place in Buffalo New York and apparently South Buffalo has the second largest concentration of Irish, second only to Chicago. It was once a thriving city with a large amount of manufacturing plants and steel mills, it has, however, become another city in crisis with many young people leaving the area to find employment. The tone of this novel is pitch perfect, the setting immersible, the heroine, a returning adoptive daughter of a policeman is now a detective herself. The plot concerns a secret Irish group working in Buffalo, where someone is now killing off the last remaining members of this group. I enjoyed this first thriller from non fiction writer Talty, it does require the reader to disband belief with some of the occurrences, but it kept me reading and I really wanted to know who done it and why. Looking forward to the next installment of what I hope is the beginning of a new series.
April 3, 2013
Not a bad book for a first try. The background to the story about the Irish in the Buffalo, NY area is very good and the decay of manufacturing in an industrial area is informative. The mystery is original but seems manufactured to fit the thread of the story. A couple of the clues spring out of nowhere when they could have been woven into the story with out giving away the story.
The book has a very exciting last 20%. It is also very well written and the dialogue is crisp.
The book has a very exciting last 20%. It is also very well written and the dialogue is crisp.
unfinished
May 27, 2019I'm always looking for a good police procedural a la Tana French. This looked promising, mainly because of the setting: Buffalo NY, where I spent the first 9 years of my life. Buffalo was like a character in the book; it was so fun to see the familiar place names. How often does Cazenovia Park or the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society come up in a novel?
But the increasingly gruesome murders, the ludicrous sex scene, and convoluted story about "the County" and Irish gangs overshadowed the desire to see more familiar place names. So I had to quit about 2/3 of the way through.
But the increasingly gruesome murders, the ludicrous sex scene, and convoluted story about "the County" and Irish gangs overshadowed the desire to see more familiar place names. So I had to quit about 2/3 of the way through.
March 29, 2016
I read this book over the weekend while on a mini vacation in northern Michigan. However, the vivid and unforgiving description of South Buffalo, NY made me feel like I actually spent my entire weekend there instead.
The premise of the book is that Absalom Kearny, adopted daughter of the legendary cop James Kearny, has returned to South Buffalo after a short career in Miami PD. We are introduced to her life just as she starts investigating a violent murder that occurred in a local church basement. The killer left a small toy monkey… “with” the body, and given that first clue, we dive head-on into the investigation with a variety of characters, hurdles, and environment.
“Well, good thing it’s the County,” O’Halloran said. “They’re probably lining up around the block to tell us.”
The detectives laughed, but Perelli glared at O’Halloran.
“I don’t want to hear anything about how difficult working South Buffalo is, all right? It’s like every other precinct. You have informants on the streets, you have skels in the bars who we give breaks to. Get them to talk to you. Work your sources. Do not let this County shit get in the way of carrying out your investigation.”
One of the major problems Absalom (Abbie) keeps running into is that South Buffalo, (aka the County), is the sort of place that handles problems like these on its own. The last thing the citizens of South Buffalo want is help from the police. On top of being a cop no one really wants around, Abbie’s also considered an outsider that’s not to be trusted regardless of her badge, gun, or famous cop of a father.
Despite all of this and much more, Abbie’s determination to find the killer never wavers and neither does her level of sass. It is because of this defiance, in spite of all she is made to face, that I absolutely fell in love with her as a character.
“That’s what I hate about this place,” she said.
“What?”
“Even when people are telling you the truth, it seems like they’re lying.”
Billy shrugged his shoulders, put the polished glass down.
“Bye, Billy.”
She hopped off the seat and began to walk toward the door, waving once over her shoulder.
“What’re you doing [tonight]?” he called after her.
“Sleeping with my gun,” she called back.
Black Irish is the kind of story that had me guessing whodunit until the very end, and I was happy to be proven wrong over and over again. I wasn’t at all expecting the answers to be what they were, but everything made complete sense when all was said and done.
5 Stars – A riveting plot, colorful characters, vivid descriptions, and a loveable MC.
September 4, 2013
Fighting the scum of the hardbitten, frozen streets of Buffalo...in a Saab. Before selling the brand to General Motors who promptly, and possibly gleefully, drove it into the ground, the Swedish car manufacturer Saab made sturdy but offbeat vehicle beloved by women who used it to haul their NPR tote bags full of locally grown vegetables from the co-op. With the exception of Stephan Talty's protagonist Abby Carney, no one used them to chase criminals in the snow. With modest horsepower and no 4 wheel drive combined with the fact that no one makes original replacement parts for them anymore, one wonders if Talty prominently featured the car due to personal fandom. And anyway, does the Buffalo PD not have a vehicle pool? As described extensively in the book, the area is impoverished but there's not a Crown Victoria to borrow to chase the homicidal murderer?
OK, getting hung up on the incongruity of setting, story and the hero's choice of vehicle might be a little unfair but Talty shouldn't have featured the Swedemobile so prominently. Otherwise, the setting of a closed, suspicious community of Irish nationalistic immigrants known as "The County" makes for a compelling backdrop particular paired with Buffalo's Detroit-esque economic decline from manufacturing hub to frozen Thunderdome. Talty overdoes it with the weather particularly in the back half of the book where two of the five murders are conducted in annoyingly overactive storms. But generally the desolate weather matches the darkness of the serial killings and their macabre origins well.
This speaks well of Talty's writing which generally keeps things moving along although it borrows materially from other sources. Abby yanking a toy monkey from the throat of one victim feels more than a little like Agent Starling watching the moth being pulled out of the mouth from another serial killer victim in "The Silence of the Lambs". The ritualistic slaughters which "tell a story" feels more than a little influenced by the movie "Seven". And all of the characters dying (or nearly so) except the main one smacks of Shakespeare. Not sure where Talty got the idea of having Abby just happen across the third killing while in progress on the Peace Bridge between Canada and New York after sleeping in the Saab (ridiculously uncomfortable to sleep in by the way as well) but that author should be ashamed to have inspired what amounts to Talty writing out of a corner by just throwing in a random event.
In short, despite some egregious mistakes, a decent detective story set against a fertile, realistically noir background.
April 9, 2013
This is a strange book in that it has many good things going on. The writing is good, the plot is intriguing, the heroine is quite adequate and there is a serial killer on the loose. Combine all this with the settings of both a desolate Buffalo, an American city in disrepair and faded luster, and a sectional county of Buffalo, a fragmented piece of Ireland lost in division and reparation and struggling to survive.
So these pieces are strong and should give structure and resonance to the whole, but unfortunately the whole struggles and the pieces survive but with a loss very much like what Irish poet Yeats says, "things fall apart. The centre cannot hold" I think this is a fitting epitaph for the novel. Tragic that it loses it's center in far too much extravagant detail. Perhaps the author might realize this and change direction. If not, no matter really. Mine is but one voice, and perhaps an incorrect one. I wanted to like this.
So these pieces are strong and should give structure and resonance to the whole, but unfortunately the whole struggles and the pieces survive but with a loss very much like what Irish poet Yeats says, "things fall apart. The centre cannot hold" I think this is a fitting epitaph for the novel. Tragic that it loses it's center in far too much extravagant detail. Perhaps the author might realize this and change direction. If not, no matter really. Mine is but one voice, and perhaps an incorrect one. I wanted to like this.
January 24, 2013
This got off to a good start. Even though there are oodles of novels about serial killers, the plot was developing tension and going along nicely. Then the author goes off on a tangent and brings in an unlikely secret Irish clan. At this point the book starts going downhill. Sticking with the main theme would have been better. There are other lesser flaws. Too many situations repeat themselves. There are other ways of building drama besides having characters cuss and bang their hands on the nearest available object. Detective Abbie Kearney, the protagonist, is always dashing off while her reasoning is difficult to fathom at times. The book is well-written and there’s a nice twist to the plot at the end, but overall there’s just too much in the story that doesn’t have to be there.
April 6, 2013
When I read Dennis Lehane's fiction, set in gritty neighborhoods of working-class Boston, I feel intrigued - I admire the sense of belonging, tough as it is. Stephen Talty has created a Buffalo that I have neither interest nor admiration for - it's dark, cruel, and unremittingly cold. He seems to hate this place, and after reading 'Black Irish', I hate it too.
His lead detective is beautiful & conflicted. Her partner is loyal and believes in her. The community closes against her. Yadda yadda. Then the historical basis for the crime comes clear - and it would have been interesting enough, but Talty adds a grotesque surprise that doesn't work and the whole thing lies in tatters on the rug.
Talty may have better mysteries in him. Let's hope so.
July 5, 2013
Black Irish By Stephan Talty Thank you Goodreads for sending me such a good book. A family split, a good child and a bad child. There was only revenge left for the bad child. I loved all the swists and turns of the crime novel. The end of the story was a complete surprise
March 9, 2021
Originally I was put off when I realized this was a fiction novel, being familiar and a fan of Talty's narrative nonfiction work. But despite that I was won over by his expert storytelling, and I should have expected nothing less. At detective story set in the Irish community of Buffalo, it explores the themes of family and loyalty. I was kept guessing and a separate times was sure the whodunnit was one of at least three different characters.
January 12, 2019
3.5 stars
January 3, 2024
Audio. 3.5 This took me awhile to get into, but once I did I enjoyed the story of the Irish community. I will read the next one in the series.
June 2, 2020
Almost read this book a few times and don't think I can get any more books from this series but I would like too! I liked the main character and the story.
March 7, 2013
Reviewed by Sara O'Connor for www.gliterarygirl.com
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Contains NO spoilers
THE GIST: A deep and gritty look at the Irish American community in Buffalo New York, set around several gruesome serial killings that kept me up at night reading under the light of the moon. This page-turner had me white knuckling my Kindle during some of the most gruesome murder scenes I have read in a while. My stomach literally twisting in knots with the all the crafty plot twists. The female protagonist was not only über intelligent, but also incredibly strong and I enjoyed every moment spent canvasing her tight-knit community, searching for a brutal killer. If you are in the mood for a gripping, scary and smart thriller that throws an bare-knuckled punch that will leave you begging for a large shot of Jameson, Black Irish is a sure bet.
THE LOWDOWN: This book opens with a bang. Sucking you in like a twister, unrelenting and violent, leading into a story that took me to dark places interspersed with subtle rays of light. I became hooked immediately and although the pacing was not always as quick or as steady as I would have liked, the end far exceeded my expectations.
Who knew Irish American’s residing in Buffalo were so tight-knit. I always reserved that stereotype for Boston Southies, but apparently, the closed-minded and insular thinking of isolated immigrant communities reaches outside the territories famous for this type of stereotypical behavior. Black Irish takes you inside a community that wants justice, but doesn’t trust outsiders to bring it, even shutting Irish Americans out of the circle whose ancestry hails from politically unpopular regions of the “Old Country”. The author sheds light on this troublesome mindset by interweaving it seamlessly into the plot. Several times, I found myself stopping to inform my husband (Sean O’Connor) about how racist or close-minded his people were, then rushing back to the book in a panic to find out more. For those of you who will undoubtedly rush to tell me that I am overgeneralizing…don’t. It is mere fodder. I watched enough Jersey Shore to know a countries American counterparts are not representative of an entire culture.
Although great, the best parts are not the historical elements, or the blood that drips from the pages after a new killing is revealed; it’s the female lead Abbie. She is encompasses everything I want from a leading lady. She is a Harvard graduate, as tough as a pit-bull in a Chihuahua cage match, who never once relents to the chauvinistic men who constantly attempt to bully her into submission. She doesn’t break, budge or cry…she fights and it is extremely exhilarating, refreshing. Her voice never waivers – not once – and her relationship with the secondary characters are spot-on. You root for this one, partly because she overcomes tremendous adversity, but mostly because she is so much smarter than everyone else that she deserves to win.
If you have a weak constitution and don’t like books about serial killers or Irish people, I would steer clear of this one, because it is jam-packed with both. But if deep, smart and thrilling books where you actually learn something are your thing, Black Irish will no doubt have you double-checking your locks and reaching for a warm glass of Guinness.
Sláinte!
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Contains NO spoilers
THE GIST: A deep and gritty look at the Irish American community in Buffalo New York, set around several gruesome serial killings that kept me up at night reading under the light of the moon. This page-turner had me white knuckling my Kindle during some of the most gruesome murder scenes I have read in a while. My stomach literally twisting in knots with the all the crafty plot twists. The female protagonist was not only über intelligent, but also incredibly strong and I enjoyed every moment spent canvasing her tight-knit community, searching for a brutal killer. If you are in the mood for a gripping, scary and smart thriller that throws an bare-knuckled punch that will leave you begging for a large shot of Jameson, Black Irish is a sure bet.
THE LOWDOWN: This book opens with a bang. Sucking you in like a twister, unrelenting and violent, leading into a story that took me to dark places interspersed with subtle rays of light. I became hooked immediately and although the pacing was not always as quick or as steady as I would have liked, the end far exceeded my expectations.
Who knew Irish American’s residing in Buffalo were so tight-knit. I always reserved that stereotype for Boston Southies, but apparently, the closed-minded and insular thinking of isolated immigrant communities reaches outside the territories famous for this type of stereotypical behavior. Black Irish takes you inside a community that wants justice, but doesn’t trust outsiders to bring it, even shutting Irish Americans out of the circle whose ancestry hails from politically unpopular regions of the “Old Country”. The author sheds light on this troublesome mindset by interweaving it seamlessly into the plot. Several times, I found myself stopping to inform my husband (Sean O’Connor) about how racist or close-minded his people were, then rushing back to the book in a panic to find out more. For those of you who will undoubtedly rush to tell me that I am overgeneralizing…don’t. It is mere fodder. I watched enough Jersey Shore to know a countries American counterparts are not representative of an entire culture.
Although great, the best parts are not the historical elements, or the blood that drips from the pages after a new killing is revealed; it’s the female lead Abbie. She is encompasses everything I want from a leading lady. She is a Harvard graduate, as tough as a pit-bull in a Chihuahua cage match, who never once relents to the chauvinistic men who constantly attempt to bully her into submission. She doesn’t break, budge or cry…she fights and it is extremely exhilarating, refreshing. Her voice never waivers – not once – and her relationship with the secondary characters are spot-on. You root for this one, partly because she overcomes tremendous adversity, but mostly because she is so much smarter than everyone else that she deserves to win.
If you have a weak constitution and don’t like books about serial killers or Irish people, I would steer clear of this one, because it is jam-packed with both. But if deep, smart and thrilling books where you actually learn something are your thing, Black Irish will no doubt have you double-checking your locks and reaching for a warm glass of Guinness.
Sláinte!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 463 reviews