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Welcome Back, Jack
When Jack was six years old, his parents were brutally slain by a serial killer. The police later found drifter Clyde Colsen driving a stolen car, his clothes soaked in blood. He was tried, convicted and executed. Jack grew up knowing the police got their man.
Now a decorated homicide detective in New Rhodes, Jack arrives at the third crime scene of the “South End Killer” murders and finds his name. He will soon find out something else: thirty years ago, they got the wrong guy. And now the right guy’s come back to pay Jack and New Rhodes his bloody respects.
As Jack struggles to stay on the case, his cat-and-mouse game with the killer makes him wonder if he’s the cat or the mouse. His family and everyone in his life is fair game. As the killer escalates and threatens the entire city, Jack has a question he must answer in his desperation: can he stop the monster without becoming one?
*** Praise for WELCOME BACK, JACK***
“I’ve been following Liam Sweeny’s writing career for several years. He started out pretty good and now—with WELCOME BACK, JACK —he’s become smokin’ good! I predict this novel will propel him to the highest ranks of novelists writing police procedurals. That may look like I’m climbing out on a limb and if so, it’s an extremely stout and solid limb. This ranks with the best of the genre and Sweeny is poised to become a writer of the highest rank. Remember his name—you’re going to be seeing it a lot.”
—Les Edgerton, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping,
The Rapist, The Bitch and others
“A new dark, very dark star has appeared in the noir spectrum and what a star it is WELCOME BACK, JACK is the real deal, as down and deliciously dirty as it gets but with a wonderful fresh style and artistry that is as compelling as it is addictive. This is one hell of a start to what promises to be an unique series.”
—Ken Bruen, author of the Jack Taylor series
“When a triple homicide in New Rhodes bears worrisome similarities to one from police officer, Jack LeClere’s, childhood, nothing can stop him from following the sinewy clues to their horrific conclusion. As long as writers like Liam Sweeny can work the police procedural to such great affect, readers will follow Jack back to the gritty streets of New Rhodes gladly. Sweeny’s writes beautifully and WELCOME BACK, JACK is full of memorable characters. Claustrophobics beware!”
—Patricia Abbot, author of Concrete Angel
“Equal parts police procedural and psycho-thriller, Liam Sweeny reinvents a genre WELCOME BACK, JACK. When serial killing gets personal, Jack LeClere is dragged underground into the past. Literally. With crisp, taut dialogue, fast-paced action, and more plot twists than the subterranean tunnels Jack must navigate to earn redemption, Sweeny taps into modern-day, urban paranoia, mining the best of Ellroy, Cain, and Westlake. Sweeny pays homage while tearing up some serious new ground.”
—Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation and December Boys
“Do yourself a favor: Before you start reading WELCOME BACK, JACK, clear your schedule. You’re not going to be able to stop until you’ve seen it through to the explosive finale.”
—Rob Hart, author of New Yorked
Now a decorated homicide detective in New Rhodes, Jack arrives at the third crime scene of the “South End Killer” murders and finds his name. He will soon find out something else: thirty years ago, they got the wrong guy. And now the right guy’s come back to pay Jack and New Rhodes his bloody respects.
As Jack struggles to stay on the case, his cat-and-mouse game with the killer makes him wonder if he’s the cat or the mouse. His family and everyone in his life is fair game. As the killer escalates and threatens the entire city, Jack has a question he must answer in his desperation: can he stop the monster without becoming one?
*** Praise for WELCOME BACK, JACK***
“I’ve been following Liam Sweeny’s writing career for several years. He started out pretty good and now—with WELCOME BACK, JACK —he’s become smokin’ good! I predict this novel will propel him to the highest ranks of novelists writing police procedurals. That may look like I’m climbing out on a limb and if so, it’s an extremely stout and solid limb. This ranks with the best of the genre and Sweeny is poised to become a writer of the highest rank. Remember his name—you’re going to be seeing it a lot.”
—Les Edgerton, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping,
The Rapist, The Bitch and others
“A new dark, very dark star has appeared in the noir spectrum and what a star it is WELCOME BACK, JACK is the real deal, as down and deliciously dirty as it gets but with a wonderful fresh style and artistry that is as compelling as it is addictive. This is one hell of a start to what promises to be an unique series.”
—Ken Bruen, author of the Jack Taylor series
“When a triple homicide in New Rhodes bears worrisome similarities to one from police officer, Jack LeClere’s, childhood, nothing can stop him from following the sinewy clues to their horrific conclusion. As long as writers like Liam Sweeny can work the police procedural to such great affect, readers will follow Jack back to the gritty streets of New Rhodes gladly. Sweeny’s writes beautifully and WELCOME BACK, JACK is full of memorable characters. Claustrophobics beware!”
—Patricia Abbot, author of Concrete Angel
“Equal parts police procedural and psycho-thriller, Liam Sweeny reinvents a genre WELCOME BACK, JACK. When serial killing gets personal, Jack LeClere is dragged underground into the past. Literally. With crisp, taut dialogue, fast-paced action, and more plot twists than the subterranean tunnels Jack must navigate to earn redemption, Sweeny taps into modern-day, urban paranoia, mining the best of Ellroy, Cain, and Westlake. Sweeny pays homage while tearing up some serious new ground.”
—Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation and December Boys
“Do yourself a favor: Before you start reading WELCOME BACK, JACK, clear your schedule. You’re not going to be able to stop until you’ve seen it through to the explosive finale.”
—Rob Hart, author of New Yorked
- GenresCrime
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2013
3 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Liam Sweeny
38 books25 followersI was born in a rotted wooden shack by the moonlight on a cold winter's night...
Okay, so I was born in a hospital in March on the nation's bicentennial year of 1976. People were partying and I was unleashing bio-terror on my parents every changing time.
Born and raised in the Capital District of New York, Albany and it's environs, I grew up with the pride of knowing that "going to the city" never meant Albany.
I didn't start writing fiction until I got back from Louisiana after Katrina. It took that to launch me from stanzas to scenes.
I've written three Sci-fi/Fantasy novels, a few collections and novellas, and I drifted to old haunts, to the most fun parts of my life - delinquency. So now I write cops and crimes.
I like making great characters, mainly because I like meeting great characters. My experience is that people will tell you anything you want to know if you're ready to listen. I'm all ears.
Okay, so I was born in a hospital in March on the nation's bicentennial year of 1976. People were partying and I was unleashing bio-terror on my parents every changing time.
Born and raised in the Capital District of New York, Albany and it's environs, I grew up with the pride of knowing that "going to the city" never meant Albany.
I didn't start writing fiction until I got back from Louisiana after Katrina. It took that to launch me from stanzas to scenes.
I've written three Sci-fi/Fantasy novels, a few collections and novellas, and I drifted to old haunts, to the most fun parts of my life - delinquency. So now I write cops and crimes.
I like making great characters, mainly because I like meeting great characters. My experience is that people will tell you anything you want to know if you're ready to listen. I'm all ears.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 19, 2014
The entire time I was reading Liam Sweeny’s novel, ‘Welcome Back, Jack’, I was engulfed in a feeling of claustrophobia. Not a good feeling in real life, but a decidedly delicious one when reading a crime novel. There were several reasons. One, a large part of the story takes place in the tunnels beneath the city of New Rhodes, in upstate NY. Tunnels just plain give me the creeps. Same way caves do. As a kid, I went into several caves and always with a feeling of terror. Nightmares of being buried alive were not uncommon in my youth and more than once I awoke drenched in sweat, the bed covers tangled around and trapping my legs, one of my parents shaking me and asking if I’m all right. Even today, I can’t lay in a bed unless the covers are loose.
But, I digress. These tunnels are uncommonly dark and evil, for there’s a nest of serial killers who use them for their base and to reach out into the city for their victims. This is what Stephen King does—identifies a particular dread and then bases a story around it. Sweeny achieves the same, King-like atmosphere for this story, bringing a decided touch of the macabre to a hard-hitting, hardboiled detective novel.
The plotting is simply superb. The protagonist, Jack LeClere, discovers a connection with his own past, a past where his biological parents were slaughtered by a serial killer—could it be the same killer or killers who are terrorizing present-day New Rhodes? Like the best of the genre, this is so much more than a simple whodunit, but a psychological study of delicious complexity and a brilliant, detailed sketch of a man with a tortured history who we watch battle dark, personal demons.
This is a writer to be aware of and to watch, one with a bright, bright future.
But, I digress. These tunnels are uncommonly dark and evil, for there’s a nest of serial killers who use them for their base and to reach out into the city for their victims. This is what Stephen King does—identifies a particular dread and then bases a story around it. Sweeny achieves the same, King-like atmosphere for this story, bringing a decided touch of the macabre to a hard-hitting, hardboiled detective novel.
The plotting is simply superb. The protagonist, Jack LeClere, discovers a connection with his own past, a past where his biological parents were slaughtered by a serial killer—could it be the same killer or killers who are terrorizing present-day New Rhodes? Like the best of the genre, this is so much more than a simple whodunit, but a psychological study of delicious complexity and a brilliant, detailed sketch of a man with a tortured history who we watch battle dark, personal demons.
This is a writer to be aware of and to watch, one with a bright, bright future.
March 12, 2014
Wow. This one grabs a hold of you from the beginning and never let's go until the last sentence. I knew it was going to be a winner when the amazingly talented Les Edgerton recommended it. I can't wait for more from Sweeney. More Jack would be great. Take a chance on this one. Highly recommended!
October 24, 2015
The review was first posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds as part of the Blog Tour hosted by the lovely Sage's Blog Tours!
Actual Rating 4.5 Stars
I remember the good ol' days where I used to love, absolutely love buckling down with a good mystery or a crime thriller. The ones that get your head working overtime and the ones that give you shivers when all you can see when you close your eyes is every single gruesome detail in technicolor!
I had forgotten how much I absolutely enjoyed those times and Welcome Back Jack reminded me of it - every single moment I was reading it!
We are introduced to Jack Taggart, a top detective in New Rhodes, a married man, he enjoys his life - even if it does take it's toll. We meet at a Crime Scene - a crime scene that is brutal as it is innovative (I could give you details but I am definitely not, because it will spoil all the fun!).
When Jack gives it all to the serial killer case that he is working on, it slowly dawns on to him, that the killer himself is playing a game, a game that has it's roots in the past, Jack's past to be precise. For Jack's parents were murdered brutally and their killer caught and executed. So how is it the killer from now and killer from the connected?
Liam Sweeny does a brilliant job of explaining the typical procedural drama without overwhelming the reader and he does with an aplomb that sticks with you throughout the book and even after finishing it.
We have a fast paced crime mystery, and characters that are so in depth that it was hard to get out of them! This kind of crime thriller takes you by your throat and makes you give up every single thing in your mind, because let's face it, catching the killer is much more important than sleeping, or eating and maybe even showering (or is it just me?).
Liam Sweny is an author who just made my auto-buy list and what that means is that I just stalked him on Goodreads and pretty much added every single book on my To-Read Shelf and will one-clicking his boks once self imposed book ban is over! :D
Actual Rating 4.5 Stars
I remember the good ol' days where I used to love, absolutely love buckling down with a good mystery or a crime thriller. The ones that get your head working overtime and the ones that give you shivers when all you can see when you close your eyes is every single gruesome detail in technicolor!
I had forgotten how much I absolutely enjoyed those times and Welcome Back Jack reminded me of it - every single moment I was reading it!
We are introduced to Jack Taggart, a top detective in New Rhodes, a married man, he enjoys his life - even if it does take it's toll. We meet at a Crime Scene - a crime scene that is brutal as it is innovative (I could give you details but I am definitely not, because it will spoil all the fun!).
When Jack gives it all to the serial killer case that he is working on, it slowly dawns on to him, that the killer himself is playing a game, a game that has it's roots in the past, Jack's past to be precise. For Jack's parents were murdered brutally and their killer caught and executed. So how is it the killer from now and killer from the connected?
Liam Sweeny does a brilliant job of explaining the typical procedural drama without overwhelming the reader and he does with an aplomb that sticks with you throughout the book and even after finishing it.
We have a fast paced crime mystery, and characters that are so in depth that it was hard to get out of them! This kind of crime thriller takes you by your throat and makes you give up every single thing in your mind, because let's face it, catching the killer is much more important than sleeping, or eating and maybe even showering (or is it just me?).
Liam Sweny is an author who just made my auto-buy list and what that means is that I just stalked him on Goodreads and pretty much added every single book on my To-Read Shelf and will one-clicking his boks once self imposed book ban is over! :D
October 30, 2015
I loved this. From the first page I was engrossed and couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was in an american version of Detective Wexford’s series by Ruth Rendell except this one had more going on. this is the first book of this series I read and it definitely won’t be the last. I have been looking for a series to replace Detective Wexford now that Ruth Rendell has passed on and there will be no more of the series and this one is it.
the writing was amazing. the action, the reasons, the steps to solving the crimes, the detective and how he sees things was just captivating and doesn’t release its grip on you. There are twists and turns that I never saw coming. the characters were intelligent and thoughtfully written. They were strong and capable but also kept you in the story.
The main character Jack is strong and intelligent. He draws you in with his thought process and as you watch things unravel you see how Jack handles it and figures everything out.
Sweeney walks you through the scenes, the investigation and what each person in the investigation was thinking and how they were going about finding the killer. The ending was just wow so wow. And how the killings were able to happen and how he got away for so long amazing. this was a captivating gripping book that has you become a part of the investigation and you get invested in trying to figure out the who, what, how and why. I cannot wait to grab another in this series and read more of how Jack solves another crime and be put into the investigation and the story.
the writing was amazing. the action, the reasons, the steps to solving the crimes, the detective and how he sees things was just captivating and doesn’t release its grip on you. There are twists and turns that I never saw coming. the characters were intelligent and thoughtfully written. They were strong and capable but also kept you in the story.
The main character Jack is strong and intelligent. He draws you in with his thought process and as you watch things unravel you see how Jack handles it and figures everything out.
Sweeney walks you through the scenes, the investigation and what each person in the investigation was thinking and how they were going about finding the killer. The ending was just wow so wow. And how the killings were able to happen and how he got away for so long amazing. this was a captivating gripping book that has you become a part of the investigation and you get invested in trying to figure out the who, what, how and why. I cannot wait to grab another in this series and read more of how Jack solves another crime and be put into the investigation and the story.
October 12, 2013
Jack Taggart is a man with a terrible history. The bloody death of his parents at the merciless hands of a serial killer have left him a haunted man. He battles his demons by being the best cop he can be. When a serial killer brings death to New Rhodes Jack finds the past comes back for him with a vengeance.
Welcome Back, Jack! Is a gritty police procedural novel. We follow Jack Taggart as he tries to track down a serial killer. He must battle self-interest and be as objective as he can be as the killer has a connection to his past, a link he cannot ignore. This leads to suspicions from his colleagues in New Rhodes Police Department, the FBI and the Sheriff’s department. When everyone wants Jack off the case he knows that stop hunting this killer could mean disaster for him and all he holds dear.
Liam Sweeney has created a number of excellent characters here. The dialogue is as sharp and realistic as any I’ve read in recent times. It’s also clear that the author has done his research into police procedures and as a Brit I was fascinated by the methodology of US cops and agencies outlined in the book.
Sweeney builds the tension up slowly but as the books nears its dramatic conclusion you realise how much he has sucked you into the plot. I found that it I really cared what happened to Jack. They were no throwaway two dimensional characters here. An excellent read that I enjoyed from start to finish. I hope to see more of Jack Taggart.
Welcome Back, Jack! Is a gritty police procedural novel. We follow Jack Taggart as he tries to track down a serial killer. He must battle self-interest and be as objective as he can be as the killer has a connection to his past, a link he cannot ignore. This leads to suspicions from his colleagues in New Rhodes Police Department, the FBI and the Sheriff’s department. When everyone wants Jack off the case he knows that stop hunting this killer could mean disaster for him and all he holds dear.
Liam Sweeney has created a number of excellent characters here. The dialogue is as sharp and realistic as any I’ve read in recent times. It’s also clear that the author has done his research into police procedures and as a Brit I was fascinated by the methodology of US cops and agencies outlined in the book.
Sweeney builds the tension up slowly but as the books nears its dramatic conclusion you realise how much he has sucked you into the plot. I found that it I really cared what happened to Jack. They were no throwaway two dimensional characters here. An excellent read that I enjoyed from start to finish. I hope to see more of Jack Taggart.
November 30, 2013
Liam Sweeny’s Welcome Back, Jack is a hard-hitting crime drama. Sweeny takes the reader from Jack Taggart’s disturbing childhood past that leads to his current life.
Jack is brought into a grizzly serial murder case that hit’s home as the killer draws him in connecting the current murders to his past. The story begins as Jack is brought into the very location that cost him his childhood. His personal connection to the murders lead to suspicion and distrust from the New Rhodes Police Department, and other agencies. It becomes obvious that only Jack can stop these horrible crimes leading up to a heart-pounding conclusion.
The language is sharp and authentic with a clear understanding of police procedures. The detail was clear, but not overwhelming. Liam Sweeny tells a concise story full of mystery and suspense akin to Patterson and Baldacci.
Jack is brought into a grizzly serial murder case that hit’s home as the killer draws him in connecting the current murders to his past. The story begins as Jack is brought into the very location that cost him his childhood. His personal connection to the murders lead to suspicion and distrust from the New Rhodes Police Department, and other agencies. It becomes obvious that only Jack can stop these horrible crimes leading up to a heart-pounding conclusion.
The language is sharp and authentic with a clear understanding of police procedures. The detail was clear, but not overwhelming. Liam Sweeny tells a concise story full of mystery and suspense akin to Patterson and Baldacci.
November 20, 2013
Hard, edgy, a tale played out on dirty streets. Ace homicide detective Jack Taggart follows a bloody trail of unfathomable murder, only to uncover a viper's nest of serial killers and strange truth hiding in the dark. One killer shows Jack how personal an investigation can get when the murder of Jack's biological parents -- an old case thought solved -- comes back into play and haunts the remainder of the story. Like everything else in this hard-boiled tale, Sweeny handles Jack's stretched emotions with a sparse, deft hand -- like a surgeon working on your liver. A fun read.
February 26, 2014
Thank you Goodreads and Mr. Sweeny for the free book.
It was one Hell of a read. I hope there are more Jack Taggart books.
It was one Hell of a read. I hope there are more Jack Taggart books.
October 11, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Welcome Back, Jack from Liam Sweeny in exchange for an honest review.
It was my pleasure to read Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny and to offer my opinion of his work, although pleasure isn’t a word I would exactly associate with this novel! Welcome Back, Jack is categorized as a mystery, thriller but I would definitely call this one a psychological thriller!
And what a thriller it is! I started reading late in the day and I couldn’t stop until I had read through to the final page! Mr. Sweeny’s riveting storyline caught my attention with action from the first page and kept me ensnared all the way through. Mr. Sweeny developed the story with an abundance detail, which was at times very disturbing, I might add.
The characters in Welcome Back, Jack were written with a great complexity that had me in the novel right along with them. It was difficult to pull myself out of the book and I felt incredibly drained by the end.
I’m quite certain that you have, no doubt, deduced for yourself that I thoroughly enjoyed Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny. I highly recommend you read this book for yourself and leave your thoughts in the form of a review!
I give Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny five steaming hot cups of Room With Books coffee!
© October 11, 2015
Patricia, Room With Books
It was my pleasure to read Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny and to offer my opinion of his work, although pleasure isn’t a word I would exactly associate with this novel! Welcome Back, Jack is categorized as a mystery, thriller but I would definitely call this one a psychological thriller!
And what a thriller it is! I started reading late in the day and I couldn’t stop until I had read through to the final page! Mr. Sweeny’s riveting storyline caught my attention with action from the first page and kept me ensnared all the way through. Mr. Sweeny developed the story with an abundance detail, which was at times very disturbing, I might add.
The characters in Welcome Back, Jack were written with a great complexity that had me in the novel right along with them. It was difficult to pull myself out of the book and I felt incredibly drained by the end.
I’m quite certain that you have, no doubt, deduced for yourself that I thoroughly enjoyed Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny. I highly recommend you read this book for yourself and leave your thoughts in the form of a review!
I give Welcome Back, Jack by Liam Sweeny five steaming hot cups of Room With Books coffee!
© October 11, 2015
Patricia, Room With Books
January 29, 2014
I got Welcome Back, Jack through Good Reads first-read.
Liam Sweeny’s latest venture, Welcome Back, Jack- is a crime thriller. Jack Taggart, a top detective in New Rhodes, is haunted by his parents’ brutal murder thirty years ago. The killer brought to justice and executed, or so they thought. During the investigation of a recent serial killings, he is hit by the horror that his parents killer might still be alive and continuing his work. When the killer(s) involve Jack by leaving his parents personal items, it is becoming difficult for Jack to be involved in the investigation. He struggles to keep his family safe at the same time to remain in the investigation to hunt for the killer(s). Liam Sweeny’s writing is crisp with heartfelt characters combined with interesting plot and a good climax. It’s a good time pass read.
Liam Sweeny’s latest venture, Welcome Back, Jack- is a crime thriller. Jack Taggart, a top detective in New Rhodes, is haunted by his parents’ brutal murder thirty years ago. The killer brought to justice and executed, or so they thought. During the investigation of a recent serial killings, he is hit by the horror that his parents killer might still be alive and continuing his work. When the killer(s) involve Jack by leaving his parents personal items, it is becoming difficult for Jack to be involved in the investigation. He struggles to keep his family safe at the same time to remain in the investigation to hunt for the killer(s). Liam Sweeny’s writing is crisp with heartfelt characters combined with interesting plot and a good climax. It’s a good time pass read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2015
This is a gritty thriller and I love a good gritty thriller! Jack is an excellent homicide detective who discovers a new string of murders is actually attached to his past. A dark time in his childhood is resurfacing, but it's quite the process for the detective to reveal the face behind the murders.
A successful thriller needs to have twists and turns and suspense. The author does not disappoint us when he delivers Welcome Back, Jack. I enjoyed the historical pieces of this story that end up tying into the current plot. I think the murder scenes were described in such detail that you could easily visualize the crime. This novel was action packed until the final page.
A successful thriller needs to have twists and turns and suspense. The author does not disappoint us when he delivers Welcome Back, Jack. I enjoyed the historical pieces of this story that end up tying into the current plot. I think the murder scenes were described in such detail that you could easily visualize the crime. This novel was action packed until the final page.
March 21, 2016
Jack LeClere has a troubled past, and now a recent spate of serial murders is bringing everything back to the surface. For anyone who enjoys a psychological, dark whoddunit then this is definitely worth reading. It will take you down tunnels both literally and symbolically most of us really wouldn't want to go. Luckily for us, Jack LeClere draws the short straw and presides over the darkness and the damned. Through prose as tight as Jack's emotions this is an excellent, hardboiled-macabre mix that will keep you reading most of the night - just make sure you keep the light on.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews