What do you think?
Rate this book
Disorder
Tommy Bridge is on a mission. A Yoga mat, his Buddhist teaching and a Glock, his main weapons of choice. Tommy has had a tough time as a Cop. Now he has a clear and definite purpose. Deal with a local crime Kingpin and he may just achieve some sense of redemption.
Patricia, “Dev”, Devenney, Tommy’s partner. Made from more traditional stock. All Dev wants is for Tommy to be at peace with himself…hopefully keeping him alive along the way.
Clark Wallace, the Kingpin. Clark has values, traditions, honour- unfortunately, none of them are really traits that normal folk would adhere to. Clark is like a bad nightmare in technicolour and this movie is about to go into 3D.
Jimmy McAuley. The student. Failing at University. Soaring with the Weed. Quite simply, Jimmy is in the wrong place at the wrong time - stoned and about to learn a harsh life lesson. Hopefully he can pass this exam.
Grace Dornan. The reporter. Grace knows what her Prize should be. The only problem for Grace is that she may let the “truth” behind this grand saga be the last thing she seeks.
Patricia, “Dev”, Devenney, Tommy’s partner. Made from more traditional stock. All Dev wants is for Tommy to be at peace with himself…hopefully keeping him alive along the way.
Clark Wallace, the Kingpin. Clark has values, traditions, honour- unfortunately, none of them are really traits that normal folk would adhere to. Clark is like a bad nightmare in technicolour and this movie is about to go into 3D.
Jimmy McAuley. The student. Failing at University. Soaring with the Weed. Quite simply, Jimmy is in the wrong place at the wrong time - stoned and about to learn a harsh life lesson. Hopefully he can pass this exam.
Grace Dornan. The reporter. Grace knows what her Prize should be. The only problem for Grace is that she may let the “truth” behind this grand saga be the last thing she seeks.
285 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Gerard Brennan
37 books43 followersGerard Brennan's latest novel is Disorder, Published by No Alibis Press. His short stories have appeared in a number of anthologies; including three volumes of The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime and Belfast Noir. He co-edited Requiems for the Departed, a collection of crime fiction based on Irish myths which won the 2011 Spinetingler Award for best anthology. His novella, The Point, was published by Pulp Press in October 2011 and won the 2012 Spinetingler Award for best novella. His novels, Wee Rockets and Fireproof, were published as ebooks by Blasted Heath in 2012. He graduated from the MA in creative writing at Queen's University Belfast in 2012 and is currently working on a PhD.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 24, 2018
Disorder.
The crowd roars.
Noise.
It crackles like a radio between stations.
Violence.
A troop of civilians moves as one. There's a savage beauty to this chaos. It tumbles like the tide. Crashes into riot shields. Seeks a break in the seal.
It's relentless.
Disorder.
I like Gerard Brennan. His early novellas, like The Point and Wee Rockets, 'crackled and fizzled' with violence and sly dark, very dark, Northern Ireland humour. And, while his 2014 novel, Undercover, felt like he was writing the book he thought he should write, a fairly straight thriller. Disorder is a return to that gritty, wryly funny, Belfast Noir.
Like the best Noir, Disorder is populated by disreputable characters with varying levels of stupidity and sleekedness (look it up..). It's a story of revenge, of drugs, of riots, of political and corporate meddling, all underpinned by a black comedy that perhaps only people from Norn Iron can understand but will hopefully be appreciated further afield.
Published by those nice people at No Alibis, the best bookshop in the world, Gerard Brennan's Disorder deserves to be in the company of Stuart Neville, Adrian McKinty, Colin Bateman and Brian McGilloway whose recommendations all appear on the cover.
Highly recommended.
The crowd roars.
Noise.
It crackles like a radio between stations.
Violence.
A troop of civilians moves as one. There's a savage beauty to this chaos. It tumbles like the tide. Crashes into riot shields. Seeks a break in the seal.
It's relentless.
Disorder.
I like Gerard Brennan. His early novellas, like The Point and Wee Rockets, 'crackled and fizzled' with violence and sly dark, very dark, Northern Ireland humour. And, while his 2014 novel, Undercover, felt like he was writing the book he thought he should write, a fairly straight thriller. Disorder is a return to that gritty, wryly funny, Belfast Noir.
Like the best Noir, Disorder is populated by disreputable characters with varying levels of stupidity and sleekedness (look it up..). It's a story of revenge, of drugs, of riots, of political and corporate meddling, all underpinned by a black comedy that perhaps only people from Norn Iron can understand but will hopefully be appreciated further afield.
Published by those nice people at No Alibis, the best bookshop in the world, Gerard Brennan's Disorder deserves to be in the company of Stuart Neville, Adrian McKinty, Colin Bateman and Brian McGilloway whose recommendations all appear on the cover.
Highly recommended.
February 9, 2018
The first release on the new No Alibis Press and it's a cracker!
I've just finished Gerard Brennan's new novel and it's a really great read. The rise and rise of NI Crime Fiction just keeps getting better and the start to this year with the likes of Disorder and Thirteen (Steve Cavanagh) is very exciting.
Disorder uses so called recreational rioting in Belfast as a backdrop to interweaving story strands that are created and manoeuvred skilfully. There is a great set of characters, with no out and out main protagonist; including a damaged and amoral cop, a stoner student in the wrong place, a sleekid American investor and a conflicted journalist.
The prose packs a punch with lots of humourous local lingo set alongside tightly written scenes and some pretty hardboiled violence. There is a mystery element also involved, along with the feeling of dread approaching. The plot is tied up in a satisfying and somewhat unexpected way, with plenty of thrills and an emotional pay off.
I highly recommend it- go and grab yourself a copy now!
April 22, 2021
It doesn’t get much darker than this...
This book is described as ‘Belfast Noir’ and believe me, they don’t come much more noir than this.
This book describes a city seemingly still at war with itself and a people divided by political and religious differences. But, as the author peels away the layers, we see that these divisions are being deliberately manipulated either for personal gains or to settle old scores.
Many of the characters we meet in the book are as hard as nails, and in many cases, brutal and unforgiving with it, and definitely not people you would want to introduce to your mother. Even the two central characters, the police detectives, have hard, dark and unsavoury sides to them. However, the author sprinkles enough rich, dark humour through the pages to give a realism to the dialogue and action.
Talking of action, there is a lot of it - it’s fast-moving and hard-hitting and so well written. Brennan’s description of being on the inside of a full blown riot is a masterpiece of descriptive writing. All that was missing was the taste!
Loved it!
This book is described as ‘Belfast Noir’ and believe me, they don’t come much more noir than this.
This book describes a city seemingly still at war with itself and a people divided by political and religious differences. But, as the author peels away the layers, we see that these divisions are being deliberately manipulated either for personal gains or to settle old scores.
Many of the characters we meet in the book are as hard as nails, and in many cases, brutal and unforgiving with it, and definitely not people you would want to introduce to your mother. Even the two central characters, the police detectives, have hard, dark and unsavoury sides to them. However, the author sprinkles enough rich, dark humour through the pages to give a realism to the dialogue and action.
Talking of action, there is a lot of it - it’s fast-moving and hard-hitting and so well written. Brennan’s description of being on the inside of a full blown riot is a masterpiece of descriptive writing. All that was missing was the taste!
Loved it!
May 13, 2021
The fact that this book was his PHD piece is astonishing. The plot was sound, the characters well rounded and the pace was perfect. I gasped out loud several times, and had the enjoyable ‘Just one more chapter’ experience. Well worth the sleep deprivation it caused me as a result.
So much tension intertwined with a wry sense of humour and astute life observation. A must read.
Brennan’s natural talent shines.
So much tension intertwined with a wry sense of humour and astute life observation. A must read.
Brennan’s natural talent shines.
February 3, 2019
Contains the best description of a riot I have read in fiction.
October 5, 2024
Solid grit lit,
Unmistakably Irish,
and not one reference to Danny Boy!
Unmistakably Irish,
and not one reference to Danny Boy!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews