“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Paperback: KILLING WAYS by Alex Barclay

Alex Barclay’s KILLING WAYS (Harper) gets a snazzy new cover for its paperback edition, which was published on December 3rd. To wit:
Dark times lie ahead for Special Agent Ren Bryce and the Rocky Mountains Safe Streets Task Force in the heart-stopping new thriller from the bestselling author of DARKHOUSE and BLOOD LOSS.
  In her most shocking case yet, FBI Special Agent Ren Bryce takes on a depraved serial killer fueled by a warped sense of justice.
  A master of evasion, each life he takes ramps up Ren’s obsession with finding him. Then one victim changes everything and brings Ren face to face with a detective whose life was destroyed by the same pursuit.
  Together, can they defeat this monster? Or will he take them both down?
  For all the details, clickety-click here

Thursday, December 3, 2015

First Look: SISTERS AND LIES by Bernice Barrington

Bernice Barrington publishes her debut novel SISTERS AND LIES (Penguin Ireland) next year. Quoth the blurb elves:
One hot August night, Rachel Power gets the call everyone fears. It’s the police. Her younger sister Evie’s had a car crash, she’s in a coma. Can Rachel fly to London right away?
  With Evie injured and comatose, Rachel is left to pick up the pieces of her sister’s life. But it’s hard fitting them together, especially when she really doesn’t like what she sees.
  Why was Evie driving when she doesn’t even own a licence? Who is the man living in her flat and claiming Evie is his girlfriend? How come she has never heard of him?
  The more mysteries Rachel uncovers the more she starts asking herself how well she ever really knew her sister. And then she begins to wonder if the crash was really the accident everybody says it is.
  Back in hospital, Evie, trapped inside an unresponsive body, is desperately trying to wake up. Because she’s got an urgent message for Rachel - a warning which could just save both their lives . . .
  SISTERS AND LIES will be published on March 24th. For more, clickety-click here

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Publication: ALIBI FOR EVIL by Michael Haskins

Michael Haskins publishes ALIBI FOR EVIL, the eighth in his series of Florida-set novels to feature ‘Mad’ Mick Murphy. To wit:
After two suspicious deaths in Key West, Mick Murphy gets caught up in a conspiracy theorist dream. Corrupt Florida politicians, all the way to the governor, land developers and banks are ready to develop the pristine Keys, including Murphy’s beloved Key West. What’s worse of Murphy and his eclectic group of friends is that federal agencies know what’s happening, who the players are and are doing little, if anything. To big to fail comes to mind. Throw in the Mexican drug cartel’s money, used as an investment in the plan, and Murphy faces one of his most dangerous misadventures to date.
  For the first three chapters of ALIBI FOR EVIL, clickety-click here

Monday, November 30, 2015

Publication: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH WEST by Garbhan Downey

Derry’s finest Garbhan Downey publishes his eighth novel, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE NORTH WEST (Guildhall Press). Quoth the Derry Journal:
‘Once Upon A Time in the North West’, the eighth novel from the Derry writer, charts the fortunes of a family run newspaper in the city from its foundation in 1912 until the meeting between former IRA leaders and Queen Elizabeth II in 2012-one hundred years on.
  This story will take readers to both sides of the Atlantic; through the War of Independence, the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II, gerrymandering and political corruption, the formation of JFK’s Irish Camelot, the Civil Rights Movement, sectarian murders, the hunger strikes and the ceasefires.
  As all this develops the novel focuses on the death of a well-connected Irish newspaper owner, Sean Madden. His passing triggers a secret hunt for his memoirs. As owner of the North West Chronicle, Sean Madden had accumulated a in-depth memoir of what actually happened and hugely at odds of official accounts. As such, the Americans want to get their hands on it before the British and the Irish. Yet, Madden’s hard-nosed granddaughter Maeve, heir to the newspaper, has her own interests to protect as well.
  This historical novel-cum-21st century mystery makes for a pulsating page turner that transports the reader on an epic journey of war and peace, love and loss, politics and criminality across the twentieth century.
  For more, clickety-click here