“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

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Andrew Nugent: Soul Brother

Our favourite crime-writing monk is back-back-back, folks. Andrew Nugent’s SOUL MURDER hits a shelf near you on October 2nd, with the blurb elves wittering thusly:
A riveting crime novel by Irish Benedictine Monk Andrew Nugent, which explores the terrible darkness in our souls. When a house master is found dead at a leading boys’ boarding school in Ireland, Superintendent Denis Lennon and Sergeant Molly Power of the Irish Police Force struggle to uncover any probable motive for this brutal killing. Perhaps it was a bungled kidnapping attempt? Or a revenge attack? Or simple robbery but with extreme malice? But when the existence of a letter from an old boy is discovered, their investigation becomes much more complicated. Something very sinister has provoked this violent bloodshed and, with so much at stake, will the killer stop at one murder?
  Our guess is no. SOUL MURDER is Nugent’s third offering, with the general gist of the verdict on THE FOUR COURTS MURDER and SECOND BURIAL running thusly:
‘An erudite, witty and altogether delightful debut, full of characters laced with eccentricity and Irish charm’ – Kirkus Reviews (starred)

‘It would take an iron will not to find oneself swept along by the pace at which the story is told’ – The Irish Times

‘Excellent ... Nugent deploys all the intellect and linguistic brilliance required of his former profession, coupled with the deep humour, understanding and genuine interest in his fellow human beings essential to his vocation’ – The Guardian
  Come on, admit it – aren’t you just the teensiest bit intrigued as to how a Benedictine monk would go about writing crime fiction?

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