The Dramatist/Ken Bruen

Sometimes I think that finding an author you like is mostly a matter of luck and timing. Take Ken Bruen. I read one of his books a while back and didn't care much for it. I thought it was well-written, but the style and subject matter just didn't resonate with me. (It was either THE GUARDS or THE KILLING OF THE TINKERS, I don't remember which.) But the other day I picked up a copy of THE DRAMATIST, the latest book in Bruen's Jack Taylor series, and I liked it a lot better. Jack has cleaned up and is sober as this book opens, mostly because his drug dealer is in prison, but when that drug dealer asks that Jack pay him a visit, events begin to unfold that wind up putting Jack on the trail of a serial killer.

Bruen has a very distinctive style, and while I found it a little off-putting in the other book of his that I read, this time my mind fell right into the rhythm of it and I enjoyed it a lot more. As for the story itself, it takes some very dark turns, darker than I would have ever attempted, but Bruen makes them work. I'm glad I gave him another try, and I'll be looking for his books now.