I had never heard of the author, Ken Bruen. Perhaps not the best of starts, but I honestly don’t know where to begin with reviewing this book.
I picked ‘Blitz’ from the book shelf purely because it had Jason Statham on the cover. Okay, so I’m shallow, but Statham’s rugged stance was too persuasive and I buckled in a moment of weakness. It would appear this 2002 book was picked up by Hollywood and hit our screens in June of this year. I confess I totally slept though this period, but the promo on YouTube looks pretty good.
So, what’s this book about?
Basically, a tough cop has to find and stop a psychpath from killing police officers. It’s neat and it’s simple.
Then, I turned to Chapter One. The first paragraph reads:
THE PSYCHIATRIST STARED at Brant. All round the office were signs that thanked you for not smoking.
The psychiatrist wore a tweed jacket with patches on the sleeves. He had limp, fair hair that fell into his eyes, thus causing him to flick it back every few seconds. This doctor was convinced he had Brant’s measure.
So, nothing wrong with that. Then it continued –
He was wrong.
Said:
‘Now, Sergeant, I’d like you to tell me again about your violent urges.’
‘Huh?’ I had to back up and re-read. I’d never seen a layout like this before and it threw me. In fact, for the first thirty pages it kept throwing me. Eventually, I came around to Bruen’s way but it wasn’t without a fight.
So, what kept me interested?
The story. There are three stories going on here. Well, actually there are four if you count the killer. And each story lets its character have its own point of view. There is Brant, who I thought would be the main character given the picture on the cover and the blurb on the back. How wrong was I! It’s a bit like Tarantion’s Pulp Fiction and, fortunately, I like this format. Plus the stories drew me in.
What I didn’t like was the ending. I won’t reveal what happens, but I felt very let down.
Would I read another Ken Bruen book? I would have to say ‘yes’. The strange layout aside, I found the story engaging, fast paced and the characters very real. I just hope the next Bruen novel I choose finishes with more of a bang.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Have you read any other Ken Bruen novels? Have you seen the movie version? Let me know.
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Bruen’s an acquired taste, but he’s pretty awesome once you acquire it. For the Brant books, it is best to start at the beginning if you can get hold of the out-of-print White Trilogy. Brant is the major presence thought the series, but its “main character” is the precinct.
His Jack Taylor series, set in Galway, is similar in style, but less abrupt and telegraphic since it is narrator by Taylor. He’s an original stylist and incredibly bleak. Safe to say he has a worldwide cult following.
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Just had to say that I would also totallly have picked up the book because of Statham on the cover. Just sayin.
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I’ve been reading Bruen for quite some time, beginning with his first Jack Taylor book, The Guards. Was extremely disappointed with the casting of Statham as Brant, but he wasn’t half bad. Too much emphasis on the tough, and not enough on the dissolute and irredeemable. Michael Caine would have been a better choice…or maybe Tom Wilkinson. If I could timecast, Brant would be portrayed by Robert Mitchum.
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I haven’t seen the movie yet. I was expecting it to be quite good as the book had enough for Hollywood to pull that off. I know what you mean about Statham but then I read the book with him in mind as he was on the cover. I will have to begin at the beginning of the Jack Taylor saga. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
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