One of my all time favorite lines by Chelsea Cain, between serial killer Gretchen Lowell and the soon to be tortured Archie Sheridan, goes like this, "Whatever you think this is going to be like"..."it's going to be worse". Well if you take that same quote & just change the word "worse" to "better" you would capture what I feel like each time Ken Bruen releases a new novel. He never disappoints, however with the release of his newest novel "The Devil" he obliterated my expectations. This was the 9th book in the Jack Taylor series & I honestly believe it is the best one yet & in in my humble opinion I think its his best book ever. I know that's like saying that "Godfather 2" is better than "The Godfather"...I mean how can you raise the bar any higher, yet he has. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Ken's, crime noir & good & evil. The subject matter of "The Devil" is a minefield yet Bruen takes us through it unscathed and leaves you worn out it the end. This could easily be the last Jack Taylor novel if Ken chooses to do so, however I have a feeling it won't be. The book mirrored the feeling I had when I watched "Angel Heart" for the first time. Your mesmerized & uncomfortable, and you can feel evil just lurking beside you throughout. The book is available only in the UK at this time, with an August release planned in the U.S. You can find the book on e-bay or Abe books or from a UK book dealer. If this book doesn't get Ken an EDGAR nomination, there is no justice. It was also cool to see Ken give a nod to "Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus" featuring music from Jim White, one of S&W"s favorite musicians and tips of the hat to other S&W's favorites Tom Russell, Leonard Cohen, Gretchen Peters & Daniel Woodrell to name a few. It's only May and Ive already read some incredible new books this year from Craig McDonald, Duane Swierczynski, Ace Atkins,and Michael Lister to name a few, but "THE DEVIL" zoomed to #1 on my chart and it will take a miracle to knock it off that spot for 2010. The last book that left me this enamored was Michael Lister's "DOUBLE EXPOSURE" in 2009. Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself, but let me warn you it's not for the weak at heart!
