Falling Glass

When Killian makes a deal with a shady businessman to hunt down the runaway ex-wife and children, he thinks it'll be an easy task until the ex-wife explains why she ran and it's something nasty enough for Killian to change sides and run with her. It's difficult not to side with Killian immediately, since his first scene is an hilarious account of the man at a bar New York bar on St. Paddy's, trying to explain why drawing a four-leaf clover in the head of a pint of Guinness is always, always a bad idea (don't expect any "Oirish" affectations in this novel). Killian is Pavee, an Irish Traveller, and his traditional upbringing very much rules how he conducts his "business" and is the reason he rarely goes in guns blazing. Why damage when you can persuade? The writing is terse with little flourish, but it sets exactly the right tone for the story, resulting in an high-stakes cat-and-mouse hunt all over Ireland, Killian the physically weaker, but with a sense of right and wrong that eventually triumphs, at least on the moral level if not the ethical. ( )

So glad to find Michael Forsythe is still working. Listened to the book on audio and found it absolutely fascinating. Thanks to McKinty for finding a new "hero" for me to follow. Hope it will become a series. ( )

There are some books that it is just flat out a relief to finish. Too much sleep deprivation and the dust bunnies can start to look like they are moving into formations for the final onslaught. FALLING GLASS really cheats a lot. Having become a somewhat besotted Michael Forsythe fan, I did think I could approach FALLING GLASS with the vague hope of keeping reasonable hours. He plays a bit part only in this book after all, with the action centred around enforcer Killian. Should have known better. McKinty writes that brand of dark, violent, no holds barred, tempered with touches of raw and magnificent humour, Irish noir that makes me forget to feed the dogs and forces me to remind myself that no normal person is still awake at 4.00am convincing themselves that just a few more pages won't hurt.

There are differences between Killian and Forsythe. Killian is an enforcer, rather than a straight out hitman. He looks for solutions to problems, and he's not above using some elegant albeit somewhat crafty ways of getting results for whoever is paying him. He's also looking for a way out. A chance to retire and enjoy the good life, it's his expertise in finding people that don't want to be found that means Forsythe recommends him for a big job. A very wealthy Irish businessman, Richard Coulter, is prepared to pay big money for somebody to find his ex-wife and return his two young daughters. Fed the line that the ex is a drug addict who is going to endanger the girls, Killian is attracted by the sheer size of the pay packet - retirement seems just that bit closer. Of course things are going to get complicated, and of course there's going to be more than meets the eye to the wife's disappearance. The fact that there are a few elements to the plot of this story that are predictable is neither here nor there - this is a book about the journey. Killian's journey from enforcer to retiree. His journey from it being all about the money, to an understanding that there are some things that are more important than money. The journey from being the chaser to the chased.

Along the way there's a wonderful sense of the Irishness of this book. Killian is a tinker, a traveller, a background that he can't get away from, a lifestyle to which he can return with absolutely no questions asked and all kindnesses forthcoming. The landscape in which the action takes place, the weather, the characters that everyone rubs up against in the chase go further to making such a strong sense of place. The humour, the outlook, the language, the tone - it's all very very Irish. As is the ending. Spectacularly Irish, utterly unresolved - it's an ending that's probably going to drive some readers bats and made me joyously happy. Because I still love Michael Forsythe - and not just because he's a bad guy - but I also love Killian - not just because he's complicated. And I don't know if he'll be back in another book. And now that's keeping me awake. ( )

Another very good book by Adrian McKinty, the Irish author of the Dead Trilogy (which featured Michael Forsythe as its main character).

Michael Forsythe is a minor character in Falling Glass.

Falling Glass, set primarily in Northern Ireland, has as its main character Killian, an Irish Traveller (also know as Pavee, a gypsy-like and nomadic group in Ireland). Killian is hired by the extremely wealthy, powerful and well-connected Richard Coulter to find Coulter's ex-wife Rachel and their children.

McKinty is a good and entertaining writer who appears inspired by Raymond Chandler. Several chapter titles in Falling Glass are Chandler books, e.g., The Big Sleep. The style of writing, the fierce code that drives the main character's actions and the genre are all very reminiscent of Chandler.

Falling Glass is fast-paced and very engaging. It is recommended to existing McKinty fans but also to anyone who enjoys crime fiction. ( )