“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, October 18, 2011

But Really, What’s THE POINT?

The first thing to say about Gerard Brennan’s THE POINT is that the cover is an absolute cracker - menace a-plenty in a beautifully retro style. The second thing to say is - well, over to the Pulp Press blurb elves:
Small time crook Paul Morgan is a bad influence on his brother, Brian. When Paul crosses one thug too many, the cider-fuelled duo flee Belfast for Warrenpoint, the sleepy seaside resort of their childhood memories. For Brian, a new life in the Point means going straight and falling in love with Rachel, while Paul graduates to carjacking by unusual means and ‘borrowing’ firearms from his new boss. Brian can’t help being dragged into his brother’s bungling schemes but Rachel can be violently persuasive herself . . . and she isn’t the only one who wants to see an end to Paul’s criminal career.
  Now, given that Brennan is the blogmeister behind Crime Scene Northern Ireland, or CSNI to you, from which vantage point he’s cast a cold eye over huge swathes of Irish crime writing over the last few years, there’s a lot of pressure on for him to deliver the goods. The good news is, from the sounds of things, he’s done exactly that. To wit:
“Gerard Brennan is a master of gritty violence.” - Colin Bateman

“A Coen Brothers dream, via Belfast ... Gerard Brennan grabs the mantle of the new mystery prince of Northern Ireland ...” - Ken Bruen

“THE POINT is the real deal - the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it’s true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit.” - Brian McGilloway

“Gerard Brennan’s THE POINT is terrific. Scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and the most inventive car theft ever!” - Arlene Hunt

“THE POINT is top stuff. Engaging from the start, the characters are loveable, the story is strong and the pace never lets up.” - Adrian McKinty
  So there you have it: if it’s good enough for Bateman, Bruen, Hunt and McKinty, it’s good enough for us. So - Gerard Brennan, THE POINT. You know what to do, people
  Oh, and if you’re roundabout Derry way this evening, Tuesday, October 18th, you can catch Gerard wittering on about the Booker Prize in the company of Kate Newman and the very fine novelist, Garbhan Downey, at the Central Library. For all the details, clickety-click here

9 comments:

Paul D Brazill said...

I've been looking forward to this book for ages. Can't wait.

Declan Burke said...

Sounds like a right cracker, alright. And the boy Brennan knows of what he speaks (and, presumably, writes).

Cheers, Dec

Arlene said...

It's like the wild West set North. Very funny.

Stuart Neville said...

That is a fantastic cover! Really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy at the No Alibis launch on the 31st.

Sean Patrick Reardon said...

It is a great cover. Very much looking forward to this. Just checked Amazon US & UK, for the kindle version, still not out yet. Any word on the release date for that version? Big time congrats Gerard!

Gerard Brennan said...

"...there’s a lot of pressure on for him to deliver the goods."

Think I just had a panic attack!

Thanks for this, Dec. Very much appreciated.

And thanks Paul, Arlene and Stuart for the kind words.

Sean, the kindle edition will be out soon. There's been a small technical glitch, I think. Danny at Pulp Press is chatting to somebody from Amazon about it right now. I'll let you know when it's avaiable.

Cheers

gb

adrian mckinty said...

Dec

I liked it very much.

seana graham said...

Sean, just preorder it through Book Depository.

I know you all won't believe this, but my word verifier word is allybi.

This might be because I was just at my Finnegans Wake group and Jimmy Joyce is continuing to work his spooky word hoodoo.

Peter Rozovsky said...

That's a hell of a cover, and I shall see about investigating what lies under that cover, as well.
======================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
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