“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

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The Embiggened O

As all Three Regular Readers will be aware, THE BIG O originally appeared in 2007 courtesy of Hag’s Head Press, and was then published in the US in 2008 by Houghton Mifflin. A kidnap-gone-wrong tale, it garnered some very nice reviews (see below), but a combination of factors – not least the merger between Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt – resulted in the book being holed below the waterline, commercially speaking, even before it appeared.
  Herewith be a sample of said reviews:
“Imagine Donald Westlake and his alter ego Richard Stark moving to Ireland and collaborating on a screwball noir and you have some idea of Burke’s accomplishment.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Burke has married hard-boiled crime with noir sensibility and seasoned it with humour and crackling dialogue … fans of comic noir will find plenty to enjoy here.” – Booklist

“Carries on the tradition of Irish noir with its Elmore Leonard-like style ... the dialogue is as slick as an ice run, the plot is nicely intricate, and the character drawing is spot on … a high-octane novel that fairly coruscates with tension.” – The Irish Times

“Declan Burke’s THE BIG O is full of dry Irish humour, a delightful caper revolving around a terrific cast … If you don’t mind the occasional stretch of credulity, the result is stylish and sly.” – The Seattle Times

“Delightful … darkly funny … Burke’s style is evocative of Elmore Leonard, but with an Irish accent and more humour … Here’s hoping we see lots more of Declan Burke soon.” – Kansas City Star

“Faster than a stray bullet, wittier than Oscar Wilde and written by a talent destined for fame.” - Irish Examiner

“THE BIG O is everything fans of dark, fast, tightly woven crime fiction could want ... As each scene unfolds, tension mounts and hilarity ensues.” – Crime Spree Magazine
  So there you have it. It’s been a long and interesting journey for THE BIG O ever since it first appeared, and said journey takes a new twist next week when, having bought back the rights from HMH, I e-publish the novel for the very first time.
  I’ll be posting a link to the e-book next week, but for now I’m going to run a competition with a bit of a difference, and one aimed at those readers who have already read some of my books to date (EIGHTBALL BOOGIE, SLAUGHTER’S HOUND, ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL).
  The idea is that, if you’ve read any of those books, and have the time and inclination to post a review to Amazon, Goodreads, etc., then you’ll be entered into a draw to win one of five signed hardback first edition copies of THE BIG O.
  If you’ve already reviewed a book of mine, of course, or posted about one on your blog or website, then you automatically qualify.
  All I need you to do is post the link to your review / blog post etc., in the comment box below. Naturally, I’d be very grateful if you could find it in your heart to click the Twitter button, give it a mention on Facebook, et al …
  The competition will be open until noon on Thursday, March 7th. Et bon chance, mes amis

14 comments:

Unknown said...

I reviewed 8 ball boogie here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/171019061

Declan Burke said...

Thanks for that, JJ. You're in the hat, sir ...

Cynicalsocialist said...

http://thecrimeofitall.com/2011/09/28/declan-burkes-absolute-zero-cool-reviewed-by-conor-tannam/

Happily reviewed this fine novel!

Declan Burke said...

Much obliged, Conor. You're in ...

Nessy said...

Here's mine:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/1907593543/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Declan Burke said...

Thanks a million, Nessy. The hat starts to bulge ...

Dana King said...

Sweet deal. SLAUGHTER'S HOUND is here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2FNOGRAXYFMTM/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00915UTJW&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text

Here's my New Mystery Reader review of THE BIG O:

http://www.newmysteryreader.com/September_mystery_in_hardcover.htm

(You'll have to scroll to the bottom of the page, but those who do will be rewarded with a link to an interview with you.)

Rick Ollerman said...

Here's mine:

http://ollerman.blogspot.com/

Still haven't read "Slaughter's Hound" yet...

-Rick Ollerman

Declan Burke said...

Much obliged, chaps. Very kind indeed ...

lil Gluckstern said...

I reviewed "Slaughter's Hound" on Amazon. I don't know how to do the link thingie. I don't always trust my reviewing ability. I will say something on Facebook when I figure out how to do it.

Declan Burke said...

Lil - your work is done here, and your support over the years truly appreciated. You're in.

Seth Lynch said...

Here's my review of 8 ball -

http://salazarbooks.com/2011/05/04/review-eight-ball-boogie-declan-burke/

Seth

Declan Burke said...

Much obliged, Seth. You're in the hat, sir.

Unknown said...
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