The Emerald Lie

An Irish crime novel featuring ex-cop Jack Taylor from an author “among the most original and innovative noir voices of the last two decades” (Los Angeles Review of Books). In The Emerald Lie, the latest terror to be visited upon the dark Galway streets arrives in a most unusual form: a Cambridge graduate who becomes murderous over split infinitives, dangling modifiers, and any other sign of bad grammar. Meanwhile, Jack is approached by a grieving father with a pocketful of cash on offer if Jack will help exact revenge on those responsible for his daughter’s brutal rape and murder. Though hesitant to get involved, Jack agrees to get a read on the likely perpetrators. But Jack is soon derailed by the reappearance of Emily (previous alias: Emerald), the chameleon-like young woman who joined forces with Jack to take down her pedophile father in Green Hell and who remains passionate, clever, and utterly homicidal. She will use any sort of coercion to get Jack to conspire with her against the serial killer the Garda have nicknamed “the Grammarian,” but her most destructive obsession just might be Jack himself. “Nobody writes like Ken Bruen, with his ear for lilting Irish prose and his taste for the kind of gallows humor heard only at the foot of the gallows.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

The killer is cunning and ruthless, but even the best killers make mistakes. Emerald O'Brien, author of unpredictable mysteries packed with suspense, brings you the first thrilling novel in the Avery Hart trilogy that keeps readers guessing until the final installment. Avery Hart narrowly escapes death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River. Ten years later... The body of a young woman is discovered along the path of a park in the same town. The next woman to be attacked survives and reveals a potential link between the current killer on the loose and the attack on Avery years ago. Noah Cotter, an ambitious new inspector, becomes drawn to the case when his curiosity combines with his attraction to Avery. The dangerous search for truth appears to be muddied with each shocking secret brought to light as they realize that when someone is deceived for too long, sometimes...

In The Emerald City, Dan Willis takes us on a flight of imagination that paradoxically never strays far from the most tangible, even intimate subjects. His essays range from the Tower of Babel to the Wizard of Oz, from Christo to Christmas trees, from the "lightness of being" to the "weight of architecture." This ultimately optimistic book suggests that architecture is as vital as ever: "It is tempting to say that our present cultural situation...has rendered architecture nearly impossible if not unnecessary. But it is also possible to look to what our lives, at the turn of the millennium, typically lack-fulfillment, spirituality, a sense of belonging, weight-and to conclude that the ground for architecture has never been more fertile. The texts-intelligent and readable-draw equally from literary sources, architectural practice, philosophical analyses, pop culture, and everyday experiences. Willis's perspective as a writer, architect, artist, and teacher informs his work; his texts are at once reflective and proactive, as they challenge readers to rethink their participation in the built environment. Accompanying the text are the author's original illustrations, which link the forms and forces surrounding architecture at the end of the twentieth century in novel, thought-provoking ways.

An Irish ex-cop is lured into a violent game by a vengeful killer in this “excellent” crime novel by an Edgar Award finalist (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Former cop Jack Taylor is recovering from mental and physical wounds, as well as from addictions to a variety of substances. But this fragile existence is threatened when a vigilante begins targeting the scum of Galway, signing mysterious notes with the moniker “C33.” The murderer addresses these cryptic letters to Jack, trying to goad him into joining the violent spree. While Jack tries to unravel the mystery and motives of this demented killer, he’s also brought into the fold of an enigmatic tech billionaire who has been buying up massive amounts of property in Galway, seemingly in the hopes of offering this downtrodden city a better future. Yet if Jack has learned one thing living in Ireland, it's that people who outwardly claim to be on the side of righteousness are likely harboring far more nefarious motives beneath the surface. With the help of his friends, a former drug dealer-turned-zen master and a dogged police sergeant, Jack is determined to track down C33, even if it jeopardizes his livelihood, his friends, and the remaining shreds of his sanity… “Noir fans will find what they love here.”—Booklist (starred review)