num_pages: 304
description: Still stinging from his unceremonious ouster from the Garda Síochána—the Guards, Ireland’s police force—and staring at the world through the smoky bottom of his beer mug, Jack Taylor is stuck in Galway with nothing to look forward to. In his sober moments Jack aspires to become Ireland’s best private investigator, not to mention its first—Irish history, full of betrayal and espionage, discourages any profession so closely related to informing. But in truth Jack is teetering on the brink of his life’s sharpest edges, his memories of the past cutting deep into his soul and his prospects for the future nonexistent.Nonexistent, that is, until a dazzling woman walks into the bar with a strange request and a rumor about Jack’s talent for finding things. Odds are he won’t be able to climb off his barstool long enough to get involved with his radiant new client, but when he surprises himself by getting hired, Jack has little idea of what he’s getting into.Stark, violent, sharp, and funny, The Guards is an exceptional novel, one that leaves you stunned and breathless, flipping back to the beginning in a mad dash to find Jack Taylor and enter his world all over again. It’s an unforgettable story that’s gritty, absorbing, and saturated with the rough-edged rhythms of the Galway streets. Praised by authors and critics around the globe, The Guards heralds the arrival of an essential new novelist in contemporary crime fiction. 
language: English
title: The Guards
titlecomplete: The Guards (Jack Taylor, #1)
genres: Ireland, Noir, Mystery, Irish Literature, Suspense, Detective, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime
ratings_count: 6315
series: Jack Taylor
awards: awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Barry Award
category: Best Novel, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Macavity Award
category: Best Mystery Novel, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Shamus Award
category: Best PI Hardcover, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Edgar Award
category: Best Novel, awardedAt: 1262332800000
name: Deutscher Krimi Preis
category: 3. Platz International, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Premio Novelpol
category: Best Novel (black / police)
publisher: Dingle