Taming the Alien
Is a book necessarily bad if you have to read it twice to understand who is doing what to whom? Is a book good if you're willing to read it twice?Taming the Aliensuggests that the answers to those questions are no and yes. More a series of vignettes than a novel, it's the tale of a half-dozen people, London cops and the lowlifes they want to arrest. The vignettes are set in London, Dublin, New York, Seattle, and Acapulco. Author Bruen uses a clipped, telegraphic style--reminiscent of James Ellroy'sWhite Jazzthat causes some of the initial confusion, but a second reading makes clear that the style is right for a tale of wild cops and psychopathic hoods. That style and the loose structure of the book allow Bruen to infuse his story with a brand of humor that is alternately sly, bizarre, ribald, and very dark. Call it postmodern noir, and recommend it to crime fans who are looking for something a little different.Thomas Gaughan