Wow, what a read. I read it in a single sitting. Although this is the 18th in the Jack Galway series, it's the first I've read. I'll definitely be going back to earlier ones in the series. It didn't seem to matter that I read this one first.

Jack is a real character who gets involved in a number of cases, helping out the church, some nuns, and others who see a need for a bit of fair justice.

The book moves very quickly, and doesn't keep the reader hanging as some books do. It's written in an almost poetic style, and includes references to current affairs and also quotes from other good authors I've read.

Recommend for a fun read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow, what a read! Galway's Edge completely pulled me in, and I ended up reading it in a single sitting. Although this is the eighteenth book in the Jack Taylor series, it's my first experience with Ken Bruen's iconic detective, and it certainly won't be my last. The story works wonderfully as a standalone, yet it left me eager to go back and discover the earlier books.

Jack Taylor is a fascinating character—flawed, sharp, and endlessly compelling. Drawn into a case involving a powerful vigilante group, a murdered priest, and the blurred line between justice and revenge, Jack finds himself navigating the darker corners of Galway while helping those who feel the law has failed them. The mystery is gripping from the start and never lets up.

What really stood out to me was Bruen's unique writing style. The prose often feels almost poetic, packed with wit, insight, and references to literature, current events, and Irish culture. Every page has a rhythm of its own, making the novel feel fresh and distinctive compared to other crime fiction.

The pacing is excellent, moving quickly without sacrificing character or atmosphere. There are twists, dark humor, and plenty of sharp observations about justice, morality, and society. Most importantly, the book never drags—it keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.

If you're a fan of crime fiction, noir, or memorable detectives, Galway's Edge is a fantastic read. Ken Bruen has earned a new fan, and I can't wait to explore the rest of the Jack Taylor series.

EXCERPT: I had been bequeathed a dog by an ex-nun named Sheila Winston; she, too, had become a Rafferty victim.
The dog was a shih Tzu named Trip. The dog and I took quite a wedge of time before we settled into each other's world. But he was now an integral part of mine. He was a daily shot of unadulterated joy, and I loved him to bits.
Did he love me? Not so much. But I fed him, I walked him (a lot), and he seemed resigned to his fate.
Into my life, too, had come a fine woman named Rachel. It was she who acted as a conduit to Edge, but we were circling the prospect of becoming an item.
I didn't have to walk her or indeed feed her.
Least not yet.

ABOUT 'GALWAY'S EDGE': When an Irish vigilante group is targeted by a killer, Jack Taylor must unravel the deadly mystery.

Edge is an organisation set up to rid Galway of criminals and abusers who have evaded the law. Its members include the most powerful figures in the city.

The Vatican is not pleased when it hears one of its priests has joined Edge. Who better to intercede with Father Whelan than Jack Taylor, the whiskey-swigging ex-cop who has one foot in the pub and another among Ireland’s clergy?

The day after Jack speaks to Whelan, the priest is found dead, hanged in his own back yard. Would Edge really kill one of their own? And if not, who would be bold enough to take them on? It’s up to Jack to nail the culprit before Galway descends into vigilante chaos.

MY THOUGHTS: A frantic almost manic farewell to Jack Taylor as sadly Ken Bruen died in 2025. I have had a long love affair with Jack, but this would have to be my least favorite book in the series.

The black humor is still there amongst the violence, the drinking, the women, but there is something about Galway's Edge that is different, and not necessarily in a good way. Or maybe I was just having a bad day where I couldn't fully appreciate Bruen's writing.

Bruen has a unique way of writing: random, compelling, dark and funny. But there seemed to be more of an Edge (no, not a pun, at least not an intended one) to his writing here. A fraction more disorientation. I felt confused at times, which has never happened before.

There was a quote in In the Galway Silence, Jack Taylor #14, which I think says more about the author than the protagonist: 'You always had a way about you, Jack. Not fully nuts, but circling.'

RIP Ken Bruen. If not in peace, then whatever passes for it in your world.

⭐⭐⭐.9

#GalwaysEdge #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: KEN BRUEN was born in Galway, Ireland in 1951. The award-winning author of sixteen novels, he is the editor of Dublin Noir, and spent twenty-five years as an English teacher in Africa, Japan, Southeast Asia and South America. An Irish writer of hardboiled and noir crime fiction.

Another fine read from the author in the Jack Taylor series, it never disappoints. It's edgy, dark and extremely satisfying to read. An easy 5* read from me. I highly recommend the whole series. Rest in peace Ken Bruen. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I normally race through the pages of a new Jack Taylor novel, but with the knowledge that local authorities Ken Bruen passed away last year and that this is the final (or so I assume), Jack Taylor novel, I took my time, not wanting to reach the end.
"Galway's Edge" is the 18th novel in the gritty, Crime noir series and yet, the Bruen's writing remains as fresh as ever.
In his more recent novels, Bruen has added an increasing number of references to political and social events, ranging from Covid 19 to political scandals and this adds a sense of adding of realism to Jack's world and links Bruen's views with those of Taylor's. I found myself frequently agreeing with the viewpoints of Taylor/Bruen (should I be worried that I agree with Jack? ;)
The stories are set in contemporary Galway and frequently name check, well known Galway people and places. It's always fun to read a new Taylor and see which local has popped up this time around and to recognise various locales (Crane Bar, Charlie Byrne's, The Galleon etc).
This time around there is a mysterious organisation called the Edge, who allegedly is responsible for removing any abusers/criminals from Galway if they escape the law. And Jack is tasked by no less than the Vatican to investigate. And this is only the beginning of the mayhem. The bodycount is rapidly rising. Jack's problems are increasing in direction proportion to this bodycount, and well... Galway may never be the same.
Absolutely worth reading, don't miss another gem in this series. Plenty of hilarious oneliners as Jack ponders the current political and social climate.

A eulogy disguised as a detective novel.

Jack Taylor's last case feels like a wake dressed up as a mystery, and I mean that as the highest praise.

Knowing Ken Bruen is gone, every hungover stumble and bitter one-liner lands differently now; you're not just reading a detective story, you're saying goodbye to a man who never once got redemption and never once stopped reaching for it anyway.

Whisky-soaked, church-haunted, spoiling for a fight with a vigilante cabal and his own conscience, Jack is as glorious a wreck as he's ever been. Bruen doesn't soften a thing for the send-off, and thank goodness, a tidy ending would've been a betrayal of everything Jack Taylor stood for.

Dark, funny, and quietly devastating. I finished it wanting to raise a glass and buy a hurley just to keep some piece of him around.

My thanks to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC. All views are my own.