On the HahaFiction shelf
A Man with One of Those Faces
by Caimh McDonnell
The Dublin Trilogy · Book 1 · 2016
Paul Mulchrone chooses hospital visits as an easy way to satisfy the charity-work requirement in his great-aunt's will. A stabbing makes the arrangement considerably harder. Soon he and nurse Brigit Conroy are fleeing a killer, with detective Bunny McGarry drawn into their attempt to unravel a notorious Irish crime.
From the author’s blurb
“The first time somebody tried to kill him was an accident. The second time was deliberate.”Read the full description at Author description
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What makes it funny?
Brigit has read enough crime fiction to bring her own expectations to the emergency. Bunny brings a hurling stick he is quite willing to use. The damppebbles review singles out this unlikely trio as the book's appeal, describing affection for people who are flawed and sometimes alarmingly violent.
The comedy at work
McDonnell keeps the threat moving while giving the people caught in it sharply different habits and priorities. His acerbic Dublin wit sits alongside the action, leaving room for attachment to the characters even when the guns come out.
Try this if…
A prospect for readers who want a real crime plot with comic character work, especially an Irish setting and an uneasy alliance of civilians and police.
Good to know
The comedy comes with shootings, hitmen and serial killers. Bunny's willingness to use his hurley gives his protectiveness a dangerous edge.
More funny amateur sleuth
Sources & further reading
- Author bookshop
Author commentary
- Library record
Library catalog
- Author
Author commentary
- Independent review
Review
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