Tower [Paperback]

TOWER is the book I had been waiting for all year. Ken Bruen is the Irish dark angel who, for the past several years, has carved a new and distinctive niche into the crime fiction genre. And Reed Farrel Coleman is a writer's writer, a master of noir crime fiction whose name is on the must-read list of all who have cracked the binding of one of his books. The news of a collaboration between the two men meant that the end result could be nothing less than an unforgettable, nightmarish journey to the dark end of a dangerous street. And that is precisely what it is.

TOWER is roughly divided into two sections covering the same period of time from the points of view of two childhood friends whose paths memorably and irrevocably cross and join as adults. Todd is a small-change hood working for Boyle, a mid-level Irish mobster with tentacles of influence throughout the East Coast to Ireland and beyond. Nick is the son of an Irish cop forced into an early retirement and working as a security guard. He doesn't fall under the sway of the evil of bad companions so much as he rushes to embrace them. Indeed, as his mother says, "he's got the bad drop."

When Todd brings Nick into Murphy's sphere of influence, Nick begins to thrive. But neither Todd nor Nick is entirely what the other believes him to be. Todd, especially, is holding a secret that will change the lives and relationship of both men when Murphy discovers it and forces Todd to make an untenable and impossible choice.

Matters are further complicated by the women with whom each of the men are involved. Nick meets Shannon by happenstance, a love at first sight circumstance that develops slowly and ends abruptly when his life gets in the way. Todd is thrown together with a woman named Leeza. Their attraction develops slowly; each of them knows exactly who and what the other is, and it is this knowledge that leads to both the consummation and termination of their relationship.

At the same time, federal law enforcement is ready to destroy Murphy's syndicate, with Nick and Todd being caught between the mob and the law. As the point of view of each man is presented, an apparent contradiction is resolved, and it appears that both men will ultimately escape intact with a promise of happiness or something like it. The conclusion is somewhat enigmatic, at least at first blush. When the full impact of what has occurred sets in, however, the climax is as chilling as anything you will read this year (or any year).

TOWER fulfills every promise made by the concept of this dream collaboration. Bruen and Coleman collaborate like twin sides of the same brain, making the difficult look easy --- and unforgettable, to boot. Dark, violent, frightening and touching, TOWER stands as a masterpiece in the crime fiction genre.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Ken Bruen is one of my favorite authors, and though I don't know anything about his collaborator, I knew I had to read this book because of my prior experience with Mr. Bruen's work. I am very happy that I did, as this book is simply excellent!

The plot concerns two friends, one Jewish and the other Irish. Mr. Bruen writes the part of the book about the Irish fellow and his co-author does the same for the Jewish gentleman. The different parts of the story intermesh very well, and you get one perspective on what is happening, and then the other.

There's a lot of foul language and gory violence, as usual, but they only move the plot forward. I don't like to talk abouit plot details bercause that would only spoil the fun of reading for others. One thing I will say, though: at the end I finally realized the significance of the book's title, because it was a puzzle to me almost all the way through. Read this book for yourself and enjoy some of the best gritty crime fiction being written today!

TOWER stands in a class of its own. This is a short novel with a break-neck speed, so hang on tight because it will grab you by the soul. Coleman and Bruen managed to blend their styles flawlessly, but still enable the reader to hear echos of each individual.

TOWER is filled with dark humor, poetic language, dimensional characters, and not least of all, a plot that lights the book on fire. It's gritty and it stays with you. TOWER will without a doubt make my top 10 list of 2009.

Stunning! If you haven't yet, get your hands on this book now.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 10 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars