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Matt Minogue is a man with problems. An inspector in Dublin's murder squad, he's racked with guilt over the recent suicide of a suspect in a fraud case he was investigating. He's considering taking a different job in Europe when his home patch erupts in gangster-fuelled violence. Meanwhile, a young schoolgirl overdoses in a wealthy suburb, and her parents demand answers. That's the vividly painted backdrop to
Wonderland, the seventh novel in the internationally acclaimed Matt Minogue series from Irish-born, Canadian-based author John Brady. Popular titles in the series include
A Stone of the Heart,
Unholy Ground,
All Souls, and
The Good Life. Arguably his strongest yet,
Wonderland has already been praised by the
Globe and Mail as one of the best crime novels of the year.
Like Elmore Leonard, Brady's key weapons are his fascinating characters and their credible, colourful dialogue. ("Sometimes I forget the difference between plot and character. That's fine," Brady once explained.) In this case the dialogue is rich with Irish street slang: the pages are full of "iijits," "codders," "gobshites," "culchies," and "gamogs." Some of it's so indecipherable you may wish for a glossary, but trying to figure it out is part of the fun. Another treat in this pleasure-filled read is Brady's exploration of the changing face of Dublin. The economic boom of the past decade has altered it dramatically, and this is reflected in the new challenges faced by those fighting crime there. As Minogue's colleague Kilmartin notes at one point, "We're not some frigging oul rainy afterthought on the edge of Europe anymore, are we." Brady also accurately evokes the still-strong regional differences and prejudices within Ireland. His Wonderland is a place well worth visiting. --Kerry Doole
