Ed Loy has laid his ghosts to rest. He's been back in his hometown of Dublin for several years, his work is wearing but steady, and he's in his first loving relationship since the death of his daughter caused the ruin of his marriage six years ago. But when two girls go missing from a Dublin film set, Loy knows his past has caught up with him.
Loy's longtime friend, film director Jack Donovan, is shooting his next movie, an Irish historical epic. Donovan and his three right-hand men -- together, the Gang of Four -- have made numerous movies together spanning several decades, but the new film is primed to be their masterpiece. Production grinds to a halt, though, when not one but two female cast members fail to show up to work. Chances are they're party girls sleeping off a late night, but the circumstances feel familiar to Loy. A little too familiar. Twenty years ago, three girls disappeared from a movie Donovan was shooting in Malibu and their bodies were never found. Today, Loy has a sinking feeling in his heart: Those girls are gone.
Knowing that one of the film crew -- maybe even Jack Donovan himself -- is responsible for the girls' disappearances, Loy races to uncover the truth before a third girl goes missing. And in order to find answers, he must return to L.A. and delve deep into his past. But while he's so far from home, a cunning killer seizes the chance to strike at what's closest to Ed Loy's heart.
First Line: "He hadn't even wanted to kill the third girl."
Random Quote: "I smile at the crack, always the eye-rolling same from Mark, only happy when he's cringing. I assume Mark means that wherever they go as long as they've been going, and no matter what kind of film they end up making, it will all come down at some stage to Jack Donovan, carouser extraordinaire, professional Irishman, the life and soul of the all-night party, Jack Donovan Howling at the moon, raging once more against the dying of the light, surrounded by the fans and the fakes and the flakes, the casts and the crews and the camp followers, Jack Donovan, lightning rod, channeling the savage energies, tapping the occult information, transmuting the base energies of a Dublin pub through his own alchemical powers into something altogether other, something exalted, into some strange kind of ... magic ..."
Review: Whoever buys the mysteries at my local library does a fabulous job and has added many new writers to my ever-growing TBR pile. This is apparently the fifth novel in a series, but it's a great read all on its own. I will caution, however, that if you read this one you're going to go look for the other four, as well.
Dublin, Ireland - Image by yewenyi via FlickrEd Loy is a wonderful character - an Irish P.I. - confronted by his past in the form of his former friend, Jack Donovan, a larger-than-life Irish film director. Jack needs Ed's help - in more ways than he knows. As the book evolves and girls begin disappearing the story deepens and the chase for the killer is on.
Hughes does a good job of keeping the plot going, but the real joy of this is in the writing and the underlying story of friendship and the engine that makes it run (and sometimes makes it run off the road). This is a mature and thoughtful book with plenty of excitement and plenty of pure fun.
FTC Disclosure: San Leandro Public Library
Rating: Blue
Reading Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
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