Ken Bruen is a highly regarded Irish author, well-known for his noir crime fiction novels. Born in Galway, Ireland in 1951, Bruen attended Gormanston College and Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a PhD in metaphysics. After completing his studies, he embarked on a career as an English teacher, which took him to various parts of the world including Africa, Japan, Southeast Asia, and South America. These international experiences would later provide rich sources of inspiration for his writing.
Bruen's travels were not without their challenges. He once found himself wrongfully imprisoned in a Brazilian jail following an alleged involvement in a bar fight. Despite these hardships, he continued to teach and travel, enriching his understanding of different cultures and honing his craft as a writer. Today, Bruen resides in Galway, Ireland with his wife and daughter, Grace.
Bruen's literary career is marked by numerous accolades and achievements. His debut novel, "The Guards," was published in 2001 and introduced the world to Jack Taylor, one of his most popular series characters. The novel was highly acclaimed and went on to win the Shamus Award for Best First Novel in 2004. Bruen has since written several other novels, including "Her Last Call to Louis Mac Niece" and the "White Trilogy," which have been adapted for the screen.
Over the years, Bruen has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work. In addition to winning two Shamus awards, he has also received the Best Series Award from the Crime Writers Association for his Jack Taylor novels. His writing has been praised for its gritty realism, dark humor, and moral complexity, earning him a loyal following among readers of crime fiction. Despite his many accomplishments, Bruen remains a humble and dedicated writer, committed to exploring the depths of the human experience through his fiction.
Inspector Brant Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
A White Arrest
1998
2
Taming The Alien
1999
3
The McDead
2001
4
Blitz
2002
5
Vixen
2003
6
Calibre
2006
7
Ammunition
2007
Jack Taylor Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Guards
2001
2
The Killing of the Tinkers
2002
3
The Magdalen Martyrs
2003
4
The Dramatist
2004
5
The Dead Room
2005
6
Priest
2006
7
Cross
2007
8
Sanctuary
2008
9
The Devil
2010
10
Headstone
2011
11
Purgatory
2013
12
Green Hell
2015
13
The Emerald Lie
2016
14
The Ghosts of Galway
2017
15
In the Galway Silence
2018
16
Galway Girl
2019
17
A Galway Epiphany
2020
18
Galway Confidential
2024
19
Galway's Edge
2025
Max and Angela Books (with Jason Starr)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Bust
2006
2
Slide
2007
3
The Max
2008
4
Pimp
2016
5
Supermax
2025
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Shades of Grace
1993
2
Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice
1997
3
Rilke on Black
1997
4
The Hackman Blues
1997
5
London Boulevard
2002
6
Dispatching Baudelaire
2004
7
American Skin
2006
8
Once Were Cops
2008
9
Tower
2009
10
Tower (With: Reed Farrel Coleman)
2009
11
Callous
2021
Short Stories/Novellas
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Murder by the Book
2005
2
Time of the Green
2008
3
Wednesday’s Child
2010
Short Story Collections
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities
1992
2
Sherry and Other Stories
1994
3
Time of Serena-May and Upon the Third Cross
1995
4
A Fifth of Bruen: Early Fiction of Ken Bruen
2006
Akashic Noir Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
San Francisco Noir
2002
2
Seattle Noir
2003
3
Bronx Noir
2003
4
Brooklyn Noir
2004
5
Brooklyn Noir 2
2005
6
Chicago Noir
2005
7
Dublin Noir
2005
8
Manhattan Noir
2006
9
Miami Noir
2006
10
D.C. Noir
2006
11
Dublin Noir: The Celtic Tiger vs. the Ugly American
2006
12
Baltimore Noir
2006
13
Twin Cities Noir
2006
14
London Noir
2006
15
New Orleans Noir
2007
16
Los Angeles Noir
2007
17
Wall Street Noir
2007
18
Havana Noir
2007
19
Detroit Noir
2007
20
Queens Noir
2008
21
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
2008
22
Toronto Noir
2008
23
Las Vegas Noir
2008
24
Trinidad Noir
2008
25
D.C. Noir 2
2008
26
Manhattan Noir 2
2008
27
Paris Noir
2008
28
Istanbul Noir
2008
29
Boston Noir
2009
30
Rome Noir
2009
31
San Francisco Noir 2
2009
32
Portland Noir
2009
33
Delhi Noir
2009
34
Phoenix Noir
2009
35
Los Angeles Noir 2
2010
36
Mexico City Noir
2010
37
Richmond Noir
2010
38
Orange County Noir
2010
39
Indian Country Noir
2010
40
Moscow Noir
2010
41
Lone Star Noir
2010
42
Philadelphia Noir
2010
43
Haiti Noir
2010
44
Copenhagen Noir
2010
45
Pittsburgh Noir
2011
46
San Diego Noir
2011
47
Barcelona Noir
2011
48
Cape Cod Noir
2011
49
New Jersey Noir
2011
50
Staten Island Noir
2012
51
When They Are Done With Us
2012
52
Mumbai Noir
2012
53
Long Island Noir
2012
54
Venice Noir
2012
55
Kingston Noir
2012
56
St. Petersburg Noir
2012
57
Kansas City Noir
2012
58
Boston Noir 2
2012
59
USA Noir
2013
60
Manila Noir
2013
61
Buffalo Noir
2013
62
Dallas Noir
2013
63
Haiti Noir 2
2013
64
Singapore Noir
2014
65
Prison Noir
2014
66
Tel Aviv Noir
2014
67
Tehran Noir
2014
68
Belfast Noir
2014
69
Helsinki Noir
2014
70
Rio Noir
2014
71
Providence Noir
2015
72
Chicago Noir: The Classics
2015
73
Memphis Noir
2015
74
Zagreb Noir
2015
75
Marseille Noir
2015
76
Beirut Noir
2015
77
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
2016
78
Stockholm Noir
2016
79
Brussels Noir
2016
80
Mississippi Noir
2016
81
St. Louis Noir
2016
82
Prague Noir
2016
83
San Juan Noir
2016
84
Oakland Noir
2017
85
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
2017
86
Atlanta Noir
2017
87
New Haven Noir
2017
88
Montana Noir
2017
89
Buenos Aires Noir
2017
90
Montreal Noir
2017
91
Berlin Noir
2018
92
São Paulo Noir
2018
93
Santa Cruz Noir
2018
94
Lagos Noir
2018
95
Marrakech Noir
2018
96
Baghdad Noir
2018
97
Vancouver Noir
2018
98
Sydney Noir
2018
99
Hong Kong Noir
2018
100
Amsterdam Noir
2019
101
Milwaukee Noir
2019
102
Houston Noir
2019
103
Nairobi Noir
2020
104
Columbus Noir
2020
105
Santa Fe Noir
2020
106
Alabama Noir
2020
107
Berkeley Noir
2020
108
Addis Ababa Noir
2020
109
Tampa Bay Noir
2020
110
Miami Noir: The Classics
2020
111
Accra Noir
2020
112
Belgrade Noir
2020
113
Palm Springs Noir
2021
114
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
2022
115
Denver Noir
2022
116
South Central Noir
2022
117
Cleveland Noir
2023
118
East Jerusalem Noir
2023
119
West Jerusalem Noir
2023
120
Honolulu Noir
2024
121
Sacramento Noir
2025
122
Hamburg Noir
2025
Mysterious Profiles Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike
2022
2
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike (By: Robert Crais)
2022
3
Jack Reacher
2022
4
Jack Taylor
2022
5
Jack Reacher (By: Lee Child)
2022
6
Charlie Parker
2022
7
Hieronymus Bosch
2022
8
Charlie Parker (By: John Connolly)
2022
9
Hieronymus Bosch (By: Michael Connelly)
2022
10
Lincoln Rhyme
2022
11
Alex Delaware
2022
12
Lincoln Rhyme (By: Jeffery Deaver)
2022
13
Tess Monaghan
2022
14
Alex Delaware (By: Jonathan Kellerman)
2022
15
Charlie Resnick
2022
16
Tess Monaghan (By: Laura Lippman)
2022
17
Charlie Resnick (By: John Harvey)
2022
18
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus
2022
19
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus (By: Faye Kellerman)
2022
20
Inspector Morse
2022
21
Dismas Hardy
2022
22
Inspector Morse (By: Colin Dexter)
2022
23
Dismas Hardy (By: John Lescroart)
2022
24
Bob Lee Swagger
2022
25
Aloysius X. L. Pendergast
2022
26
Bob Lee Swagger (By: Stephen Hunter)
2022
27
Lou Boldt
2022
28
Aloysius X. L. Pendergast (By: Douglas Preston)
2022
29
Spenser
2022
30
Lou Boldt (By: Ridley Pearson)
2022
31
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt
2022
32
Spenser (By: Robert B. Parker)
2022
33
John Rebus
2022
34
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt (By: Anne Perry)
2022
35
Mallory
2022
36
John Rebus (By: Ian Rankin)
2022
37
Mallory (By: Carol O'Connell)
2022
38
Jane Whitefield
2022
39
Ian Rutledge: A Mysterious Profile
2022
40
Jane Whitefield (By: Thomas Perry)
2022
41
Amos Walker
2022
42
Ian Rutledge ( By: Charles Todd)
2022
43
Precious Ramotswe
2022
44
Amos Walker (By: Loren D. Estleman)
2022
45
Maisie Dobbs
2022
46
Precious Ramotswe (By: Alexander McCall Smith)
2022
47
The Lincoln Lawyer
2022
48
Maisie Dobbs (By: Jacqueline Winspear)
2022
49
Ben Kincaid
2023
50
The Lincoln Lawyer (By: Michael Connelly)
2022
51
Repairman Jack
2023
52
Condor ( By: James Grady)
2023
53
Ben Kincaid ( By: William Bernhardt)
2023
54
Repairman Jack (By: F. Paul Wilson)
2023
55
Joe Pickett (By: C.J. Box)
2024
56
Peter Diamond (By: Peter Lovesey)
2024
57
Nathan Heller (By: Max Allan Collins)
2024
Akashic Drug Chronicles Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Cocaine Chronicles
2005
2
The Cocaine Chronicles (With: Lee Child, Laura Lippman, Gary Phillips, Jervey Tervalon, Bill Moody)
2005
3
The Marijuana Chronicles
2013
4
The Speed Chronicles (By: Megan Abbott, Scott Phillips, Sherman Alexie, James Franco, William T. Vollmann, Jess Walter, Beth Lisick, Tao Lin, James Greer, Jerry Stahl, Natalie Díaz, Joseph Mattson, Kenji Jasper, Rose Bunch)
2011
5
The Heroin Chronicles (By: Jervey Tervalon, Lydia Lunch, Erin Moon, Nathan Larson, Antonia Crane, Jerry Stahl, Eric Bogosian, Ava Stander, John Albert, Michael Albo, Sophia Langdon, Tony O'Neill, L.Z. Hansen)
2013
6
The Nicotine Chronicles
2020
7
The Marijuana Chronicles ( By: Jonathan Santlofer)
2013
8
The Nicotine Chronicles (By: Lee Child, Joyce Carol Oates, Hannah Tinti, Christopher Sorrentino, Cara Black, Lauren Sanders, Bernice L. McFadden, Jonathan Ames)
2020
Bibliomysteries Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Book of Virtue
2012
2
Pronghorns of the Third Reich
2012
3
Pronghorns of the Third Reich (By: C.J. Box)
2012
4
The Book Thing
2012
5
The Book Thing (By: Laura Lippman)
2012
6
The Book Case (By: Nelson DeMille)
2012
7
The Book Case
2012
8
An Acceptable Sacrifice
2012
9
An Acceptable Sacrifice ( By: Jeffery Deaver)
2012
10
Death Leaves a Bookmark (By: William Link)
2012
11
Death Leaves a Bookmark
2012
12
The Final Testament (By: Peter Blauner)
2013
13
The Final Testament
2013
14
Rides a Stranger
2013
15
Rides a Stranger (By: David Bell)
2013
16
The Long Sonata of the Dead (By: Andrew Taylor)
2013
17
The Long Sonata of the Dead
2013
18
The Book of Ghosts ( By: Reed Farrel Coleman)
2013
19
The Book of Ghosts
2013
20
The Compendium of Srem
2014
21
The Compendium of Srem (By: F. Paul Wilson)
2014
22
What's in a Name?
2014
23
What's in a Name? ( By: Thomas H. Cook)
2014
24
Remaindered (By: Peter Lovesey)
2014
25
Remaindered
2014
26
The Sequel
2014
27
The Sequel (By: R.L. Stine)
2014
28
The Gospel of Sheba
2014
29
The Gospel of Sheba (By: Lyndsay Faye)
2014
30
Book Club
2014
31
Book Club (By: Loren D. Estleman)
2014
32
The Nature of My Inheritance (By: Bradford Morrow)
2014
33
The Nature of My Inheritance
2014
34
It's in the Book
2014
35
It's in the Book (By: Max Allan Collins, Mickey Spillane)
2014
36
The Scroll
2014
37
The Scroll (By: Anne Perry)
2014
38
The Book of the Lion
2015
39
The Book of the Lion (By: Thomas Perry)
2015
40
The Little Men (By: Megan Abbott)
2015
41
The Little Men
2015
42
Condor in the Stacks (By: James Grady)
2015
43
Condor in the Stacks
2015
44
Mystery, Inc.
2015
45
Mystery, Inc. (By: Joyce Carol Oates)
2015
46
Every Seven Years (By: Denise Mina)
2015
47
Every Seven Years
2015
48
From the Queen
2015
49
From the Queen (By: Carolyn Hart)
2015
50
The Travelling Companion
2016
51
The Travelling Companion ( By: Ian Rankin)
2016
52
Citadel
2016
53
Citadel (By: Stephen Hunter)
2016
54
Reconciliation Day
2016
55
Reconciliation Day (By: Christopher Fowler)
2016
56
Dead Dames Don't Sing
2016
57
Dead Dames Don't Sing (By: John Harvey)
2016
58
The Haze (By: James W. Hall)
2016
59
The Haze
2016
60
Hoodoo Harry (By: Joe R. Lansdale)
2017
61
Hoodoo Harry
2017
62
The Pretty Little Box ( By: Charles Todd)
2018
63
The Pretty Little Box
2018
64
Seven Years (By: Peter Robinson)
2018
65
Seven Years
2018
66
The Hemingway Valise (By: Robert Olen Butler)
2018
67
The Hemingway Valise
2018
68
The Last Honest Horse Thief (By: Michael Koryta)
2018
69
The Last Honest Horse Thief
2018
70
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository (By: John Connolly)
2018
71
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository
2018
72
The Girl Who Did Say No
2020
73
The Girl Who Did Say No (By: David Handler)
2020
74
The Traitor
2022
75
The Traitor (By: Martin Edwards)
2022
76
The Dark Door (By: Lisa Unger)
2022
77
The Dark Door
2022
78
The Honeymoon Trap
2022
79
The Honeymoon Trap (By: Peter Swanson)
2022
Bibliomysteries Series in Chronological Order
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Book of Virtue
2012
2
The Scroll
2014
3
The Scroll (By: Anne Perry)
2014
4
Pronghorns of the Third Reich
2012
5
Pronghorns of the Third Reich (By: C.J. Box)
2012
6
An Acceptable Sacrifice
2012
7
An Acceptable Sacrifice ( By: Jeffery Deaver)
2012
8
Death Leaves a Bookmark
2012
9
Death Leaves a Bookmark (By: William Link)
2012
10
Seven Years
2018
11
Seven Years (By: Peter Robinson)
2018
12
The Book Thing
2012
13
The Book Thing (By: Laura Lippman)
2012
14
The Book of Ghosts
2013
15
The Book of Ghosts ( By: Reed Farrel Coleman)
2013
16
Book Club
2014
17
Book Club (By: Loren D. Estleman)
2014
18
The Long Sonata of the Dead
2013
19
The Long Sonata of the Dead (By: Andrew Taylor)
2013
20
The Final Testament
2013
21
The Final Testament (By: Peter Blauner)
2013
22
Rides a Stranger
2013
23
Rides a Stranger (By: David Bell)
2013
24
What's in a Name?
2014
25
What's in a Name? ( By: Thomas H. Cook)
2014
26
It's in the Book (By: Max Allan Collins, Mickey Spillane)
2014
27
It's in the Book
2014
28
The Nature of My Inheritance
2014
29
The Nature of My Inheritance (By: Bradford Morrow)
2014
30
Remaindered
2014
31
Remaindered (By: Peter Lovesey)
2014
32
The Compendium of Srem (By: F. Paul Wilson)
2014
33
The Compendium of Srem
2014
34
The Gospel of Sheba
2014
35
The Gospel of Sheba (By: Lyndsay Faye)
2014
36
The Sequel
2014
37
The Sequel (By: R.L. Stine)
2014
38
The Book of the Lion
2015
39
The Book of the Lion (By: Thomas Perry)
2015
40
The Little Men
2015
41
The Little Men (By: Megan Abbott)
2015
42
Every Seven Years
2015
43
Every Seven Years (By: Denise Mina)
2015
44
Citadel
2016
45
Citadel (By: Stephen Hunter)
2016
46
Condor in the Stacks
2015
47
Condor in the Stacks (By: James Grady)
2015
48
Mystery, Inc.
2015
49
Mystery, Inc. (By: Joyce Carol Oates)
2015
50
The Travelling Companion
2016
51
The Travelling Companion ( By: Ian Rankin)
2016
52
The Haze
2016
53
The Haze (By: James W. Hall)
2016
54
Dead Dames Don't Sing
2016
55
Dead Dames Don't Sing (By: John Harvey)
2016
56
Reconciliation Day
2016
57
Reconciliation Day (By: Christopher Fowler)
2016
58
Hoodoo Harry
2017
59
Hoodoo Harry (By: Joe R. Lansdale)
2017
60
The Pretty Little Box
2018
61
The Pretty Little Box ( By: Charles Todd)
2018
62
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository
2018
63
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository (By: John Connolly)
2018
64
The Hemingway Valise
2018
65
The Hemingway Valise (By: Robert Olen Butler)
2018
66
The Last Honest Horse Thief (By: Michael Koryta)
2018
67
The Last Honest Horse Thief
2018
68
The Book Case
2012
69
The Book Case (By: Nelson DeMille)
2012
70
From the Queen
2015
71
From the Queen (By: Carolyn Hart)
2015
72
The Girl Who Did Say No
2020
73
The Girl Who Did Say No (By: David Handler)
2020
74
The Traitor
2022
75
The Traitor (By: Martin Edwards)
2022
76
The Dark Door
2022
77
The Dark Door (By: Lisa Unger)
2022
78
The Honeymoon Trap (By: Peter Swanson)
2022
79
The Honeymoon Trap
2022
Ken Bruen Anthologies
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
San Francisco Noir
2002
2
Seattle Noir
2003
3
Bronx Noir
2003
4
Brooklyn Noir
2004
5
The Cocaine Chronicles
2005
6
Brooklyn Noir 2
2005
7
Chicago Noir
2005
8
Dublin Noir
2005
9
Miami Noir
2006
10
Baltimore Noir
2006
11
Damn Near Dead
2006
12
Twin Cities Noir
2006
13
London Noir
2006
14
Los Angeles Noir
2007
15
Wall Street Noir
2007
16
Havana Noir
2007
17
Detroit Noir
2007
18
Killer Year: Stories to Die For...
2008
19
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
2008
20
Toronto Noir
2008
21
Trinidad Noir
2008
22
Boston Noir
2009
23
Delhi Noir
2009
24
Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem and Suspense