Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen was born in Galway, Ireland on January 3rd, 1951 and passed away at the age of 74 on March 29th, 2025.

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Ken Bruen Stats: The highest rated book by Ken Bruen on Book Notification is Green Hell, the 12th novel in the Jack Taylor series. The second-highest rated book is The Emerald Lie (Jack Taylor #13).

The most read book by Ken Bruen on Book Notification is The Guards, the first novel in the Jack Taylor series. The second most read book is The Killing of the Tinkers (Jack Taylor #2).

Below is a complete list of Ken Bruen books in publication and chronological order, broken down by series. The most popular series by Ken Bruen is the Jack Taylor Series.

List of Inspector Brant Books in Publication Order

List of Jack Taylor Books in Publication Order

List of Max and Angela Books in Publication Order (with Jason Starr)

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.32006
2
8.52007
3
8.42008
4
82016
5
2025

List of Standalone Novels in Publication Order

List of Short Stories/Novellas in Publication Order

List of Short Story Collections in Publication Order

List of Akashic Noir Books in Publication Order

Features dark crime stories set in different cities or regions, each written by local authors who capture the gritty vibe of their location.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
2002
2
2003
3
2003
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2004
5
82004
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2005
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42006
11
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102007
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42011
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62012
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82012
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92014
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102014
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72015
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62019
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2022
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82022
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2022
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2023
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2023
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2023
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2024
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2025
121
2025
Show All Books in this Series

List of Mysterious Profiles Books in Publication Order

The Mysterious Profiles series offers brief biographies of iconic mystery writers, providing insights into their lives, works, and the creation of their most famous characters.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
Rambo (By: David Morrell)
2022
2
8.72022
3
92022
4
7.72022
5
92022
6
82022
7
82022
8
9.52022
9
2022
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82022
11
2022
12
9.52022
13
82022
14
92022
15
9.82022
16
82022
17
92022
18
102022
19
92022
20
102022
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92022
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6.72022
23
92022
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9.72022
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8.22022
26
8.52022
27
2023
28
2023
29
102023
30
72024
31
2024
32
2024
33
7.52025
Show All Books in this Series

List of Akashic Drug Chronicles Books in Publication Order

This is an anthology series which features stories set in different cities around the world, each exploring the dark and complex relationship between location and the drug trade through various narratives.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
2005
2
2011
3
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
4
2013
5
2020
Show All Books in this Series

List of Bibliomysteries Books in Publication Order

Mystery and suspense stories, each centered on books, libraries, or the literary world.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
102012
2
2012
3
82012
4
2012
5
9.52012
6
2012
7
2013
8
2013
9
2013
10
2013
11
92014
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2014
13
82014
14
2014
15
2014
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92014
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2014
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2014
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8.52014
20
2015
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2015
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2015
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2015
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2015
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2015
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8.52016
27
2016
28
2016
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2016
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2016
31
2017
32
102018
33
62018
34
2018
35
2018
36
82018
37
2020
38
2022
39
2022
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2022
Show All Books in this Series

List of Bibliomysteries Books in Chronological Order

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
102012
2
8.52014
3
2012
4
9.52012
5
2012
6
62018
7
82012
8
2013
9
92014
10
2013
11
2013
12
2013
13
2014
14
2014
15
2014
16
82014
17
92014
18
2014
19
2014
20
2015
21
2015
23
2015
24
2016
25
2015
26
2015
27
8.52016
28
2016
29
2016
30
2016
31
2017
32
102018
33
82018
34
2018
35
2018
36
2012
37
2015
38
2020
39
2022
40
2022
41
2022
Show All Books in this Series

List of Ken Bruen Anthologies in Publication Order

Click to get new book alerts by Ken Bruen sent straight to your email.

Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen was born on January 3rd, 1951. Ken passed away March 29th, 2025 at 74 years old. Ken Bruen was born in Galway, Ireland. Bruen attended Trinity College Dublin where he received a Ph.D Metaphysics.

Ken Bruen is known for writing in the Thriller and Crime Fiction genres.

Ken Bruen was the author of the Jack Taylor series which consists of 19 novels. The Jack Taylor series started in 2001 with the novel The Guards. The most recently released novel in the Jack Taylor series was Galway's Edge which was released in 2025. There are no upcoming novels for the Jack Taylor series.

Ken Bruen: Awards & Accolades

Bruen's books have won multiple awards, The Guards won the Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel, in 2004. The Killing of the Tinkers won the Macavity Award, Best Mystery Novel, in 2005. Priest won the Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel, in 2007. The Dramatist won the Shamus Award, Best P.I. Novel, in 2007. Tower won the Macavity Award, Best Mystery Novel, in 2010.

The following novels by Ken Bruen were nominated for these awards:

  • The Guards: Barry Award, Best Novel (2004). Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel (2004). Macavity Award, Best Mystery Novel (2004). Barry Award, Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade (2010).
  • The Killing of the Tinkers: Anthony Award, Best Mystery Novel (2005).
  • The Dramatist: Barry Award, Best British Crime Novel (2005). Gumshoe Award, Best European Crime Novel (2007).
  • Bust: Barry Award, Best Paperback Original (2007).
  • Priest: Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel (2008).
  • Slide: Anthony Award, Best Paperback Original (2008).
  • Time of the Green: International Thriller Writers Award, Best Short Story (2009).
  • Tower: Anthony Award, Best Paperback Original (2010).
  • First Thrills: Suspense Magazine Awards, Best Anthology (2010).
  • Wednesday’s Child: Crime Writer's Association Award, Short Story Award (2011).
  • Pimp: CrimeFest, Last Laugh Award (2017).
  • The Ghosts of Galway: CrimeFest, eDunnit Award (2018).

Related Authors

Fans of Ken Bruen also enjoy these authors:

  1. Adrian McKinty, author of the Detective Sean Duffy Series.
  2. Joe Ide, author of the IQ Series.
  3. Rob Hart, author of the Assassins Anonymous Series.
  4. Dashiell Hammett, author of the Detective Sam Spade Series.
  5. George Pelecanos, author of: The Man Who Came Uptown.
  6. Stuart Neville, author of the Jack Lennon Series.
  7. S.J. Rozan, author of the Lydia Chin & Bill Smith Series.
  8. Andrew Klavan, author of the Cameron Winter Mystery Series.
  9. Jo Nesbø, author of the Harry Hole Series .
  10. Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus Series.

Ken Bruen: F.A.Q

When was Ken Bruen Born?

Ken Bruen was born on January 3rd, 1951.

When did Ken Bruen die?

Ken Bruen died on March 29th, 2025 at 74 years old.

Where was Ken Bruen Born?

Ken Bruen was born in Galway, Ireland.

What book awards has Ken Bruen won?

The Guards: Shamus Award Best P.I. Novel (2004).
The Killing of the Tinkers: Macavity Award Best Mystery Novel (2005).
Priest: Barry Award Best British Crime Novel (2007).
The Dramatist: Shamus Award Best P.I. Novel (2007).
Tower: Macavity Award Best Mystery Novel (2010).

What was the first book Ken Bruen wrote?

The first book written by Ken Bruen was Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities, published in 1992.

What was the most recent book Ken Bruen wrote?

His most recently released work was Supermax on November 11th, 2025.

What is the most popular book by Ken Bruen?

Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Ken Bruen book is The Guards. Here are his most popular books:
  1. The Guards (8.31)
  2. The Killing of the Tinkers (8.2)
  3. The Magdalen Martyrs (8.13)
  4. The Dramatist (7.78)
  5. Headstone (7.63)

What genres does Ken Bruen Write?

Ken Bruen primarily writes in the Crime Fiction and Thriller genres. His work includes sub-genres such as Crime Thriller, Noir, and Hard-Boiled Detective.

How many books has Ken Bruen written?

Ken Bruen has written 52 books across 10 series, excluding contributions to anthologies.
  • 7 books in the Inspector Brant Series
  • 19 books in the Jack Taylor Series
  • 5 books in the Max and Angela Series
  • 10 Standalone Novels
  • 3 Short Stories/Novellas
  • 4 Short Story Collections
  • 2 books in the Akashic Noir Series
  • 1 book in the Mysterious Profiles Series
  • 1 book in the Bibliomysteries Series

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