Tower: A Novel

By Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman

From opposite perspectives, two master authors spin a chilling tale.

Nick's father is a stand-up Irishman -- once a cop, now a security guard in the World Trade Center's North Tower -- but Nick does not take after his old man. He's 'got the bad drop,' meaning he only cares about booze, violence, and getting into trouble with his best friend, Todd, a low-level hood connected to the Boston mob. Todd inducts Nick into the world of petty crime. What starts as a bit of good fun -- robbing apartments, scoring weed -- turns serious as Todd gets closer to the inner circle. He may not love violence as much as Nick does, but he's about to get more than his fair share.

The first collaboration by beloved mystery authors Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman, Tower is as uncompromisingly brutal as the work that made them famous. They each tell the story once -- Bruen from Nick's perspective, and Coleman from Todd's. Their narratives hinge on a single, blistering question: How can friendship survive in an underworld built on pain?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781784083281

Ken Bruen

Ken Bruen has been a finalist for the Edgar and Anthony Awards, and has won a Macavity Award, a Barry Award, and two Shamus Awards for the Jack Taylor series. He is also the author of the Inspector Brant series. Several of Bruen's novels have been adapted for the screen: The first six Jack Taylor novels were adapted into a television series starring Iain Glen; Blitz was adapted into a movie starring Jason Statham; and London Boulevard was adapted into a film starring Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley. Bruen lives in Galway, Ireland.

Reviews for Tower

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first-- and so far only-- collaboration between noir masters Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman. Their styles blend together perfectly with not one wasted word. The story of Nick and Todd is both brutal and tender, raw and poetic. I don't read many noir novels, but I have learned that Ken Bruen, that mad Celt, uses language like no other. He was the one that drew me to this book. In reading Tower I learned that Reed Farrel Coleman can match Bruen stride for stride. There's something quite visceral about their writing; it's like being stabbed with a knife, and as such, you never quite forget it. There's not much that can be said about this collaboration. It's powerful. It's memorable. And it certainly makes me want these two to join forces again.

[rwt42 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A cops and robbers tale, mainly robbers, told twice by the two main characters with some interesting contrasts, A collaboration with Reed Coleman. Well written. Interesting.

[samsattler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Tower," the gritty crime fiction collaboration of authors Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman, is a special little book. Seldom has so much violence, irony, black humor, and sheer atmosphere been packed into only 172 pages. As a longtime fan of Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor novels, I would expect no less from his half of the book, but I was happy to discover that Reed Farrel Coleman's portion of the novel is the perfect compliment to Bruen's segment.This is the tale of two boyhood friends with everything in common, including distant fathers, weak mothers, and a willingness to do the dirty work for some of Brooklyn's lowest-level wiseguys. Nick is the son of a failed Irish cop now relegated to rent-a-cop duties at the World Trade Center's north tower. Todd, impressed with the fearless rage Nick can summon up when he has to, admits to having had somewhat of a boy-crush on Nick when they were kids. He knows that Nick hates his physically abusive father but, as he sees it, at least Nick's father cares enough about him to hit him.As young adults, the two manage to get some work from Boyle, a small-timer with a fake Irish brogue who considers himself to be more Irish than the hard-cases who still live in the old country. What makes Boyle particularly dangerous (and successful) is Griffin, the psychopathic enforcer Doyle keeps at his side to make sure the money keeps flowing in his direction.When things go bad for the boys, one of them gets an offer from the NYC cops and the Feds he can't refuse: save himself, and maybe his buddy, by informing on his crime connections while working undercover as a NYC police detective. Things get interesting when that buddy is ordered to assassinate the new cop in order to prove his worth and loyalty to Boyle and Griffin."Tower" is filled with the raw violence of beatings, shootings, torture and rape. But, believe it or not, this is a love story. Both Nick and Todd manage to find the loves of their lives while simply trying to stay alive long enough to see their next birthdays. And perhaps the most impressive aspect of "Tower" is how, amidst all the blood and violence, Bruen and Coleman make the reader care about those relationships and how they might end. Despite its over-the-top characters, male and female alike, those who enjoy noir fiction are going to remember "Tower" for a long time to come. My only complaint with the book (and you knew I had to have one) is with its rather unsurprising and unsatisfying ending. It's not that I saw the book headed to this particular ending before I reached its final few pages but, when I did see where it was headed, I found myself really hoping that I was wrong. Unfortunately, I was not.Rated at: 4.5 (half a point off for the ending)

[tiedgame_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tower is a very good collaboration between two of the best crime writers being published today. The protagonists, one of Irish descent, the other a Jewish young man, are lifelong friends who get caught up in the violent life of crime in New York City. One becomes an undercover cop, the other remains a criminal, but both in the end go after the crime boss and his cohorts. Not for the faint of heart, Tower is dark, gritty, fast-paced and a fine addition to both Bruen’s and Coleman bibliographies.

[taniahutchison · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

TOWER, written by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman, tells (through dual narratives) the story of Nick and Todd, best friends and 'thugs on the rise'. This book is brilliant in its concept and execution. It's smart, violent, funny, and deals with issues of loyalty and friendship in a compelling way. The ending actually made me shed a few tears. Powerful stuff!