Plugged by Eoin Colfer

Plugged

by Eoin Colfer

Eoin Colfer is more famously known for his Artemis Fowl books for children, but his first adult novel should win him a new army of grown-up fans. I was hooked from page one.

Dan McEvoy is an Irish ex-army sergeant living quietly in New Jersey, working as a doorman at a casino to supplement his pension, nursing a hair transplant, and harbouring a crush on one of the hostesses, Connie.

But everything changes when Connie is murdered in the parking lot, and his friend and hair surgeon, Zeb, is kidnapped.

Out to avenge Connie’s death, Dan gets pulled into a world of corruption and the bodies soon start piling up. With dodgy cops on the loose, and a ruthless drug-dealer and crooked lawyer after him, Dan employs his soldier-training skills to survive. Oh and his crazy neighbour thinks Dan's her ex-husband.

Soon he’s having flashbacks to his time in the Lebanon, hearing Zeb’s voice in his head and wondering whether to call his therapist, and his only ally is female cop, Ronelle Deacon - but can she be trusted?

Dan is a witty narrator, and there are enough laugh-out-loud moments and pithy one-liners to nicely balance the blood-splattered torture and violence - of which there’s plenty. There’s a real noir feel to the story that I particularly loved, and Dan has enough depth – or ‘issues’ – for the reader to care what happens to him.

Plugged is a brilliantly written and funny - at times dark - but wildly entertaining read.

It’s great escapism, and I’ve got my fingers crossed it’s the first of many outings for Dan McEvoy.

Thanks to Samantha Eades and Headline for the review copy.