The Lemon Man

The well-ordered life of Dublin hit man Patrick Callen, the narrator of Irish author Bruton’s entertaining debut, is turned upside-down when he impulsively takes custody of the 11-month-old infant son of his most recent victim. However, as Patrick and his girlfriend, Olivia, struggle to puzzle out the mysteries of nappies and late-night feedings, he has to scramble all the harder to keep up with the workload of a busy murderer-for-hire. Meanwhile, his mother is dying and has medical bills to pay, Olivia is in the dark about what he does for a living (she naively thinks he’s babysitting for a friend), and the Garda have put out a priority alert for the missing infant. More seriously, his newfound domestic distractions have caused him to bungle what should have been a pair of routine hits, putting his employment in jeopardy. Not surprisingly, things work out for everyone in the end, but the humor and drama of getting there will delight readers. Sparkling prose, a well-realized setting, and appealing characters make this offbeat crime novel a winner. Bruton is definitely an author to watch. (July)