Murder on the Dodder

Bicycle-riding Dublin assassin Patrick Cullen returns in Bruton’s briskly paced sequel to The Lemon Man. Ordinarily, Patrick’s assignments—contracted through his boss, a woman known only as the Bronze Man—involve murdering criminals or otherwise unsavory characters. Things change when his longtime friend and mentor, Jack McGee, is abducted by kidnappers who threaten to kill him unless Patrick carries out a series of murders on their behalf. It soon becomes clear to both Patrick and the Bronze Man that the extortion has roots in a conflict between rival Irish gangs in which they both, years ago, unwittingly involved themselves, and further engagement might only put targets on their backs. But do they have a choice? Meanwhile, Patrick struggles with his floundering personal life after his girlfriend, Olivia, discovers his line of work and walks out on him. As in The Lemon Man, Bruton writes of Dublin’s landmarks and alleys with transporting affection. Missing this time are the touches of humor that enlivened the previous entry, but the unrelenting action mostly makes up for that. While this doesn’t hit the highs of the first one, its fans will walk away satisfied. (Apr.)