McNulty, bartender from the NYPL series; is featured in this book. He has been harassed by his current employer when a new manager (an old friend) is brought in. McNulty is offered a new job in a different bar as manager, by his friend... and then people are murdered, McNulty is targeted, his old friends are acting very suspiciously & he is targeted.

I had given up reading Lehane's NYPL mysteries as boring, convoluted, meandering narrative, & awful characters; but I had liked McNulty the Bartender.

That being said, I mistakenly thought that I'd like a series featuring McNulty.... NOPE!

Just as poorly written; being equally boring, convoluted, meandering narrative, & awful characters.

No salvation for this author. ( )

Brian McNulty is a bartender in New York City, pushing forty, generally coasting through life. Then a bunch of old friends suddenly show up in his life again and people start dying. Most of the rest of the story is spent with Brian being confused and people not telling him things. Perhaps the most unfortunate part of this book is that Brian is the least interesting character, and yet he's the narrator. There is the occasional funny line tossed off here and there, but by and large it's a pretty lackluster story, with a plot I found difficult to follow and too apathetic about to care. Perhaps I would feel differently had I read its predecessor first, but I kind of doubt it. I got the impression that this story couldn't decide if it wanted to be funny or serious, realistic or ridiculous. And what was up with the constantly crying women? I will say, however, that in general this was not a poorly-written book. I did not have trouble finishing it or anything. It just made the mistake of trying to be a character-driven story about an uninteresting character. ( )

This is the first book I’ve read by Con Lehane even though it’s the second one in the Brian McNulty series. In this story, I find a naïve and trusting bartender who keeps up with his friends over the years. Sadly, his friends’ lives are not very straight, and bartender Brian gets involved in an intrigue about which he has no knowledge. There are some murders and unanswered questions. The reader is pulled along with this quasi-hero to try to figure out what is happening. Brian is quite a likable fellow. He takes everything in stride with countless dry quips about his and his friends’ situations. His sense of humor is enchanting.

The story flows along well until Brian’s one specific encounter with a woman named Sandra. I don’t like that interlude and feel it adds nothing to the story. However, the fun of reading this book and discovering what is happening to Brian’s friends makes for an overall enjoyable read. As the ending of the book nears, the story becomes more gripping and simply doesn’t let up until all of the unexplained pieces of McNulty’s puzzle fall into place. This is a very good book. I would definitely like to read other books about bartender Brian, preferably starting with the first of Lehane’s series. ( )