Declan Burke is the award-winning author of EIGHTBALL BOOGIE (2003), THE BIG O (2007), ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL (2011) and SLAUGHTER'S HOUND (2012). He is also the editor of DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS: IRISH CRIME WRITING IN THE 21st CENTURY, and is the co-editor, with John Connolly, of BOOKS TO DIE FOR (2012). ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL won the Goldsboro 'Last Laugh' Award at Crimefest. Declan hosts a website dedicated to Irish crime fiction called Crime Always Pays.Praise for THE BIG O“If Elmore Leonard met Jim Thompson down a dark alley at midnight they might emerge a week later with thick beards, bloodshot eyes and the manuscript for THE BIG O.” – Eoin Colfer“Imagine Donald Westlake and his alter ego Richard Stark moving to Ireland and collaborating on a screwball noir and you have some idea of Burke’s accomplishment.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Burke has married hard-boiled crime with noir sensibility and seasoned it with humour and crackling dialogue … fans of comic noir will find plenty to enjoy here.” – Booklist“Carries on the tradition of Irish noir with its Elmore Leonard-like style ... the dialogue is as slick as an ice run, the plot is nicely intricate, and the character drawing is spot on … a high-octane novel that fairly coruscates with tension.” – Irish Times“Burke has [George V.] Higgins’ gift for dialogue, [Barry] Gifford’s concision and the effortless cool of Elmore Leonard at his peak. In short, THE BIG O is an essential crime novel of 2007, and one of the best of any year.” – Ray Banks “THE BIG O is a big ol’ success, a tale fuelled by the mischievous spirits of Donald E. Westlake, Elmore Leonard and even Carl Hiaasen … THE BIG O kept me reading at speed – and laughing the whole damn time.” – J. Kingston Pierce, January Magazine Praise for SLAUGHTER'S HOUND"Everything you could want - action, suspense, character and setting, all floating on the easy lyricism of a fine writer at the top of his game." - Lee Child"Declan Burke sets the scene for the most perfect noir novel ... The only way Harry Rigby could be more like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe would be if he rode around in a 1930s Chrysler and called all the women 'dames' ... In the very American realm of hard-boiled crime fiction ... few of his peers over the Atlantic can hold a candle to him." - Sunday Times"Many writers of crime fiction are drawn to the streetwise narrator with the wisecracking voice - Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett have a lot to answer for - but only a handful can make it credible and funny. Irish writer Burke is one who has succeeded spectacularly well ... From the arresting opening image to the unexpected twist at the end, this is a hardboiled delight." - The Guardian"SLAUGHTER'S HOUND has everything you want from noir but what makes it special is the writing: taut, honed and vivid ... a sheer pleasure." - Tana FrenchPraise for ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL"A genuinely original take on noir, inventive and funny ... Imagine, if you can, a cross between Flann O'Brien and Raymond Chandler." - John Banville "Among the most memorable books of the year, of any genre, was Declan Burke's ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL ... a fiendishly dark thriller that evokes the best of Flann O'Brien and Bret Easton Ellis." - Sunday Times"Metafiction? Postmodern noir? These and other labels will be applied to Burke's newest; any might be apt, but none is sufficient. ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL is largely a literary novel that draws on history, mythology, and literature ... Noir fans may not care for this one, but lovers of literary fiction will find much to savour." - Booklist"Burke sprinkles his way-outside-the-box noir with quotes from Beckett, Bukowski, and other literary names as he explores the nature of writing and the descent of personal darkness. Those looking for a highly intellectual version of Stephen King's THE DARK HALF will be most satisfied." - Publishers Weekly"Thus begins a fascinating hybrid of MISERY, AT SWIM-TWO-BIRDS, THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN, and who knows what else ... ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL isn't quite like anything else you've read, in any genre. It's clever, intimate, passionate, and funny: altogether a wonderful achievement." - Irish Times"ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL is unlike anything else you'll read this year ... Laugh-out-loud funny ... This is writing at its dazzling, cleverest zenith. Think John Fowles, via Paul Auster and Rolling Stone ... A feat of extraordinary alchemy." - Ken Bruen