Incorrigible boor Jack Taylor is fired from the Garda (Irish national police) for brutality against a government minister. His experience, some contacts and cheap rates get him started as private eye in all but name, assisted by his even less law-abiding buddy, painter Sutton. Anne Henderson hires him, suggesting her missing teenage daughter was the latest in a series of suspicious 'suicides', which he traces to sleazy manager Ford's factory and illegal sex recordings. That turns out only the tip of the iceberg, even before Jack is beaten badly and old publican Sean is fatally run over. Written by KGF Vissers

Jack Taylor is an Irish television drama based on a series of novels by Ken Bruen. Set in Galway, the series stars Iain Glen in the eponymous role of Jack Taylor, a former officer with the Garda Síochána who becomes a "finder" after leaving the service. Taylor is a man who goes looking for clues where others have not bothered to. He also knows the streets of his hometown like the back of his hand. The series was first broadcast on TV3 in Ireland on 2 August 2010, and subsequently aired on Canvas in Belgium with Dutch subtitles. It received its UK debut on Channel 5 on 21 February 2013. The series has also been made available on DVD. It has received mixed reviews from critics. Bernice Harrison of The Irish Times felt the series was spoiled by Glen's voiceovers, which gave the character the feel of a gumshoe in a film noir. But David Stephenson of the Daily Express said he had been hooked by the first episode's strong opening sequence. A real-life private investigator interviewed by The Guardian's Laura Barnett said that he found the series entertaining, but that it did not always give an accurate portrayal of his profession.