For fans of Lisa McInerney, Gabriel Krauze, and Graeme Armstrong, All Them Dogs is a fizzing debut from one of Ireland''s most striking new voices Tony Ward has landed back in Lucan with his chest puffed up and a chip on his shoulder. After five years in the UK, staying out of trouble just like he''d been told to do, he''s returned home to his west Dublin estate ready to reinstate himself into the gangland scene. But things are different now. Tony''s old mentor is dead and his best pal Kenny Boyle has gone on the straight and narrow. That won''t do, so when an opportunity to work directly for Darren ''Flute'' Walsh, an enforcer of notorious crime boss Aengus Lavelle presents itself, it seems like a no brainer. Flute Walsh is a far-cry from the meek, quiet boy Tony knew in school. Working as his left-hand man offers a level of security against repercussions for the crimes he''d gone on the run for as well as giving him a way into the life he wants but none of that stops the big-man Lavelle making it clear that any trouble from his past will be Tony''s alone to answer for. Already burned by the empty promises of one dead mentor, Tony is keen to prove himself as his own man, but there is a pull to Flute Walsh, one he''s felt before. With the fragments of his past life still in the rearview and a whole new gang of headbangers to contend with, it is a pull too hard to resist. As Tony turns his back on the paper-thin structures that support him he looks for stability in his new, brutal surroundings. But where is there room for love in a world like this, where anything that''s buried is always unearthed and retribution is never far away?

Autorentext
Djamel White is an Irish writer from Dublin. He holds an MFA from University College Dublin and is the recipient of a Literature Bursary Award and an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland. All Them Dogs is his debut novel.

Klappentext

SELECTED AS A 2026 BOOK TO WATCH IN THE TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, IRISH TIMES, SUNDAY INDEPENDENT, RTE

'An electrifying debut' Economist

**'One of the debuts of the year' Irish Times
**
'A stylish, adroit and gritty debut' Anne Enright

'A book you inhale, devour, grapple with, and reel from more than read' Marlon James

'Exhilarating and often frightening . . . a hugely satisfying read' Roddy Doyle

'As beautiful and tough as an uncut jewel' Colin Walsh

'A moving, fast-paced novel . . . written in prose at once glittering and tender' Sarah Moss

'Frenetic and exhilarating . . . has the energy and drama of a shoot-out' Rob Doyle

Things are different since Tony Ward landed back in town. The West Dublin gangland has changed. His old mentor is dead, and his best pal Kenny Boyle is on the straight and narrow.

After five years keeping quiet across the way, Tony is keen to reinstate himself, and when the opportunity arises to work side by side with Darren 'Flute' Walsh, a top enforcer of notorious crime boss Aengus Lavelle, it feels like a no brainer.

Biting off more than he can chew has never bothered Tony Ward, but Flute Walsh is not the meek, quiet boy Tony remembers from school. Brooding, stoic, and unpredictably dangerous, Tony finds himself drawn to his new associate in more ways than one.

With retribution from his past actions always close in the rear view, the protection offered by Flute's standing in the gang is crucial. But how safe is Tony really, when a mutual attraction starts to complicate matters?

By turns savage, thrilling and unexpectedly tender, All Them Dogs is a gripping story of violence, lust, and greed that explores one man's struggles to find his place in an unsparing world.

'A claustrophobic masterpiece . . . a brilliantly tender love story' Isaac Fitzgerald

'A dazzling, unsettling, fever dream of a novel' Declan Hughes