In the first film, Cross, a young man is found crucified and Detective Kate Noonan (Siobhan O'Kelly, Dominion Creek), old friend and possible love interest, comes to Taylor for help, since the case has been given to a different group of cops, or guards, as they call them in Ireland. It seems the victim's brother, Rory Willis (Shane Robinson), was involved in a hit and run two years before that resulted in the death of dearly loved wife and mother, Nora Mitchell (Dierdre Monaghan), and when Rory was set to face jail, he fled. Taylor suspects that the younger brother's brutal murder may have been committed to draw Rory out and, with the Mitchell family having recently moved back to Galway, his suspicions might just be correct.
A new addition to the cast is Kate's Tai Chi-loving, Buddhist cousin Darragh (Jack Monaghan), a lovable guy with a checkered past who is staying with Kate to get his life together. Jack enlists Darragh's help for a wee bit of assistance in this case, without Kate's knowledge, of course, but Darragh finds the work enjoyable and he gets in way deeper than either of them planned. Once the case is solved, Darragh opts to stay on as Jack's assistant.
Headstone is the second film and, here, we get to see a more personal side of Kate as she is faced with some devastating news regarding her health. As she and Jack grow closer and both start to see a future with one another, a case gets in the way. Here, Taylor's nemesis from an earlier story is kidnapped and he gets drawn in. Ronan Meyers (Diarmuid Noyes) is a troubled young man who has had run-ins with Taylor, but when his wealthy parents are sent a video where his finger is being cut off and he is being held for ransom, they panic. Meanwhile, Ronan's goth girlfriend Bethany (Roisin O'Neill) receives a death threat, along with Ronan's finger, and Taylor steps in to help, leaving her with Darragh as protection. As Taylor and Kate dig into the case, they are led to another P.I. named Mason (Christopher Fulford), who is working for Ronan's family, and rather aggressively, I might add. They also wind up at a home for troubled wealthy youths, run by handsome Anthony Bradford-Hemple (Peter Campion), an old high school chum of Kate's, and things get out of hand while Taylor and Mason try to get info from him. This will come back later to haunt Mason, and consequently, Taylor as well.
As they piece together the case and discover several murders that seem connected, Kate and Jack's relationship suffers a blow and the truth behind the kidnapping, death threats, and murders comes to a shocking conclusion.
Lastly is Purgatory, the events of which take place at a video game developer. It seems a young skater, who also happens to be an intern at the software company, is shot dead, while the game developer is in a tizzy since the prototype for their next big VR game has been copied and stolen. Only three people have the access and know-how to do it - the main developers, Skyler (Sarah Jane Seymour), her younger sister Debbie (Erin Gilgen), and Alan (Rory Fleck Byrne) - but the company's brash owner, Tom Farrell (Sean Mahon), and his gun-totin' Texas wife / head of security Kelly (Laura Aikman) want Jack Taylor to find out who has their software and get it back. Is the intern's death connected? Quite possibly, and when another person comes up dead, Jack soon realizes that everything is not as it first appeared.
To make matters worse, Anthony Bradford-Hemple is still around, complicating what is left of Kate and Jack's relationship, and Mason is pressuring Taylor to help him avoid prison. Since Mason is one cold bastard who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, Taylor will rapidly find himself in a very dangerous situation.
The character of Jack Taylor is one that is bold, brash and utterly charming and Iain Glen plays him perfectly. Siobhan O'Kelly is lovely as Kate, but she's not just a pretty face. She's also a tough cop and the perfect person to keep Taylor in line. Jack Monaghan as Darragh is a delightful addition as he is completely the opposite of Jack Taylor, yet still manages to get the job done with finesse.
Overall, I rather enjoyed Jack Taylor: Set 3 and would love to see more of the characters. The only special feature is a Photo Gallery for each film, but the movies stand on their own. If you like a good Irish cop drama with some humor sprinkled in, you'll like Jack Taylor: Set 3. If you don't speak Gaelic, like me, you'll be left wondering what they are saying a few times, but it doesn't seem to matter as the tone and attitude translate perfectly.
