What do you think?
Rate this book
Cormac Reilly #1
The Ruin
It's been twenty years since Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind...
When Aisling Conroy's boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget - until Jack's sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.
DI Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of an 'accidental' overdose twenty years ago - of Jack and Maude's drug- and alcohol-addled mother. Cormac is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything...
This unsettling crime debut draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't. Perfect for fans of Tana French and Jane Casey.
When Aisling Conroy's boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget - until Jack's sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.
DI Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of an 'accidental' overdose twenty years ago - of Jack and Maude's drug- and alcohol-addled mother. Cormac is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything...
This unsettling crime debut draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't. Perfect for fans of Tana French and Jane Casey.
380 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2018
About the author
Dervla McTiernan
11 books4,270 followersAward-winning, number one bestseller Dervla McTiernan has established herself as one of the biggest names in crime fiction. Her books have garnered critical acclaim around the world and sold over 400,000 copies in Australia and New Zealand alone.
In 2022, McTiernan returns with her first ever standalone thriller, The Murder Rule. Inspired by the true story of a young law student who worked at the Innocence Project and eventually uncovered evidence which exonerated a man who had been in prison for 26 years, McTiernan has created an unforgettable, twisty thriller – the must-read novel of the year.
**CLICK ON DERVLA'S WEBSITE LINK ABOVE TO SIGN UP FOR DIRECT EMAILS FROM DERVLA WITH BOOK NEWS AND CHAT**
In 2022, McTiernan returns with her first ever standalone thriller, The Murder Rule. Inspired by the true story of a young law student who worked at the Innocence Project and eventually uncovered evidence which exonerated a man who had been in prison for 26 years, McTiernan has created an unforgettable, twisty thriller – the must-read novel of the year.
**CLICK ON DERVLA'S WEBSITE LINK ABOVE TO SIGN UP FOR DIRECT EMAILS FROM DERVLA WITH BOOK NEWS AND CHAT**
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,092 reviews
April 23, 2023
The Ruin (Cormac Reilly #1)
by Dervla McTiernan, narrated by Aoife McMahon
I'd been interested in this series and I finally had a chance to listen to the audio of the first book in the series. What a tangled web this story turned out to be, starting with Cormac Reilly's early days as a Garda and then flashing forward twenty years to a time when he seems to be taking a step back from the successes of his career to make a move to a less prestigious posting for the sake of his partner's career. Now the long ago past and the present seem to be heading for a collision course when a man who appears to have committed suicide is someone Cormac had contact with twenty years ago
Cormac has been relegated to cold cases as he is shunned by just about every one of his new co-workers. But a cold case he has been assigned has connections with the present day suicide apparently yet there seem to be signs of a coverup in the department. No one will give Cormac the time of day and not only that, someone is starting damaging rumors about Cormac, squelching all chances he might have to settle into his new job at all.
I enjoy this kind of story. Cormac is a good man, trying to do the right thing for his partner and on the job, despite losing respect among the men he has to work with everyday. This story starts out dark and it gets darker and it's obvious that there is corruption in the force. It runs rampant in and out of the department and even once this story is put to bed, I'm pretty sure such things will carry over into the next book. Cormac knows things are being covered up and he's having none of it. To top off my enjoyment of the story the narrator of the audiobook is Aoife McMahon, who is a favorite of mine.
Pub July 3rd 2018
by Dervla McTiernan, narrated by Aoife McMahon
I'd been interested in this series and I finally had a chance to listen to the audio of the first book in the series. What a tangled web this story turned out to be, starting with Cormac Reilly's early days as a Garda and then flashing forward twenty years to a time when he seems to be taking a step back from the successes of his career to make a move to a less prestigious posting for the sake of his partner's career. Now the long ago past and the present seem to be heading for a collision course when a man who appears to have committed suicide is someone Cormac had contact with twenty years ago
Cormac has been relegated to cold cases as he is shunned by just about every one of his new co-workers. But a cold case he has been assigned has connections with the present day suicide apparently yet there seem to be signs of a coverup in the department. No one will give Cormac the time of day and not only that, someone is starting damaging rumors about Cormac, squelching all chances he might have to settle into his new job at all.
I enjoy this kind of story. Cormac is a good man, trying to do the right thing for his partner and on the job, despite losing respect among the men he has to work with everyday. This story starts out dark and it gets darker and it's obvious that there is corruption in the force. It runs rampant in and out of the department and even once this story is put to bed, I'm pretty sure such things will carry over into the next book. Cormac knows things are being covered up and he's having none of it. To top off my enjoyment of the story the narrator of the audiobook is Aoife McMahon, who is a favorite of mine.
Pub July 3rd 2018
March 10, 2018
This is the first in the DI Cormac Reilly series set in Galway, Ireland. Reilly is trying to find his feet at the police station, after having moved from Dublin to be with Emma, his partner, who starts a demanding new job. After a high flying career, the move which might be viewed as a step down for him proves to be significantly more difficult than he expected. He is viewed with suspicion by other officers, there are problematic politics and tensions which prove to complex and hard to decipher, and the only person willing to connect with Cormac is a colleague he trained with, but who is being shunned by others. Reilly is only being offered cold cases, such as the disappearance of 15 year old Maura Hughes in 1975. 20 years ago when he was a rookie officer, Reilly arrived at the scene of the death of Hilaria Blake, a terminally ill woman who had overdosed on heroin, with her neglected and badly abused children, 15 year old Maude and 5 year old Jack. Upon taking them to hospital, Maude disappears and Jack was taken into foster care. His efforts to investigate were blocked and he is now being offered the opportunity to look into it as a cold case for which there seems to be no logical reason to do so.
Jack Blake grew up happy in his foster home and is now living with medic, Aisling Conroy. Aisling's life descends into a harrowing mass of horror when she is informed by the police that Jack committed suicide by jumping into the river. Maude has recently returned from having spent her life in Australia, and is unconvinced that her brother committed suicide, and she draws in a confused and reluctant Aisling to look deeper into the circumstances of Jack's death. The police refuse point blank to countenance any other scenario other than suicide, despite being offered video evidence gathered by Maude that proves that Jack was nowhere near the bridge at the time he is supposed to have jumped. However, to Reilly's consternation, Maude is arrested for the murder of her mother 20 years ago for no reason that he can fathom. To add to the pressure on Reilly, there are unfounded rumours swirling around in the station that he had slept with Maude and allegations of misconduct in his time in Dublin. Reilly finds that Maude and Jack had been failed by everyone in their childhood as a curtain is lifted to reveal Ireland's dark history with the church. He encounters the poisonous and evil Domenica Keane, and learns of the presence of a paedophile. Will Reilly be able to battle the sinister hidden agendas and obstacles within the police station and find out what happened to Hilaria in the past and Jack in the present?
Dervla McTiernan gives us a promising beginning to this new series as Cormac begins to establish himself in Galway, only to encounter a real can of worms in his new workplace. Despite all that he comes up against, including betrayal, his focus and determination to get to the truth is undiminished. Although we do not get a real sense of Emma, his commitment to her and their relationship gives us a strong sense of his character, he does not drop into a state of blaming Emma for his woes or wanting to return to Dublin. He feels for Maude and all the responsibilities she was forced to shoulder as a child for Jack and her incapable, ill mother, and the lack of action that shames the Church and the Ireland of that time. I found the story a little slow at the start but was soon caught up in the grip of the compelling and tense narrative. Great to have a new voice in Irish Crime on the scene. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
Jack Blake grew up happy in his foster home and is now living with medic, Aisling Conroy. Aisling's life descends into a harrowing mass of horror when she is informed by the police that Jack committed suicide by jumping into the river. Maude has recently returned from having spent her life in Australia, and is unconvinced that her brother committed suicide, and she draws in a confused and reluctant Aisling to look deeper into the circumstances of Jack's death. The police refuse point blank to countenance any other scenario other than suicide, despite being offered video evidence gathered by Maude that proves that Jack was nowhere near the bridge at the time he is supposed to have jumped. However, to Reilly's consternation, Maude is arrested for the murder of her mother 20 years ago for no reason that he can fathom. To add to the pressure on Reilly, there are unfounded rumours swirling around in the station that he had slept with Maude and allegations of misconduct in his time in Dublin. Reilly finds that Maude and Jack had been failed by everyone in their childhood as a curtain is lifted to reveal Ireland's dark history with the church. He encounters the poisonous and evil Domenica Keane, and learns of the presence of a paedophile. Will Reilly be able to battle the sinister hidden agendas and obstacles within the police station and find out what happened to Hilaria in the past and Jack in the present?
Dervla McTiernan gives us a promising beginning to this new series as Cormac begins to establish himself in Galway, only to encounter a real can of worms in his new workplace. Despite all that he comes up against, including betrayal, his focus and determination to get to the truth is undiminished. Although we do not get a real sense of Emma, his commitment to her and their relationship gives us a strong sense of his character, he does not drop into a state of blaming Emma for his woes or wanting to return to Dublin. He feels for Maude and all the responsibilities she was forced to shoulder as a child for Jack and her incapable, ill mother, and the lack of action that shames the Church and the Ireland of that time. I found the story a little slow at the start but was soon caught up in the grip of the compelling and tense narrative. Great to have a new voice in Irish Crime on the scene. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
February 15, 2019
An awesome crime thriller, set in Ireland, that sees a young man named Jack commit suicide, for apparently no reason. Jack had everything going for him, then suddenly one night he seemingly decides to jump off a bridge, or does he? Detective Cormac Reilly , is taken back to the past, 20 years ago, when he was sent out on his own to a scene in a crumbling old house, where a mother had overdosed on heroine, leaving her two traumatised children alone. The younger child was Jack who was taken to the hospital, while the older girl Maude, disappeared into the night, only to resurface for Jack's funeral twenty years later. Maude realises things don't add up about Jack's death and with the help of Jack's girlfriend Aisling, sets about investigating on her own. She soon finds footage from the bridge that proves that Jack was never there that night but the police just brush the two young women off. Cormac, who has just transferred to the police station at Galway, is very much on the outer, and is being assigned only cold cases. One that ends upon his desk is the suicide of Jack and Maude's mother all those years ago. He soon realises all is not as it seems in that case, and it could well prove to be something from then has triggered the current events surrounding Jack and his family. Tensions are running high amongst the Guarda, and as an outsider Cormac can feel it, but doesn't know the source, and how it's affecting the events of today. How he will get to the truth?
All in all The Ruin is an intricate tale of deceit and lies. It's gripping and exciting, and I found I didn't want to put it down until everything was resolved, which kept me up well into the night. Recommended for all lovers of crime and mysteries.
All in all The Ruin is an intricate tale of deceit and lies. It's gripping and exciting, and I found I didn't want to put it down until everything was resolved, which kept me up well into the night. Recommended for all lovers of crime and mysteries.
November 22, 2018
For a first book, this was amazing. However, in the grand scheme of unsolved crime, police procedural and historical mysteries, this left something to be desired. After thinking on it, I think it was because the author attempted too much. Impressive, mind you. But rather than doing a epicurean feast mostly-well, I tend to prefer simpler fare prepared very well.
It begins with a scene from 1993, when a brand new police officer--guarda, in Ireland--is assigned to a call for a 'minor domestic.' It turns out that it is the falling-down home of a fifteen year-old girl, Maude, her six year-old brother, Jack, and their quite dead mother. It jumps forward twenty years and one month to 2013, and the perspective of Aisling, a young surgeon in-training who has just discovered she is pregnant, a dream-killer for her pediatric surgical residency. The next chapter switches to the viewpoint of the officer, now a detective, as he roots through the cold-case files in the small station at Galway.
We know eventually the stories of Aisling and the officer, Cormac, are going to intersect, and they do, but not before Maude also reappears. Meanwhile, both Aisling and Cormac have their own trials to deal with, which rather prohibits either of them from paying solid attention to the investigation.
Unfortunately, that lack of attention is the result, I think, of some choices that served plot over character. Cormac was easy to believe as a person; however, he was completely unbelievable as a hard-hitting, elite task force, Type-A detective. So that was weird, since we were supposed to be in his head and we have this incongruity. We were told quite a bit that he was part of an elite Dublin force, he climbed the ranks, guarda in Galway are jealous, etc., but we weren't shown any such thing, and his behavior in this small town force seemed distracted and lackadaisical, particularly as he delegated all sorts of grunt work to another guarda, Fisher. And don't get me started on his surprise about child abuse and inability to work a social worker file.
It's little things like that that interrupted my sense of story; I'd follow along, and then be told how something was, and then Logic Brain would come in and say, Wait, Wut? Stupid Logic Brain. A couple times I wasn't sure I believed striving Resident Surgeon either, but then filed it under Grieving Partner.
Anyway, it's stuff like that that definitely makes it Not Tana French. Really, marketers; talk about setting someone up to fail. Although, honestly, word is that the last Tana French also was Not Tana French, so there you go. I guess it's like Tana because it is also about the historical roots of a mystery. McTiernan tries to do a ton in this book: (mild spoilers) and it ends up feeling a little too surface for me. It's one of those books that I really wanted to like, and thought I ought to like, but it really never set it's hook. I was pretty sure I figured out at least part of the issue, peeked at the ending, and convinced myself I had to finish reading now that I knew how it would all play.
And I'd never do that with a French book, because there would be no percentage in it.
I also didn't like that the story relied on --a no name major spoiler--
It begins with a scene from 1993, when a brand new police officer--guarda, in Ireland--is assigned to a call for a 'minor domestic.' It turns out that it is the falling-down home of a fifteen year-old girl, Maude, her six year-old brother, Jack, and their quite dead mother. It jumps forward twenty years and one month to 2013, and the perspective of Aisling, a young surgeon in-training who has just discovered she is pregnant, a dream-killer for her pediatric surgical residency. The next chapter switches to the viewpoint of the officer, now a detective, as he roots through the cold-case files in the small station at Galway.
We know eventually the stories of Aisling and the officer, Cormac, are going to intersect, and they do, but not before Maude also reappears. Meanwhile, both Aisling and Cormac have their own trials to deal with, which rather prohibits either of them from paying solid attention to the investigation.
Unfortunately, that lack of attention is the result, I think, of some choices that served plot over character. Cormac was easy to believe as a person; however, he was completely unbelievable as a hard-hitting, elite task force, Type-A detective. So that was weird, since we were supposed to be in his head and we have this incongruity. We were told quite a bit that he was part of an elite Dublin force, he climbed the ranks, guarda in Galway are jealous, etc., but we weren't shown any such thing, and his behavior in this small town force seemed distracted and lackadaisical, particularly as he delegated all sorts of grunt work to another guarda, Fisher. And don't get me started on his surprise about child abuse and inability to work a social worker file.
It's little things like that that interrupted my sense of story; I'd follow along, and then be told how something was, and then Logic Brain would come in and say, Wait, Wut? Stupid Logic Brain. A couple times I wasn't sure I believed striving Resident Surgeon either, but then filed it under Grieving Partner.
Anyway, it's stuff like that that definitely makes it Not Tana French. Really, marketers; talk about setting someone up to fail. Although, honestly, word is that the last Tana French also was Not Tana French, so there you go. I guess it's like Tana because it is also about the historical roots of a mystery. McTiernan tries to do a ton in this book: (mild spoilers) and it ends up feeling a little too surface for me. It's one of those books that I really wanted to like, and thought I ought to like, but it really never set it's hook. I was pretty sure I figured out at least part of the issue, peeked at the ending, and convinced myself I had to finish reading now that I knew how it would all play.
And I'd never do that with a French book, because there would be no percentage in it.
I also didn't like that the story relied on --a no name major spoiler--
October 18, 2022
This was REALLY well done. The story was character driven, but the mystery was compulsive and kept me (mostly) guessing. The narrator is incredible, and I'm thrilled that I have the next book in the series for her to read to me. Overall, this was a dark police procedural that has me hooked for the next book.
July 28, 2018
In 1993, Cormac is a young Garda, called to the scene of a possible domestic. Inside a dilapadated house he finds two young children. Maude, fifteen and Jack only five, both paifully thin. In an upstairs bedroom he finds a dead woman, with the needle still stuck in her arm. Fast forward twenty years, Cormac now a seasomed Garda, recently transferred to Belfast, find himself embroiled in a suspected suicide, concerning once again Jack and Maude.
This is a well thought-out, tightly plotted police procedural. The first in a new series featuring Cormac. Although I didn't feel i got to know Cormac particularly well, I did like that he transferred because of his love interest Emma, putting her job first. A clever and appreciated turn around of gender politics. It was rather the dark atmosphere that captivated my attention. Also the characters of a now grown Maude, and Aisling, a young woman training to be a surgeon. She is also Jack's love interest, provided an additional focus.
There is also something going on in the Garda station, concerning someone Cormac has considered a friend. This additional thread, along with the investigation kept the plot moving quickly. A good start to a new series, that I believe if kept to the same standards as this one, will be very successful. Reminded me a little of the books by the successful, Denise Mina.
ARC by Edelweiss.
This is a well thought-out, tightly plotted police procedural. The first in a new series featuring Cormac. Although I didn't feel i got to know Cormac particularly well, I did like that he transferred because of his love interest Emma, putting her job first. A clever and appreciated turn around of gender politics. It was rather the dark atmosphere that captivated my attention. Also the characters of a now grown Maude, and Aisling, a young woman training to be a surgeon. She is also Jack's love interest, provided an additional focus.
There is also something going on in the Garda station, concerning someone Cormac has considered a friend. This additional thread, along with the investigation kept the plot moving quickly. A good start to a new series, that I believe if kept to the same standards as this one, will be very successful. Reminded me a little of the books by the successful, Denise Mina.
ARC by Edelweiss.
October 31, 2018
Dereliction
The Ruin is a fantastic police murder mystery with multiple fascinating plot threads that the brilliantly drawn characters weave in and out of. Each and every character adds intrigue, suspicion, hidden agendas and background to the story. The plotting is very clever, and delicate layers of deceit from suspects, family and the police, ensure this is a captivating read from the first page to last.
As a rookie cop in 1993, Garda Cormac Reilly attended a remote house on a call of domestic violence to find a dead mother, from an apparent drug overdose, and two children, 15-year-old Maude Blake and her 5-year-old brother Jack, both malnourished and both with bruising. Jack is so bad that Cormac takes him to the hospital in Galway along with his sister. Maude absconds, Jack is left alone and placed into foster care, and over time even a distressed Cormac manages to let the thoughts of them drift from his mind.
In 2013, Garda Cormac Reilly returns with his partner Emma, to Galway after a stellar Detective Sergeant career in Dublin, to a situation where his boss has placed him on cold cases. Within the police station, Dervla McTiernan creates an enthralling atmosphere of internal politics, mistrust and suspicion of police corruption everywhere. Cormac feels it difficult to navigate and even his old friends are keeping secrets. A suicide is called in on St Patrick's Day and the person is identified as Jack Blake. Maude returns from Australia for the first time in 20 years and with Jack’s pregnant partner Aisling, they question the evidence that relates to the supposed suicide and the glaring holes in the evidence. The police seem totally disinterested in pursuing any alternatives to suicide. Shortly after Cormac is handed a cold case, to investigate the death of Jack and Maude’s mother from 1993. Cormac knows he's a pawn in some greater game but is determined to conduct himself appropriately and not jump to decisions hastily. Dervla has written such an enthralling plot that is just mesmerising in its twisting possibilities.
I could connect with all the characters and really empathise with particular ones, and the dilemmas some face is deeply moving. The dialogue between the characters is flawless and Dervla uses it effectively to advance suspicion and suspense while keeping slang out for the benefit of a wider audience. I can't recommend this book highly enough and really impressed this is a debut novel.
I first received this book from Little Brown Book Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
The Ruin is a fantastic police murder mystery with multiple fascinating plot threads that the brilliantly drawn characters weave in and out of. Each and every character adds intrigue, suspicion, hidden agendas and background to the story. The plotting is very clever, and delicate layers of deceit from suspects, family and the police, ensure this is a captivating read from the first page to last.
As a rookie cop in 1993, Garda Cormac Reilly attended a remote house on a call of domestic violence to find a dead mother, from an apparent drug overdose, and two children, 15-year-old Maude Blake and her 5-year-old brother Jack, both malnourished and both with bruising. Jack is so bad that Cormac takes him to the hospital in Galway along with his sister. Maude absconds, Jack is left alone and placed into foster care, and over time even a distressed Cormac manages to let the thoughts of them drift from his mind.
In 2013, Garda Cormac Reilly returns with his partner Emma, to Galway after a stellar Detective Sergeant career in Dublin, to a situation where his boss has placed him on cold cases. Within the police station, Dervla McTiernan creates an enthralling atmosphere of internal politics, mistrust and suspicion of police corruption everywhere. Cormac feels it difficult to navigate and even his old friends are keeping secrets. A suicide is called in on St Patrick's Day and the person is identified as Jack Blake. Maude returns from Australia for the first time in 20 years and with Jack’s pregnant partner Aisling, they question the evidence that relates to the supposed suicide and the glaring holes in the evidence. The police seem totally disinterested in pursuing any alternatives to suicide. Shortly after Cormac is handed a cold case, to investigate the death of Jack and Maude’s mother from 1993. Cormac knows he's a pawn in some greater game but is determined to conduct himself appropriately and not jump to decisions hastily. Dervla has written such an enthralling plot that is just mesmerising in its twisting possibilities.
I could connect with all the characters and really empathise with particular ones, and the dilemmas some face is deeply moving. The dialogue between the characters is flawless and Dervla uses it effectively to advance suspicion and suspense while keeping slang out for the benefit of a wider audience. I can't recommend this book highly enough and really impressed this is a debut novel.
I first received this book from Little Brown Book Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.
August 21, 2022
3.5 rounded up
SYNOPSIS
A case from Cormac Relly's early copper days comes back 20 years later; Jack's death is ruled a suicide, but his older sister Maude believes something more sinister is at play.
MY OPINION
Let me get this out of the way: I cannot believe this is the same Dervla McTiernan that shat out The Murder Rule. There's just no way she could write such a beautiful series and then produce the equivalent of a wet fart for a book. Perhaps she was threatened at gunpoint to write a book in 3 hrs? Who knows. But I hope she goes back to the same writing quality in The Ruin.
Anyways, I started this series with #2 because yes, I live life on the edge. I enjoyed it and I'm glad I returned to read #1. The writing is solid, and a lot of my questions regarding #2 were addressed.
I am hesitant to recommend this to everyone, even the police procedural ride or dies might not vibe with this. It's not your typical PP; there's a lot of character development and it's a slow burn until the case finally lands on Cormac's desk. However, I can be a hoe for a character-driven novel, so I enjoyed reading about Aislng's struggles with her career and unplanned pregnancy. It was a very real and raw account, with limited Pander Expressing.
I did feel the baddie's character could've been given more death. It felt random in some ways. I can't say more without spoilies.
All in all, an enjoyable character-driven mystery. I repeat: this is a slow burn. If you pick this up and get fussy because you're bored, don't come back here talking about I misled you LOL. If you've been debating reading The Murder Rule, save yourself from the torture and try this series instead.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, solid character development with Aisling, atmospheric
Cons: twist was pretty obvious, baddie's motivations were weak
SYNOPSIS
A case from Cormac Relly's early copper days comes back 20 years later; Jack's death is ruled a suicide, but his older sister Maude believes something more sinister is at play.
MY OPINION
Let me get this out of the way: I cannot believe this is the same Dervla McTiernan that shat out The Murder Rule. There's just no way she could write such a beautiful series and then produce the equivalent of a wet fart for a book. Perhaps she was threatened at gunpoint to write a book in 3 hrs? Who knows. But I hope she goes back to the same writing quality in The Ruin.
Anyways, I started this series with #2 because yes, I live life on the edge. I enjoyed it and I'm glad I returned to read #1. The writing is solid, and a lot of my questions regarding #2 were addressed.
I am hesitant to recommend this to everyone, even the police procedural ride or dies might not vibe with this. It's not your typical PP; there's a lot of character development and it's a slow burn until the case finally lands on Cormac's desk. However, I can be a hoe for a character-driven novel, so I enjoyed reading about Aislng's struggles with her career and unplanned pregnancy. It was a very real and raw account, with limited Pander Expressing.
I did feel the baddie's character could've been given more death. It felt random in some ways. I can't say more without spoilies.
All in all, an enjoyable character-driven mystery. I repeat: this is a slow burn. If you pick this up and get fussy because you're bored, don't come back here talking about I misled you LOL. If you've been debating reading The Murder Rule, save yourself from the torture and try this series instead.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: well-written, solid character development with Aisling, atmospheric
Cons: twist was pretty obvious, baddie's motivations were weak
November 11, 2018
4 Stars.
Cormac Reilly is a young PO when he is directed to Maude and Jack Blake’s house one evening. He is unprepared when he finds their mother, Hilaria Blake dead, upstairs. The little boy Jack, has bruises all over his body and is clinging to his older sister Maude, who is malnourished and is very protective of her brother and also insistent that he be taken to the hospital. Once there, Maude vanishes.
Years later, Jack is all grown up. He and his girlfriend, Aisling Conroy are both happy in their careers, planning a life together, when Jack’s body is found - his death ruled a suicide. Immediately afterwards, Maude returns for the first time and she insists that Jack would never have taken his life and requests that the police investigate further. She and Aisling do the same. Unfortunately for Maude, the police have other plans for her.
Cormac Reilly is now a DI in Galway, Ireland, he investigates cold cases and has been assigned to re-open the death of Hilaria Blake and once he does so, he realizes why. Everything in town is connected, don’t you know? Darkness and Fear lie at the heart of many in this novel and figuring out their motive is key.
A truly refreshing detective story, “The Ruin” has been in my queue for months -waiting for me to read. After finishing it, I had to ask myself, what was I waiting for? This was a very well written mystery / suspense that was completely gripping, fast-paced and enjoyable. I loved the different perspectives of all of the characters and truly enjoyed the writing style of Dervla McTiernan.
A huge thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Publishing Group - Penguin Books and Dervla McTiernan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and Edelweiss on 11.11.18.
Cormac Reilly is a young PO when he is directed to Maude and Jack Blake’s house one evening. He is unprepared when he finds their mother, Hilaria Blake dead, upstairs. The little boy Jack, has bruises all over his body and is clinging to his older sister Maude, who is malnourished and is very protective of her brother and also insistent that he be taken to the hospital. Once there, Maude vanishes.
Years later, Jack is all grown up. He and his girlfriend, Aisling Conroy are both happy in their careers, planning a life together, when Jack’s body is found - his death ruled a suicide. Immediately afterwards, Maude returns for the first time and she insists that Jack would never have taken his life and requests that the police investigate further. She and Aisling do the same. Unfortunately for Maude, the police have other plans for her.
Cormac Reilly is now a DI in Galway, Ireland, he investigates cold cases and has been assigned to re-open the death of Hilaria Blake and once he does so, he realizes why. Everything in town is connected, don’t you know? Darkness and Fear lie at the heart of many in this novel and figuring out their motive is key.
A truly refreshing detective story, “The Ruin” has been in my queue for months -waiting for me to read. After finishing it, I had to ask myself, what was I waiting for? This was a very well written mystery / suspense that was completely gripping, fast-paced and enjoyable. I loved the different perspectives of all of the characters and truly enjoyed the writing style of Dervla McTiernan.
A huge thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Publishing Group - Penguin Books and Dervla McTiernan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and Edelweiss on 11.11.18.
March 21, 2018
This is actually a brilliant book for an author's debut, and if she can keep up the standard we are in for an excellent series!
I always like an Irish setting. This book begins in a dilapidated ruin in the Galway countryside, twenty years in the past, with a dead body and two damaged children and I was instantly gripped! Cormac Reilly is the young Guard who has to deal with this situation and it comes back to haunt him twenty years later.
The mystery in this book was more the why than the who as it became increasingly obvious who was going to be responsible. Actually having guessed who the main culprit was the story became more tense . On more than one occasion I was saying things like" No! Don't give it to HIM!" as he continued to mosey around in the story as though he had done nothing at all.
As you can tell I got emotionally involved which is always a sign of a good book. This is a very good book and I highly recommend it to other mystery lovers!
I always like an Irish setting. This book begins in a dilapidated ruin in the Galway countryside, twenty years in the past, with a dead body and two damaged children and I was instantly gripped! Cormac Reilly is the young Guard who has to deal with this situation and it comes back to haunt him twenty years later.
The mystery in this book was more the why than the who as it became increasingly obvious who was going to be responsible. Actually having guessed who the main culprit was the story became more tense . On more than one occasion I was saying things like" No! Don't give it to HIM!" as he continued to mosey around in the story as though he had done nothing at all.
As you can tell I got emotionally involved which is always a sign of a good book. This is a very good book and I highly recommend it to other mystery lovers!
June 1, 2018
Refreshing and Back to basics well constructed crime novel that is believable and entertaining. A cracking good read for those who enjoy crime / mystery novels.
The Ruin is a debut novel by Dervla McTiernan and what a complex and fast paced novel set in Galway. I rarely read crime novels but every now and then like to test the waters and I couldn't resist picking up a copy of the Ruin and so glad I did as it has an interesting and believable plot, great characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.
Set in Ireland the author captures a wonderful sense of time and place and she doesn't shy away from the dark and disturbing. A book of lies and secrets and the man of the moment is Detective Cormac Reilly who is drawn back to a case he has worked on in his earlier career when he discovered the dead body of Hilario Blake in her crumbling Georgian home and the two children she left behind still haunts his memory.
I think readers who enjoy Police procedure novels or crime novels are going to really enjoy this one as it's well written and full of suspense and I for one look forward to the next installment of the Cormac Reilly Series.
The Ruin is a debut novel by Dervla McTiernan and what a complex and fast paced novel set in Galway. I rarely read crime novels but every now and then like to test the waters and I couldn't resist picking up a copy of the Ruin and so glad I did as it has an interesting and believable plot, great characters and plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.
Set in Ireland the author captures a wonderful sense of time and place and she doesn't shy away from the dark and disturbing. A book of lies and secrets and the man of the moment is Detective Cormac Reilly who is drawn back to a case he has worked on in his earlier career when he discovered the dead body of Hilario Blake in her crumbling Georgian home and the two children she left behind still haunts his memory.
I think readers who enjoy Police procedure novels or crime novels are going to really enjoy this one as it's well written and full of suspense and I for one look forward to the next installment of the Cormac Reilly Series.
March 23, 2022
EXCERPT: 'You know what, detective? I think you're full of shit.'
She started to move away. He needed to hold her, needed her to trust him.
'I was there, that night,'he said.
She turned.
'The night Hilaria Blake died. I was wet behind the ears, first week on the job. They weren't expecting a body, there was some sort of mix-up. So they sent me.'
She was holding on to the back of the chair, her eyes fixed on his.
'I found Maude, found Jack, in a house with no electricity, damp everywhere, the place basically rotting around them. Their mother was dead. I brought them to the hospital. I saw what had been done to Jack. I never forgot him, Aisling.' And that, at least was true.' I cared about Jack. I care about him now. If there's something suspicious about his death, I'll find out. But I need you to talk to me. If you hear something, know something, come and find me. I won't let you down.'
Her eyes were still on his, weighing up his words, sifting them for truth. She gave him a single reluctant nod before walking away.
ABOUT 'THE RÚIN': It's been twenty years since Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind...
When Aisling Conroy's boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget - until Jack's sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.
DI Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of an 'accidental' overdose twenty years ago - of Jack and Maude's drug- and alcohol-addled mother. Cormac is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything...
This unsettling crime debut draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't.
MY THOUGHTS: I picked Dervla McTiernan's The Rúin for my Saint Patrick's Day read, but I simply romped through it, devouring it in a couple of days, rather than the week I had planned on, (sorry to the other authors whose work I pushed aside in order to do this).
I'm a sucker for an Irish setting, and McTiernan certainly has made hers atmospheric. The story begins twenty years earlier with the discovery of two malnourished children and their dead mother in a derelict building. Fast forward twenty years and one of those children is dead and the other hasn't been seen since she was rescued. Cormac Reilly was the constable who initially made the discovery, and now he is being asked to take another look at the case. And he seems to be the only one who believes there to be something suspicious in this latest death, a supposed suicide.
He also thinks that there's something wrong in the Mill Street Garda Station; there's an air of secrecy, of exclusion, and there's a definite tension. What are they hiding? And just how far down the chain of command has the rot spread?
The Rúin just oozes tension. It is full of corruption, cover-ups and conspiracy. But never does the author lose sight of the human touch. Despite everything else that is going on, Jack's death and the impact it has on his loved ones is very much to the fore.
I loved every word of this book, McTiernan's first. I have read others by her, and have another lined up to read, but although The Rúin is her debut, it is also her piece de resistance. The full five glorious stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I: @dervlamctiernan @harpercollins
T: @DervlaMcTiernan @HarperCollins
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #irishfiction #mystery #policeprocedural
THE AUTHOR: Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer. Following the global financial crisis, she moved from Ireland to Australia and turned her hand to writing. Dervla is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers Association, and lives in Perth, Australia, with her husband and two children.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
She started to move away. He needed to hold her, needed her to trust him.
'I was there, that night,'he said.
She turned.
'The night Hilaria Blake died. I was wet behind the ears, first week on the job. They weren't expecting a body, there was some sort of mix-up. So they sent me.'
She was holding on to the back of the chair, her eyes fixed on his.
'I found Maude, found Jack, in a house with no electricity, damp everywhere, the place basically rotting around them. Their mother was dead. I brought them to the hospital. I saw what had been done to Jack. I never forgot him, Aisling.' And that, at least was true.' I cared about Jack. I care about him now. If there's something suspicious about his death, I'll find out. But I need you to talk to me. If you hear something, know something, come and find me. I won't let you down.'
Her eyes were still on his, weighing up his words, sifting them for truth. She gave him a single reluctant nod before walking away.
ABOUT 'THE RÚIN': It's been twenty years since Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind...
When Aisling Conroy's boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget - until Jack's sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.
DI Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of an 'accidental' overdose twenty years ago - of Jack and Maude's drug- and alcohol-addled mother. Cormac is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything...
This unsettling crime debut draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't.
MY THOUGHTS: I picked Dervla McTiernan's The Rúin for my Saint Patrick's Day read, but I simply romped through it, devouring it in a couple of days, rather than the week I had planned on, (sorry to the other authors whose work I pushed aside in order to do this).
I'm a sucker for an Irish setting, and McTiernan certainly has made hers atmospheric. The story begins twenty years earlier with the discovery of two malnourished children and their dead mother in a derelict building. Fast forward twenty years and one of those children is dead and the other hasn't been seen since she was rescued. Cormac Reilly was the constable who initially made the discovery, and now he is being asked to take another look at the case. And he seems to be the only one who believes there to be something suspicious in this latest death, a supposed suicide.
He also thinks that there's something wrong in the Mill Street Garda Station; there's an air of secrecy, of exclusion, and there's a definite tension. What are they hiding? And just how far down the chain of command has the rot spread?
The Rúin just oozes tension. It is full of corruption, cover-ups and conspiracy. But never does the author lose sight of the human touch. Despite everything else that is going on, Jack's death and the impact it has on his loved ones is very much to the fore.
I loved every word of this book, McTiernan's first. I have read others by her, and have another lined up to read, but although The Rúin is her debut, it is also her piece de resistance. The full five glorious stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I: @dervlamctiernan @harpercollins
T: @DervlaMcTiernan @HarperCollins
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #irishfiction #mystery #policeprocedural
THE AUTHOR: Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer. Following the global financial crisis, she moved from Ireland to Australia and turned her hand to writing. Dervla is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers Association, and lives in Perth, Australia, with her husband and two children.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
December 24, 2021
Aoife McMahon is one of my favorite narrators. I love her so much, I listened to the audio of “The Ruin” even though I read in three years ago. Also, I intend to listen to the second book in the series, “The Scholar” soon, and wanted a refresher. Both “The Ruin” and “The Scholar” are freebees from audible plus.
This is a story of police corruption, with the good cop, Cormac Reilly, chasing clues while being blindsided. Cormac is assigned with the 20 year cold-case investigation of a drug overdose, which he reported as a rookie. At the time, many questions were left unanswered. When another death, connected to the drug overdose occurs, Cormac’s police instincts tell him that he is being railroaded.
This is a brilliantly written and paced police procedural story that is deeply satisfying. There are so many red herrings that your head will spin…in a good way.
I highly recommend the audio version narrated by Aoife McMahon. That woman has more distinct voices than most narrators. She is amazing! I raised my rating because of McMahon.
“The Ruin” is a mystery/thriller that is not to be missed by the lovers of this genre. The story begins in Mayo, Ireland in February of 1993. Newbie police officer Cormac Reilly is sent to an domestic situation out in the middle of no where Ireland. What he finds is a house in shambles, a dead mother, and two malnourished and battered children. He takes them to the hospital, where the eldest, a fifteen-year-old girl goes missing while her five-year-old brother is treated.
Fast forward to March of 2013, now Detective Reilly has made a career change to Galway, Ireland. He made a questionable career move to follow his new love, Emma. While attempting to settle in to the new district, and get the lay of the land, he feels something is awry. He can’t put his finger on it, but his instinct tells him that there is a dark subtext to the police station.
Meanwhile, he’s put on a twenty year-old cold case that makes no sense. While he’s trying to figure out why he’s being diverted and a woman is being unjustly accused, he finds himself in the middle of intersecting scandals.
The story is fast paced and well thought out. Author Dervla Mctiernan wrote this complex story clearly which made it an entertaining read. She has promised this to be a beginning of s series following Detective Reilly. I look forward to her next installment. I highly recommend this one!
This is a story of police corruption, with the good cop, Cormac Reilly, chasing clues while being blindsided. Cormac is assigned with the 20 year cold-case investigation of a drug overdose, which he reported as a rookie. At the time, many questions were left unanswered. When another death, connected to the drug overdose occurs, Cormac’s police instincts tell him that he is being railroaded.
This is a brilliantly written and paced police procedural story that is deeply satisfying. There are so many red herrings that your head will spin…in a good way.
I highly recommend the audio version narrated by Aoife McMahon. That woman has more distinct voices than most narrators. She is amazing! I raised my rating because of McMahon.
“The Ruin” is a mystery/thriller that is not to be missed by the lovers of this genre. The story begins in Mayo, Ireland in February of 1993. Newbie police officer Cormac Reilly is sent to an domestic situation out in the middle of no where Ireland. What he finds is a house in shambles, a dead mother, and two malnourished and battered children. He takes them to the hospital, where the eldest, a fifteen-year-old girl goes missing while her five-year-old brother is treated.
Fast forward to March of 2013, now Detective Reilly has made a career change to Galway, Ireland. He made a questionable career move to follow his new love, Emma. While attempting to settle in to the new district, and get the lay of the land, he feels something is awry. He can’t put his finger on it, but his instinct tells him that there is a dark subtext to the police station.
Meanwhile, he’s put on a twenty year-old cold case that makes no sense. While he’s trying to figure out why he’s being diverted and a woman is being unjustly accused, he finds himself in the middle of intersecting scandals.
The story is fast paced and well thought out. Author Dervla Mctiernan wrote this complex story clearly which made it an entertaining read. She has promised this to be a beginning of s series following Detective Reilly. I look forward to her next installment. I highly recommend this one!
March 26, 2020
Barry Award Winner 2019
What a stunning police murder mystery set in Ireland!
With St. Patrick’s Day falling in March, I am reading and listening to many new Irish voices. What a pleasure to come across such an outstanding new series written by Dervla McTiernan. Such fine writing that it is hard to believe this book is a debut.
DI Cormac Reilly has had a very successful career in Dublin. His partner, Emma, must move to Galway, however, for a new job opportunity. Reilly transfers to Dublin to remain by her side. Little does he know what’s waiting for him. Assigned to cold cases, he soon realizes there is something not right in the Galway police station. Suspicion and hidden agendas run rampant. He is assigned to the 20 year old case of Hilaria Blake who died of an overdose leaving two young children behind. As a young and inexperienced Garda he was there when the police were called in many years ago.
A new case which is labeled as a suicide has been assigned to another team which surprises Reilly as it ties in with his cold case. The victim, Jack Blake, is the son of Hilaria Blake. Is this suicide or something more suspicious? The victim’s sister, Maude, and his partner, Aisling, think differently.
McTiernan weaves together the dark past and present circumstances expertly through multiple plot lines. THE RUIN is a complicated mystery that is fast paced and tense throughout the book. Expect great dialogue and well thought out characterization.
I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla and was not disappointed. The narrator’s voice is perfect. The second in this series, THE SCHOLAR, was published in 2019 and one I am definitely looking forward to listening to in the near future. It is a pleasure to find a new dark mystery series.
5 out of 5 stars
What a stunning police murder mystery set in Ireland!
With St. Patrick’s Day falling in March, I am reading and listening to many new Irish voices. What a pleasure to come across such an outstanding new series written by Dervla McTiernan. Such fine writing that it is hard to believe this book is a debut.
DI Cormac Reilly has had a very successful career in Dublin. His partner, Emma, must move to Galway, however, for a new job opportunity. Reilly transfers to Dublin to remain by her side. Little does he know what’s waiting for him. Assigned to cold cases, he soon realizes there is something not right in the Galway police station. Suspicion and hidden agendas run rampant. He is assigned to the 20 year old case of Hilaria Blake who died of an overdose leaving two young children behind. As a young and inexperienced Garda he was there when the police were called in many years ago.
A new case which is labeled as a suicide has been assigned to another team which surprises Reilly as it ties in with his cold case. The victim, Jack Blake, is the son of Hilaria Blake. Is this suicide or something more suspicious? The victim’s sister, Maude, and his partner, Aisling, think differently.
McTiernan weaves together the dark past and present circumstances expertly through multiple plot lines. THE RUIN is a complicated mystery that is fast paced and tense throughout the book. Expect great dialogue and well thought out characterization.
I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla and was not disappointed. The narrator’s voice is perfect. The second in this series, THE SCHOLAR, was published in 2019 and one I am definitely looking forward to listening to in the near future. It is a pleasure to find a new dark mystery series.
5 out of 5 stars
April 10, 2019
A well done mystery that sees Cormac Reilly moving back to Galway when his girlfriend gets a large grant that requires her moving there. He had started his policing career there and one of his first cases was the drug death of young single mother. Now, 20 years later, the son of that woman is dead, a suspected suicide. But something more is at work here. Neither death is what it appears. The dead man’s girlfriend and his sister start their own investigation into his death.
There are a lot of characters and initially I struggled to keep them straight. And something is off at the Garda station. Does someone have it in for Cormac? What are they trying to keep covered up?
This one keeps your attention. It’s more plot than character driven. It’s fast paced and complicated, not one where you can let your attention stray. There are multiple themes, including vengeance, betrayal and neglect.
I listened to it and the narrator did a good job. I’ll definitely come back for McTiernan’s next offering in the series.
July 1, 2022
4★
“The truism that a lawyer should never ask a question to which he did not already know the answer did not apply to detectives. If anything the opposite rule applied. You had a plan going into every interrogation, but sometimes it was best to follow your instinct,”
Ireland’s loss is Australia’s gain! Author Dervla McTiernan and her family have migrated to Perth, Western Australia. Although this debut novel is set in cold, rainy Ireland, one character did ‘flee’ for many years to the Kimberley, a long, long way north of Perth, to a very different climate.
Garda Cormac Reilly didn’t move quite that far in the novel, but he did shift across Ireland from Dublin to Galway with his girlfriend, Emma, a research scientist She was excited to win a prestigious grant, but the work is based in a lab in Galway, so he has gone with her. His 20-year career as a detective sergeant in Dublin was far more complex than anything the Mill Street Garda station is likely to offer him, but . . . ah, the things we do for love, eh?
Of course, crime isn’t restricted to the Big Smoke, and even the loneliest, most remote outpost can be dangerous. Galway is hardly remote, but it’s different.
The book opens with a prologue from 1993, when young Reilly was called to an old, once-grand home, where he met two young children whose mother was dead in bed. He takes them to the local hospital and can do no more.
Then the story moves to 2013, where we meet Jack and Aisling, a young couple in love who are setting out their future together.
[I looked up how to pronounce Aisling, since I don’t know anyone by this name, and it’s roughly ASH-ling, ASH-lin, or ASH-leen, depending upon whom you ask. I like to be able to hear the names in my head when I read. The ASH is enough for me. But I digress.]*
The author has done a wonderful job of keeping the timeline easy to follow by introducing each section with the date. The first main action happens on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, and the following chapters move into April. Very easy, and thank you! I mention this because there is a fashion for shifting times so often that it’s easy to get lost, and many readers really dislike it.
Whenever Cormac remembers something from the past, he is remembering it, and it’s discussed as the past. Straight-forward.
But the story’s not that simple. (Well, a good mystery never is, is it?) There’s a reported suicide that doesn’t seem to be getting the attention it deserves, and Reilly can feel a chill in the squad room. Who’s trustworthy, who isn’t?
The initial quotation about not asking a question unless you know the answer is from where he's about to interview someone he's pretty sure he shouldn't trust. He makes a bit of a show getting out his notebook, referring to notes, jotting things down patiently. He explains that some people
“. . . were too clever. They lied when they should stay quiet. They thought ahead, saw the risks, and moved to tie them off. They could never quite see how the slow setting down of questions and noting of answers could drive them into a trap of their own making.”
It’s a bit like the trick of not filling a conversational silence to encourage someone to reveal just a bit more. Like the old saying, ‘give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself’.
Good story, well told, and I did mention the rain and the cold, didn’t I?
“They walked home together, hand in hand. It was cold, but the rain held off and there was such simple pleasure in that.”
. . .
“The cold settled about her like a cloak, chilling the sweat on her brow and stiffening her hands. The sun was still out, but it was a winter sun – all show and no substance – and clouds were gathering.”
Welcome, Dervla! I hope you enjoy your move to such a sunny place. Now, about all that rain, . . .
* For anyone else wanting to know how to pronounce Irish words, this fellow is very helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU9w9...
“The truism that a lawyer should never ask a question to which he did not already know the answer did not apply to detectives. If anything the opposite rule applied. You had a plan going into every interrogation, but sometimes it was best to follow your instinct,”
Ireland’s loss is Australia’s gain! Author Dervla McTiernan and her family have migrated to Perth, Western Australia. Although this debut novel is set in cold, rainy Ireland, one character did ‘flee’ for many years to the Kimberley, a long, long way north of Perth, to a very different climate.
Garda Cormac Reilly didn’t move quite that far in the novel, but he did shift across Ireland from Dublin to Galway with his girlfriend, Emma, a research scientist She was excited to win a prestigious grant, but the work is based in a lab in Galway, so he has gone with her. His 20-year career as a detective sergeant in Dublin was far more complex than anything the Mill Street Garda station is likely to offer him, but . . . ah, the things we do for love, eh?
Of course, crime isn’t restricted to the Big Smoke, and even the loneliest, most remote outpost can be dangerous. Galway is hardly remote, but it’s different.
The book opens with a prologue from 1993, when young Reilly was called to an old, once-grand home, where he met two young children whose mother was dead in bed. He takes them to the local hospital and can do no more.
Then the story moves to 2013, where we meet Jack and Aisling, a young couple in love who are setting out their future together.
[I looked up how to pronounce Aisling, since I don’t know anyone by this name, and it’s roughly ASH-ling, ASH-lin, or ASH-leen, depending upon whom you ask. I like to be able to hear the names in my head when I read. The ASH is enough for me. But I digress.]*
The author has done a wonderful job of keeping the timeline easy to follow by introducing each section with the date. The first main action happens on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, and the following chapters move into April. Very easy, and thank you! I mention this because there is a fashion for shifting times so often that it’s easy to get lost, and many readers really dislike it.
Whenever Cormac remembers something from the past, he is remembering it, and it’s discussed as the past. Straight-forward.
But the story’s not that simple. (Well, a good mystery never is, is it?) There’s a reported suicide that doesn’t seem to be getting the attention it deserves, and Reilly can feel a chill in the squad room. Who’s trustworthy, who isn’t?
The initial quotation about not asking a question unless you know the answer is from where he's about to interview someone he's pretty sure he shouldn't trust. He makes a bit of a show getting out his notebook, referring to notes, jotting things down patiently. He explains that some people
“. . . were too clever. They lied when they should stay quiet. They thought ahead, saw the risks, and moved to tie them off. They could never quite see how the slow setting down of questions and noting of answers could drive them into a trap of their own making.”
It’s a bit like the trick of not filling a conversational silence to encourage someone to reveal just a bit more. Like the old saying, ‘give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself’.
Good story, well told, and I did mention the rain and the cold, didn’t I?
“They walked home together, hand in hand. It was cold, but the rain held off and there was such simple pleasure in that.”
. . .
“The cold settled about her like a cloak, chilling the sweat on her brow and stiffening her hands. The sun was still out, but it was a winter sun – all show and no substance – and clouds were gathering.”
Welcome, Dervla! I hope you enjoy your move to such a sunny place. Now, about all that rain, . . .
* For anyone else wanting to know how to pronounce Irish words, this fellow is very helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU9w9...
January 17, 2019
"The line was there for a reason. It mattered. It had to be respected, no matter how hard that was."
Dervla McTiernan takes us to the west of Ireland where footsteps have crossed back and forth into the forbidden and into the unspoken. Time bends back into the long ago with consequences visiting the present.
DI Cormac Reilly feels unsettled and a bit regretful. He's left the familiarity of Dublin and followed his love, Emma, to Galway. His new assignment in the police force here circles around cold cases.....cases covered in dust and deadends. But the tracks of a particular case will force Cormac to revisit a twenty year old case of his own. As a young, inexperienced guard, Cormac was called out in the middle of the night for a reported death of a mother who appeared to have died of a drug overdose in the presence of her two young children. What transpires on that fateful night will have drastic repercussions into the here and now.
McTiernan introduces us to Aisling Conroy, an up and coming surgeon, who lives with her boyfriend Jack in a small apartment not far from the River Corrib. Aisling is desperate to tell Jack of some news that may jeopardize their relationship. Jack leaves the apartment to clear his head. Sounds like a lovers' spat? Not hardly. The police inform Aisling the next morning that Jack's body has been found in the river. Suicide was dealt with a very shaky hand.
The Ruin is a finely written police procedural that showcases many multi-faceted characters, especially in the form of Cormac Reilly. Reilly is a man marred by the weight and the strain visited upon him with the impact of deadly crimes and the lack of humanity. McTiernan doesn't turn out a robotic figure, but one who bears the angst of personal mistakes and ineffectiveness in a world beseiged with so much evil. I am delighted that we'll soon visit Cormac Reilly in the next book in this series, The Scholar, which publishes in March 2019.
The Ruin provides solid writing and the satisfaction of finding a truly gifted writer in the likes of Dervla McTiernan. The next book can't get here fast enough.
Dervla McTiernan takes us to the west of Ireland where footsteps have crossed back and forth into the forbidden and into the unspoken. Time bends back into the long ago with consequences visiting the present.
DI Cormac Reilly feels unsettled and a bit regretful. He's left the familiarity of Dublin and followed his love, Emma, to Galway. His new assignment in the police force here circles around cold cases.....cases covered in dust and deadends. But the tracks of a particular case will force Cormac to revisit a twenty year old case of his own. As a young, inexperienced guard, Cormac was called out in the middle of the night for a reported death of a mother who appeared to have died of a drug overdose in the presence of her two young children. What transpires on that fateful night will have drastic repercussions into the here and now.
McTiernan introduces us to Aisling Conroy, an up and coming surgeon, who lives with her boyfriend Jack in a small apartment not far from the River Corrib. Aisling is desperate to tell Jack of some news that may jeopardize their relationship. Jack leaves the apartment to clear his head. Sounds like a lovers' spat? Not hardly. The police inform Aisling the next morning that Jack's body has been found in the river. Suicide was dealt with a very shaky hand.
The Ruin is a finely written police procedural that showcases many multi-faceted characters, especially in the form of Cormac Reilly. Reilly is a man marred by the weight and the strain visited upon him with the impact of deadly crimes and the lack of humanity. McTiernan doesn't turn out a robotic figure, but one who bears the angst of personal mistakes and ineffectiveness in a world beseiged with so much evil. I am delighted that we'll soon visit Cormac Reilly in the next book in this series, The Scholar, which publishes in March 2019.
The Ruin provides solid writing and the satisfaction of finding a truly gifted writer in the likes of Dervla McTiernan. The next book can't get here fast enough.
January 2, 2022
Set in 2013, this is the first book of a new series featuring Detective Sergeant Cormac Reilly who has recently moved to Galway from Dublin in order to be with his girlfriend Emma. His new colleagues are not exactly welcoming and it seems to go beyond the usual hazing of the new guy. There are undercurrents of unease. The cops seem to spend as much time disrupting investigations as they do pursuing them. Reilly is stuck with going over the cold cases, one of which is a case in which he was involved in 1993. Working solo, Reilly was sent to investigate a domestic situation and discovered the body of Hilaria Blake, dead from an accidental heroin overdose. Her orphaned children Maude and Jack (15 and 5) showed signs of abuse and neglect. Maude disappeared but Jack was eventually adopted, became an engineer and formed a happy relationship with a surgical resident, Aisling Conroy. And then Jack committed suicide. Maude suddenly resurfaces after the suicide and insists that the police investigate Jack's death as a murder. Reilly, Maude and Aisley were terrific characters.
I've probably read too many police procedurals because now they usually bore me, but every once in a while one comes along that exceeds my expectations. Fortunately, "The Ruin" was one of those books. It's a police procedural with believable characters, a poignant story and a plot that holds together. I thought it might have been about 50 pages shorter, but other than that I had no complaints. The next book in the series is supposed to be published in 2019. I look forward to it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
I've probably read too many police procedurals because now they usually bore me, but every once in a while one comes along that exceeds my expectations. Fortunately, "The Ruin" was one of those books. It's a police procedural with believable characters, a poignant story and a plot that holds together. I thought it might have been about 50 pages shorter, but other than that I had no complaints. The next book in the series is supposed to be published in 2019. I look forward to it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
March 24, 2018
Ruin is Irish for secret.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I just cannot get my head around it being a debut! The story has a fast pace and is very well built up. Cormac Reilly is sympathetic and straight forward. I'm very enthousiastic and very sorry that I have to wait till March 2019 for the next book in the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I just cannot get my head around it being a debut! The story has a fast pace and is very well built up. Cormac Reilly is sympathetic and straight forward. I'm very enthousiastic and very sorry that I have to wait till March 2019 for the next book in the series.
April 20, 2022
Wow what a fantastic start to this series it was an awesome un putdownable read & finally found out the backstory of Cormac Reilly loved every minute of this dark police procedural.
Cormac Reilly is getting over a case that eventuated in 1993 when he is called to a house where a body is found Dover house it was in disrepair & complete darkness , he sees a little girl Maude Blake she is about 14 years old, her mother Hilario seems to have overdosed. Maude was a runaway no family to notice she was gone, the system forgot her so did Cormac.
Rolling forward to Galway Ireland 2013
Cormac was having problems settling in after moving from Dublin to Galway Ireland to be with his pregnant girlfriend Emma , Cormac was originally with the anti terrorist division of Guarda, he was demoted.
Jack was in an orphanage when he was young his backstory was heart breaking he is also the brother of Maude he committed suicide or so they think? he was living with Ainsling Conroy she was devastated,
As the investigation into Jacks death intensifies his sister Maude is the prime suspect ow she is living in Australia , so how can she be in two places at once?
This is a dark compelling read that kept me captivated from beginning to end love the characters I really can’t believe this is Miss Mctiernans
first novel what a delight it was, a gem.
Cormac Reilly is getting over a case that eventuated in 1993 when he is called to a house where a body is found Dover house it was in disrepair & complete darkness , he sees a little girl Maude Blake she is about 14 years old, her mother Hilario seems to have overdosed. Maude was a runaway no family to notice she was gone, the system forgot her so did Cormac.
Rolling forward to Galway Ireland 2013
Cormac was having problems settling in after moving from Dublin to Galway Ireland to be with his pregnant girlfriend Emma , Cormac was originally with the anti terrorist division of Guarda, he was demoted.
Jack was in an orphanage when he was young his backstory was heart breaking he is also the brother of Maude he committed suicide or so they think? he was living with Ainsling Conroy she was devastated,
As the investigation into Jacks death intensifies his sister Maude is the prime suspect ow she is living in Australia , so how can she be in two places at once?
This is a dark compelling read that kept me captivated from beginning to end love the characters I really can’t believe this is Miss Mctiernans
first novel what a delight it was, a gem.
September 11, 2020
This was really great and I loved how the ending all went down!!
The Ruin starts off with rookie police officer, Cormac Reilly going to an old house in Galway, Ireland for a domestic dispute. It ends up being so much more complicated with a mother dead from a heroin overdose and two young children left alone with signs of being abused.
20 years later, one of the children from that fateful night has commited suicide and Cormac Reilly can't seem to get Jack Blake's face from his mind.
What happened that night after Cormac took Jack and Maude to the hospital?
20 years later, Jack is dead and Maude is a potential suspect in her mother's death?
What is he not seeing and why are the pieces of this investigation not fitting together?
The Ruin was a gritty and dark police procedure. I loved all the characters along with hating a few. I thought the writing was great and if you decide to do audiobook, it's even better. The narrator, Aoife McMahon did a bang up job. She just made this book even better in my opinion with her Irish accent and delivery.
The main character, Cormac Reilly was a good one. He's honorable and trying to do the best he can on his murder cases. I'm really looking forward to reading more books in this series!
The Ruin starts off with rookie police officer, Cormac Reilly going to an old house in Galway, Ireland for a domestic dispute. It ends up being so much more complicated with a mother dead from a heroin overdose and two young children left alone with signs of being abused.
20 years later, one of the children from that fateful night has commited suicide and Cormac Reilly can't seem to get Jack Blake's face from his mind.
What happened that night after Cormac took Jack and Maude to the hospital?
20 years later, Jack is dead and Maude is a potential suspect in her mother's death?
What is he not seeing and why are the pieces of this investigation not fitting together?
The Ruin was a gritty and dark police procedure. I loved all the characters along with hating a few. I thought the writing was great and if you decide to do audiobook, it's even better. The narrator, Aoife McMahon did a bang up job. She just made this book even better in my opinion with her Irish accent and delivery.
The main character, Cormac Reilly was a good one. He's honorable and trying to do the best he can on his murder cases. I'm really looking forward to reading more books in this series!
March 20, 2018
After some 20y of building up his career in elite units, working on some of the biggest cases in Dublin, DS Cormac Reilly has moved back to Galway where his career began so that his partner can further her scientific career. Now he finds himself the new boy in the office, consigned to cold cases and trying to fit in when everyone is suspicious of him and his reasons for being there.
Cormac’s first case in Galway as a young constable involved a call out to a dead woman in a lonely, crumbling mansion. He’ll never forget the two starving, neglected children, Jack and Maude who he found there and took to A&E and always wondered what became of them. Now Jack’s body has been fished out of the river after an apparent suicide, but his partner Aisling refuses to believe that and wants the gardai to investigate his death. Cormac is assigned the case and his investigations lead him to wonder what happened 20y ago in that house where he found Jack and Maude.
This is an amazingly good debut novel by Irish-Australian Dervla McTiernan. Well written with a compelling story line and believable characters, the novels weaves in threads dealing with the Catholic Church, historical child abuse and current day corruption in the police force. It’s refreshing to see that Cormac is a modern hard working, honest sort of detective with a pleasant personality and happy home life and not the grumpy, alcoholic or depressed divorcee that populates so many thrillers. I am also very happy to see that this is the first in a series as I can’t wait to see Cormac and some of the other characters back in action.
Cormac’s first case in Galway as a young constable involved a call out to a dead woman in a lonely, crumbling mansion. He’ll never forget the two starving, neglected children, Jack and Maude who he found there and took to A&E and always wondered what became of them. Now Jack’s body has been fished out of the river after an apparent suicide, but his partner Aisling refuses to believe that and wants the gardai to investigate his death. Cormac is assigned the case and his investigations lead him to wonder what happened 20y ago in that house where he found Jack and Maude.
This is an amazingly good debut novel by Irish-Australian Dervla McTiernan. Well written with a compelling story line and believable characters, the novels weaves in threads dealing with the Catholic Church, historical child abuse and current day corruption in the police force. It’s refreshing to see that Cormac is a modern hard working, honest sort of detective with a pleasant personality and happy home life and not the grumpy, alcoholic or depressed divorcee that populates so many thrillers. I am also very happy to see that this is the first in a series as I can’t wait to see Cormac and some of the other characters back in action.
November 9, 2021
4-5 stars!
See, this is why I joined Goodreads - to keep track of what I was reading so I didn’t go and buy a book I had already read. Well, I didn’t buy this, I got it from the library but at around 30% there was a name mentioned which I recognised and I realised I had already read it. A few years ago I got really behind with reviews and, although always intending to catch up, I never did. Let that be a lesson. Do your reviews promptly!
Anyway I had forgotten most of although it did come back as I kept reading. What a great story though! DS Cormac Reilly has returned to Galway after a stint in the big smoke and quickly gets embroiled in a murder case where the dead young man was a traumatised 5 year old 20 years ago when Cormac rescued him in his first week on the job in uniform! He had been called to a domestic disturbance and found a decaying house and a decayed dead mother in her bed. 5 year old Jack was injured and his 15 year old sister, Maude, ensured he was safely ensconced in the hospital before she disappeared.
But when Maude returns to Ireland and learns of her brother’s death and the insistence by the police that it was suicide she takes matters into her own hands and sets out to prove otherwise. Unfortunately this is just what an unscrupulous operator was looking for. In an attempt to cover up their own crimes they tried to implicate Maude in her mother’s death and, by association, Jack’s death.
It was a very twisty plot with many lies and betrayals along the way. The characters were deftly defined. None of them seemed perfect but once Cormac learns what really happened in that house 20 years ago, he knows he will do anything to get justice for Jack, even if it means dipping a toe over the thin blue line. The pace never lagged, this story flowed well and, even though I had read it before, I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Now to read the rest of the series!
See, this is why I joined Goodreads - to keep track of what I was reading so I didn’t go and buy a book I had already read. Well, I didn’t buy this, I got it from the library but at around 30% there was a name mentioned which I recognised and I realised I had already read it. A few years ago I got really behind with reviews and, although always intending to catch up, I never did. Let that be a lesson. Do your reviews promptly!
Anyway I had forgotten most of although it did come back as I kept reading. What a great story though! DS Cormac Reilly has returned to Galway after a stint in the big smoke and quickly gets embroiled in a murder case where the dead young man was a traumatised 5 year old 20 years ago when Cormac rescued him in his first week on the job in uniform! He had been called to a domestic disturbance and found a decaying house and a decayed dead mother in her bed. 5 year old Jack was injured and his 15 year old sister, Maude, ensured he was safely ensconced in the hospital before she disappeared.
But when Maude returns to Ireland and learns of her brother’s death and the insistence by the police that it was suicide she takes matters into her own hands and sets out to prove otherwise. Unfortunately this is just what an unscrupulous operator was looking for. In an attempt to cover up their own crimes they tried to implicate Maude in her mother’s death and, by association, Jack’s death.
It was a very twisty plot with many lies and betrayals along the way. The characters were deftly defined. None of them seemed perfect but once Cormac learns what really happened in that house 20 years ago, he knows he will do anything to get justice for Jack, even if it means dipping a toe over the thin blue line. The pace never lagged, this story flowed well and, even though I had read it before, I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. Now to read the rest of the series!
March 24, 2022
Well that was a superb mystery that had me reading into the wee hours of the night! It was a tense thriller that was intricately plotted, weaving past and present together seamlessly to create an atmospheric read. The characters leapt off the page with some evoking sympathy and others unease. I listened to it as an audiobook and it was fabulously narrated by Irish actor, Aoife McMahon. At one point I was shouting at my phone because it was soooo stressful. Highly recommended for people who love layered murder mysteries.
CW:
Thank you to Sandy for her wonderful review that inspired me to bump this up my TBR!
CW:
Thank you to Sandy for her wonderful review that inspired me to bump this up my TBR!
August 24, 2018
Cormac Rilley #1
It's been twenty years since Cormac Rilley discovered the body of Hilaria Blakein her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind.
1993, Cormac Rilley was a young Garda called to the scene of a suspected domestic. He finds two young children, Maude who's fifteen and Jack who was just five years old. In the bedroom he finds the body of a woman with a needle still stuck in her arm. Twenty years later, Cormac is working in Galway. He is working on cold cases, one he had worked on before. Maude had disappeared after her mother died., but Jack had eventually been adopted. He went on to become work as an engineer and was in a relationship. But then Jack commits suicide.
This is a really good debut novel. The writing flows easily across the pages. I always like when novel are set in Ireland. The setting are always beautiful. This plot echoes of the past and present current events. There is also something going on at the police station. The story covers historical child abuse and police corruption. The characters are believable and an ending that satisfactory. A great start to a new series.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Dervla McTiernan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's been twenty years since Cormac Rilley discovered the body of Hilaria Blakein her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind.
1993, Cormac Rilley was a young Garda called to the scene of a suspected domestic. He finds two young children, Maude who's fifteen and Jack who was just five years old. In the bedroom he finds the body of a woman with a needle still stuck in her arm. Twenty years later, Cormac is working in Galway. He is working on cold cases, one he had worked on before. Maude had disappeared after her mother died., but Jack had eventually been adopted. He went on to become work as an engineer and was in a relationship. But then Jack commits suicide.
This is a really good debut novel. The writing flows easily across the pages. I always like when novel are set in Ireland. The setting are always beautiful. This plot echoes of the past and present current events. There is also something going on at the police station. The story covers historical child abuse and police corruption. The characters are believable and an ending that satisfactory. A great start to a new series.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Dervla McTiernan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2022
4.25 Stars.
May 27, 2018
I just love it when a novel lives up to the hype.
The Ruin was a very satisfying read - steady, engaging and very atmospheric.
Garda Cormac Reilly (I love his name) was an interesting character, whom I hope to get to know better in the second novel.
McTiernan weaved a compelling story, bringing to light some unsavoury Irish older realities, as the treatment of unwed mothers, child abuse and neglect, paedophilia, abortion. How timely. On a side note, I love all the wonderful news coming out of Ireland - equal marriage rights and they've just had a referendum to remove an antiquated constitution amendment prohibiting abortions. Welcome to the 21st century, Ireland.
So, people, pay attention, there's a new crime-mystery writer and she's very skilled.
The Ruin was a very satisfying read - steady, engaging and very atmospheric.
Garda Cormac Reilly (I love his name) was an interesting character, whom I hope to get to know better in the second novel.
McTiernan weaved a compelling story, bringing to light some unsavoury Irish older realities, as the treatment of unwed mothers, child abuse and neglect, paedophilia, abortion. How timely. On a side note, I love all the wonderful news coming out of Ireland - equal marriage rights and they've just had a referendum to remove an antiquated constitution amendment prohibiting abortions. Welcome to the 21st century, Ireland.
So, people, pay attention, there's a new crime-mystery writer and she's very skilled.
August 21, 2020
The Ruin by Aussie author Dervla McTiernan is the first book in the Cormac Reilly series which is set in Ireland.
If you love reading fast paced books, gripping and engrossing books, then this book is for you. It’s difficult to believe this is a debut novel, but it is and I am so looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
If you love reading fast paced books, gripping and engrossing books, then this book is for you. It’s difficult to believe this is a debut novel, but it is and I am so looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
December 9, 2018
DS Cormac Reilly has just recently transferred from Dublin to Galway to follow his love to her new position. It was a step down from his previous position, and the staff in Galway were not welcoming. Cormac has only been given cold cases to work. It is refreshing to have a main character who is intelligent and ethical. He knows there are political underpinnings in Galway, and he works hard to understand the relationships between his colleagues.
The main case involves the murder of Jack Blake. Twenty years ago, Cormac was the responding officer when Jack and his sister Maude reported that their mother had died. The plot is multilayered with other crimes and other cops being involved. Cormac isn’t sure who to trust, including his boss, and he treads carefully.
I have two criticisms. One is that I never got a feeling for Cormac’s physical description. I even went back to the first few chapters where he appears but couldn’t find one. The second is the author’s tendency to introduce a character by name, but not explain how or why this character fits in to the story. A little patience is required to see if that information comes later or not.
This is a debut by Dervla McTiernan, and the second book featuring Cormac is due March 2019. I’m looking forward to it because Cormac is an interesting character, and I hope to learn more about him.
The main case involves the murder of Jack Blake. Twenty years ago, Cormac was the responding officer when Jack and his sister Maude reported that their mother had died. The plot is multilayered with other crimes and other cops being involved. Cormac isn’t sure who to trust, including his boss, and he treads carefully.
I have two criticisms. One is that I never got a feeling for Cormac’s physical description. I even went back to the first few chapters where he appears but couldn’t find one. The second is the author’s tendency to introduce a character by name, but not explain how or why this character fits in to the story. A little patience is required to see if that information comes later or not.
This is a debut by Dervla McTiernan, and the second book featuring Cormac is due March 2019. I’m looking forward to it because Cormac is an interesting character, and I hope to learn more about him.
March 7, 2018
Surgical resident Aisling Conroy was happy with her life. Her desire to become a surgeon was within her grasp; her boyfriend Jack Blake was someone she knew she would spend the rest of her life with. The love they shared was deep and real. But after a long night in A&E, breakfast with Jack then waking late that afternoon to find Jack gone - not returning home overnight either - the knock on the door the next morning was a devastating shock. Aisling would not believe what the garda were telling her...
The fog of disbelief she still held at the funeral didn't lift - but when she learned Jack's sister Maude had turned up, she was shocked. Jack hadn't seen his sister in twenty years - their young lives had been terrible, but it wasn't something Jack had spoken about. But Maude was determined to find the answers to Jack's death; the garda weren't interested but she was sure there had been foul play involved.
Detective Inspector Cormac Reilly had spent the last month investigating cold cases. Fed up, he jumped at the chance to look into the case he'd caught when he was new to the force, twenty years prior. The first dead person he'd seen - the two frightened young children had stayed in his mind throughout his career.
Did the twenty year old case have anything to do with Jack's death? What would Cormac discover? Was there a cover-up? And what would happen with Aisling?
The Ruin by Aussie author Dervla McTiernan is an outstanding police procedural set in Galway, Ireland. The first in the Cormac Reilly series, I'm already looking forward to the next (March 2019!) Gritty, filled with tension, twists and fast-paced action, The Ruin is an excellent debut which bodes only good things for this author's writing future IMO!! Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.
The fog of disbelief she still held at the funeral didn't lift - but when she learned Jack's sister Maude had turned up, she was shocked. Jack hadn't seen his sister in twenty years - their young lives had been terrible, but it wasn't something Jack had spoken about. But Maude was determined to find the answers to Jack's death; the garda weren't interested but she was sure there had been foul play involved.
Detective Inspector Cormac Reilly had spent the last month investigating cold cases. Fed up, he jumped at the chance to look into the case he'd caught when he was new to the force, twenty years prior. The first dead person he'd seen - the two frightened young children had stayed in his mind throughout his career.
Did the twenty year old case have anything to do with Jack's death? What would Cormac discover? Was there a cover-up? And what would happen with Aisling?
The Ruin by Aussie author Dervla McTiernan is an outstanding police procedural set in Galway, Ireland. The first in the Cormac Reilly series, I'm already looking forward to the next (March 2019!) Gritty, filled with tension, twists and fast-paced action, The Ruin is an excellent debut which bodes only good things for this author's writing future IMO!! Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,092 reviews