The dead woman is an enigma –– a local lass who emigrated to America some years back, now perched atop a seven–hundred–foot cliff high above the pounding Irish surf . . . with two passports, a pistol, and $27,000 U.S. dollars in her coat pocket. The brutality of May Quirk's murder –– along with the accompanying death of her unborn child –– haunts Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr of the Special Crimes Unit. What was it that brought her home to County Clare to die? McGarr is determined to find out, as his investigation carries him into the twisted core of a deadly conspiracy centered around money, madness, and lethal politics . . . and leads him far from his own home to a dark place where a dedicated Irish policeman is easy prey.
Chief Inspector of Detectives Peter McGarr is the hard-nosed policeman of Bartholomew Gill's widely acclaimed series of atmospheric Irish mysteries. Now, here is the novel that started it all--the Chief Inspector's very first appearance. It was twilight on Killiney Bay when they pulled the Yank out of the water, his head split open by a violent blow. For McGarr, the case was a welcome chance to escape the gloom of Dublin. But from his first moment at the injured man's yacht club, McGarr realizes getting at the truth will require fitting together a number of jagged pieces: the world-class sailor who ran both his boat and his life aground; the beautiful woman who paid his bills; and the politician who was uncharacteristically involving himself in a homicide investigation. Suddenly, McGarr must face a malevolent plot of IRA gunrunning, betrayal, and conspiracy--all aimed at not just killing one unhappy sailor, but framing a certain Chief Inspector, and keeping him away from secrets even more dangerous than murder. Chief Inspector of Detectives Peter McGarr is the hard-nosed policeman of Bartholomew Gill's widely acclaimed series of atmospheric Irish mysteries.Now, here is the novel that started it all--the Chief Inspector's very first appearance. It was twilight on Killiney Bay when they pulled the Yank out of the water, his head split open by a violent blow. For McGarr, the case was a welcome chance to escape the gloom of Dublin. But from his first moment at the injured man's yacht club, McGarr realizes getting at the truth will require fitting together a number of jagged pieces: the world-class sailor who ran both his boat and his life aground; the beautiful woman who paid his bills; and the politician who was uncharacteristically involving himself in a homicide investigation. Suddenly, McGarr must face a malevolent plot of IRA gunrunning, betrayal, and conspiracy--all aimed at not just killing one unhappy sailor, but framing a certain Chief Inspector, and keeping him away from secrets even more dangerous than murder.
It's a rare occurrence when Chief Inspector of Detectives Peter McGarr leaves the shores of his beloved Ireland -- but this time he has little choice. The blood of two prominent British subjects -- both former S.I.S. chiefs, both brutally murdered -- is staining Irish soil. And Sir Colin Cummings, the current head of Britain's elite secret service -- and potential third victim -- en route to Italy, with McGarr coming along for the man's protection. A macabre conspiracy of murder and revenge is spreading its tentacles across several nations, and McGarr's time spent amidst the charm and rustic beauty of Siena promises to be anything but restful. Because there are many hidden players in this most deadly game -- from ex-spies to Communist rabble rousers to wealthy Italian industrialists. And a single misstep could place one dedicated and inquisitive Chief Inspector of the Garda Soichana directly in the line of killing fire.
Irish detective fiction has enjoyed an international readership for over a decade, appearing on best-seller lists across the globe. But its breadth of hard-boiled and amateur detectives, historical fiction, and police procedurals has remained somewhat marginalized in academic scholarship. Exploring the work of some of its leading writers—including Peter Tremayne, John Connolly, Declan Hughes, Ken Bruen, Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Tana French, Jane Casey, and Benjamin Black—The Contemporary Irish Detective Novel opens new ground in Irish literary criticism and genre studies. It considers the detective genre’s position in Irish Studies and the standing of Irish authors within the detective novel tradition. Contributors: Carol Baraniuk, Nancy Marck Cantwell, Brian Cliff, Fiona Coffey, Charlotte J. Headrick, Andrew Kincaid, Audrey McNamara, and Shirley Peterson.
Desperate to escape her home in a poverty-stricken, 1883 Ireland, Kathleen Macavee sails to America to marry a man she knows nothing about. Kathleen is pleasantly surprised upon meeting the handsome Drew Bryant. But will that be enough to fall in love? Will Kathleen be prepared for her new life as a wife in a strange land?
When Horatio, the son of an English lord, is exiled to his father's Irish estate as a penalty for his corrupt ways during his life in London, he goes off in pursuit of adventure. In Ireland, Horatio finds a worn castle and the remnants of the Catholic Gaelic aristocracy that his predecessors displaced after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Horatio learns about the past, culture, and language of a country he had once ignored. Still, he must remain in disguise because his English ancestors are responsible for destroying the Gaelic family he now loves. The story unfolds through letters written by Horatio to his friends. It is a passionately nationalistic book and one of the first works discussing Irish nationalism. It represents the Irish condition initially from an English standpoint. With its incredible writing, gripping plot, and excellently portrayed characters, the novel immediately became a hit in England.
When Horatio, the son of an English lord, is exiled to his father's Irish estate as a penalty for his corrupt ways during his life in London, he goes off in pursuit of adventure. In Ireland, Horatio finds a worn castle and the remnants of the Catholic Gaelic aristocracy that his predecessors displaced after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Horatio learns about the past, culture, and language of a country he had once ignored. Still, he must remain in disguise because his English ancestors are responsible for destroying the Gaelic family he now loves. The story unfolds through letters written by Horatio to his friends. It is a passionately nationalistic book and one of the first works discussing Irish nationalism. It represents the Irish condition initially from an English standpoint. With its incredible writing, gripping plot, and excellently portrayed characters, the novel immediately became a hit in England.
