The Ruin

This debut novel by Dervla McTiernan (Irish, but now living in Australia) introduces us to Cormac Reilly, a Detective Inspector who has just transferred from a high profile position in Dublin to Galway to accompany his significant other. But, for some reason, Cormac's boss is not giving him any active cases, instead giving him cold cases, even though the squad's other detectives are overloaded with work. When a young man, Jack Blake, apparently commits suicide by jumping into the freezing water of the Corrib River, everyone dismisses it as suicide, even though his partner, Aisling, doesn't believe it. Cormac recognizes the name of the victim. Jack was just a 5-year old boy on one of Cormac's first cases, supposedly a domestic dispute call, but what he finds instead is a manor house falling into ruin, a mother dead of a heroin overdose, and two children near starvation. The older child, Maude, disappears and Jack is put into foster care. But after Jack's death,Maude returns from Australia and insists that Jack would not kill himself. Apparently this creates some unwelcome attention in the police department and Cormac is now assigned to re-investigate the death of Jack and Maude's mother; the implication is that 15-year old Maude was somehow responsible for the death of her mother. Not only is it nearly impossible to find witnesses to events of 20 years ago, but Cormac does not know who he can trust in the department. Described as Irish noir, this is indeed a dark tale, very atmospheric in its portrayal of corruption in many places where one would expect to find protection. Compelling characters and well crafted scenery and plotting.
Reviews are available from The Guardian and Publishers Weekly.