Title: The Ruin
Expected
publication: 19 February 2018
My
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
Galway 1993: Young Garda Cormac Reilly is called to a scene
he will never forget. Two silent, neglected children - fifteen-year-old Maude
and five-year-old Jack - are waiting for him at a crumbling country house.
Upstairs, their mother lies dead.
Twenty years later, a body surfaces in the icy black waters of the River Corrib. At first it looks like an open-and-shut case, but then doubt is cast on the investigation's findings - and the integrity of the police. Cormac is thrown back into the cold case that has haunted him his entire career - what links the two deaths, two decades apart? As he navigates his way through police politics and the ghosts of the past, Detective Reilly uncovers shocking secrets and finds himself questioning who among his colleagues he can trust.
What really did happen in that house where he first met Maude and Jack? The Ruin draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't.
Twenty years later, a body surfaces in the icy black waters of the River Corrib. At first it looks like an open-and-shut case, but then doubt is cast on the investigation's findings - and the integrity of the police. Cormac is thrown back into the cold case that has haunted him his entire career - what links the two deaths, two decades apart? As he navigates his way through police politics and the ghosts of the past, Detective Reilly uncovers shocking secrets and finds himself questioning who among his colleagues he can trust.
What really did happen in that house where he first met Maude and Jack? The Ruin draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't.
My musings:
Some of my favourite police procedurals have been set in
Ireland, and this one is definitely in that category! What makes my heart sing
is that it is only the start of a (hopefully long) series, and that the author
is already working on a sequel.
What could be more intriguing than an old cold case with
links to a current crime, especially when it tugs on your heartstrings, with
the main characters being young children? I love novels that take you on a
journey of discovery, one clue at a time, only ever knowing as much as the
detective that leads the case – it makes the story so much more interesting
than those where you already know the answers whilst the police are still
completely in the dark. Well, that’s my personal preference anyway, and
McTiernan’s book could not have played out any better.
I absolutely LOVED DI Cormac Reilly, from his quintessentially
Irish name to his approach to the cold case that has landed in his lap whilst
trying to find his feet in his new workplace in Galway. Having moved from Dublin
to give his partner a chance to pursue her career, Cormac is prepared to take a
backward step in his own job. Being “initiated” into his new squad means having
to do prove himself, and instead of being assigned fresh murder cases, he is
tasked with slogging through file after file of cold cases. Cormac knows that
most of these files will not yield any new information, until he is asked to
look into a case he is very familiar with. Twenty years ago, as a young rookie,
Cormac was called to the dilapidated farmhouse of a young mother, dead from a
heroin overdose, leaving behind two young neglected children destined for
foster care. One of these children, now a young man, has died a few days ago
under suspicious circumstances. Could his death be linked to something that was
overlooked all those years ago?
Cormac makes the perfect protagonist to take us on a journey
into some of Ireland’s darkest history. He is so “normal”! This is not a
troubled, lonely soul drowning his sorrows in alcohol after a spade of failed
marriages. Neither is he a rebel who is out to defy authority and flaunt all
rules to get his cases solved. This is just a straight-forward, honest bloke
who loves his job, but is selfless enough to take a backward step in his career
to give his partner a chance to fulfil her dreams. He doesn’t even get snarky
with all those office politics that would provoke a reaction in most other
protagonists. I really liked him. That brings me to character development, and
the simple joy of reading a book where each and every character is believable,
and there are plenty of people to root for. I soon felt deeply invested in the
storyline, and Jack and Maud’s story broke my heart. McTiernan has a knack of
offering glimpses into the very hearts of her characters, until they feel so
real that you think you have known them all your life. With a somewhat bleak
setting, the author evokes an atmosphere of mystery and impending doom that
haunts every page and lends the story an air of suspense that had me
frantically turn the pages to get answers. Slowly, all the clues lay the
foundation for a gripping finale and a fitting denouement to this riveting
mystery.
Summary:
The Ruin is a brilliant debut from an exciting new voice in crime fiction that will appeal to readers looking for a new gripping crime series with an interesting main protagonist. With its Irish setting it reminded me of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, but McTiernan has her own very unique writing style that drew me in immediately and didn’t let go. I can’t wait to revisit this cast of enigmatic characters in her next book! Very highly recommended.
Thank
you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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