This is an outstanding read. Brilliantly maintained suspension. An extremely well written book.

It was great to have Cormac back! Emma reappearing as a character in a side story involving her husband Finn was excellent. Peter Fisher was an excellent character. Carl Rigney and David Scully were the sly scum of the earth and each deserved their respective nasty fates.

The German family at the outset of the story was interesting. Thaddeus was a vile, malicious, begrudging character who deserved to get his as he did, in spades! I felt sorry for his poor mum and dad as the idea of his being so grasping and demanding money for them presented as realistic, as I know adult children in real life who have done the same thing to their parents.

Cecelia was an interesting character. You could see how being so protective of her brother and mum she got herself into the terrible situation that she did. I liked Liam’s dad. An admirable take no crap kind of person. Inspector Beltin could have done with a belting!

Bringing in Cormac’s sister Lili and her kids to the story was a nice touch. Cormac heading off to join the Complaints is I’m assuming leaving things wide open for a further Cormac book that I’ll look forward to reading.

I loved the ending and cheered for Peter, and not just because I’m a defence lawyer. I thought ah, justice is served! The book was very engaging and absorbing throughout. There was just nothing missing plot / story wise. I wouldn’t change a thing other than the typos! Much kudos to Dervla McTiernan on another brilliant read. The legal profession’s loss is the reader’s gain.

I highly recommend this book to others who enjoy police procedurals and mysteries. Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Netgalley was great to deal with. I requested the book at the weekend and it arrived in my Netgalley App early on Monday morning. I read the book over the one day as I couldn’t wait to find out the ending.

BRILLIANT. Thank you SO MUCH Harper Collins AU and Netgalley for this ARC.

The 4th instalment in the Cormac Reilly series, long awaited and so worth the wait. This book was so unpredictable and held suspense all the way to the end. It was so well written and I felt transported to Ireland. The way Dervla can write from so many perspectives and wind together this mystery with out losing the reader is a true talent.

Cormac Reilly has found himself on the case of what appears to be identifying a body from a historical murder, the body long preserved in a bog. Upon closer investigation, the body belongs to Thaddeus Grey, a local school principal who has been missing for 2 years. On top of this investigation, Cormac must contend with pressure for him to further his career in the police force and the awkward situation of helping his ex girlfriend, Emma, who has in desperation turned to him to help find her missing husband. The body count continues to grow and it's almost impossible to find the links between them. Almost.

This book was just excellent and I truly hope that Dervla continues with the Cormac Reilly series. I think I'll be rereading these again from the start.