A rich and compelling mystery that will hook new readers, while its subplots and provocative, sharply delineated characters will keep established fans glued to the page. Somehow, Dervla McTiernan keeps topping her own best work. Her third novel is a triumph. 

Detective Cormac Reilly and Garda Peter Fisher face the possible ruin of their careers in The Good Turn. With Reilly’s team fractured by their involvement in a special task force, Fisher makes a cataclysmic error of judgement during an investigation into the abduction of a young girl. He is consequently sequestered to Roundstone, a village on the west coast of Ireland, and the place he grew up, where Fisher’s estranged father remains the top cop of his own personal fiefdom. Relegated to the wearisome duties of a small-town police officer, Fisher distracts himself by digging into a closed murder case, where the pieces don’t quite fit. Meanwhile, while Reilly attempts to clear Fisher’s name in Galway, he unearths a corrupt cabal within his own department, which threatens his own place within it.

The Good Turn features the strong writing and intelligent plotting we’ve come to expect from McTiernan; but best of all are her characters: edgy, complex, interesting to a one. Edgar and Gold Dagger-winner worthy; nailed on for one of them, surely; deserving of both. As we close on the door on Cormac Reilly — at least as the centrepiece of McTiernan’s lengthening tapestry of crime novels — it’s safe to assume DS Carrie O’Halloran will be just as endearing.

ISBN: 9781460756799
Imprint: HarperCollins – AU
On Sale: 01/03/2020
Pages: 384
List Price: 32.99 AUD