Dervla McTiernan

Writing a multi year, multi crime mystery thriller is incredibly difficult. There are so many ends here and there that need tying in, characters that misbehave and show up where they shouldn’t, challenges in keeping the story arc racing forward as it should.
Dervla McTiernan handles all of this with grace in “The Ruin”- a gripping story of abuse and foster homes and the damage done by people in charge. It’s a very pertinent book. Cormac Reilly is a believable detective- he has his past regrets but he seems human, not wounded. In this story, a case he handled back at the start of his career comes back to him- but why? As the bodies pile up and the members of his team cut him out, he is left to dig about with old fashioned detective work. Soon unexpected allies join him and are able to pressure the case toward a terrifying climax.

I loved the closeness of the small town scene, the feeling of past sins going unpunished, the horrible people that hide under veneers of civilization. The main good characters are multidimensional and interesting; the bad guys have depth and history. I’m going to have to read more of McTiernan’s books!!… (mais)