THE RUIN
DERVLA MCTIERNAN
****
When a young man dies of apparent suicide in Galway, his family are quick to try and launch an investigation into what has happened. But as his past begins to be uncovered, Garda Cormac Reilly realises he is actually closer to this case than he once thought.
The Ruin is a good introduction to Cormac O’Reilly and his unit in Galway - I liked him as a character and I think he will hold a series well. The opening chapter of a past case that he had worked on was a good mechanic to introduce us to him. There were quite a lot of cryptic references to his past which I think will be explored in later books but I did have to check this was the first in the series as I felt as though I had maybe missed a book to start with. I’m not quite sure how the series will progress but I will look out for more books in the series.
The case and crime itself was interesting and held my attention, I liked the description of the other characters and the way that the narrative changed perspectives between Cormac and Aisling. I also liked the setting of Ireland and the themes of religion and family values that were explored.
I did feel that it was a bit slow to get started though, it was about 60% completed by the time the actual investigation starts properly and by the time it’s begun it needs to start wrapping up again!
Overall a great introduction to a new crime series, although perhaps a bit slow to start – I’ll keep an eye out for more of Dervla McTiernan’s books in future. Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruin-Dervla-McTiernan-ebook/dp/B075QJPXDR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529676624&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ruin