The Ruin

Praise

Shortlisted for The Guardian‘s Not the Booker Prize 2018
Named one of LitHub’s Most Anticipated Crime, Mystery, and Thrillers of Summer 2018

“Addictive . . . The Ruin, set in Ireland, follows detective Cormac Reilly as he reopens an investigation from twenty years ago. He’s determined to connect Hilaria Blake’s overdose in the past to her son Jack’s recent death. Get invested now, because there are at least two more Cormac Reilly books coming in the future.”
—HelloGiggles

“A gripping mystery set in Galway that spans twenty years. It’s a complicated page-turning story that touches on corruption, clandestine cover-ups, and criminal conspiracy. . . . A story that’s as moving as it is fast-paced.”
—Daily Mail (London)

“This searing debut brings together procedural and psychological thriller for a fascinating portrait of small-town Ireland and its big-city problems. Addiction, suicide, corruption, and desperation all play their part in this intricate, unsettling noir. Ireland’s experiencing an incredible new wave of women crime writers, spearheaded by the indomitable Tana French, and Dervla McTiernan is a fine new addition to a growing scene.”
—Lit Hub

“Dervla McTiernan’s deliciously complicated police procedural The Ruin begins when a young man jumps to his death from a bridge in Galway, Ireland—or does he? His girlfriend doesn’t think Jack took his life, and neither does the detective who knew him from another case twenty years earlier. But the harder they dig for answers, the farther the truth recedes, and the more complicated and dangerous their investigation becomes. Fans of Tana French will love McTiernan’s expertly plotted, complex web of secrets that refuse to stay hidden.”
—Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s Daughter

“The Ruin is dark and compelling, with the satisfaction of a police procedural and the atmosphere of a gothic mystery. I was gripped by it, and by the complicated, resourceful characters of Aisling and Maude.”
—Flynn Berry, author of Under the Harrow

“Powerful . . . McTiernan neatly ties [the threads of the novel] all together in the suspenseful conclusion. McTiernan, born in Ireland but now living in Australia, is a writer to watch.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)