Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jul 2018
400 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
It's been twenty years since Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling Georgian home. But he's never forgotten the two children she left behind...
When Aisling Conroy's boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib, the police tell her it was suicide. A surgical resident, she throws herself into study and work, trying to forget - until Jack's sister Maude shows up. Maude suspects foul play, and she is determined to prove it.
Cormac Reilly is the detective assigned with the re-investigation of a seemingly accidental overdose twenty years ago - the overdose of Jack and Maude's drug and alcohol addled mother. Detective Reilly is under increasing pressure to charge Maude for murder when his colleague Danny uncovers a piece of evidence that will change everything...
This unsettling small-town noir draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland, where corruption, desperation, and crime run rife. A gritty look at trust and betrayal where the written law isn't the only one, The Ruin asks who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't.
"Starred Review. Powerful ... McTiernan neatly ties [the threads of the novel] all together in the suspenseful conclusion. McTiernan...is a writer to watch." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. With police drama reminiscent of Tana French's "Dublin Murder Squad" series and parallels to the close-to-home, quieter suspense of Ruth Ware's The Lying Game, McTiernan pens an intricate story of impossible decisions, family bonds, and police politics. Avid mystery readers will be enthralled with this intricate, mysterious, and edgy debut." - Library journal
"Compelling, unexpected twists and a hold-your breath standoff. ... Hand this one to readers of Tana French and to police-procedural fans." - Booklist
"A gripping mystery set in Galway that spans 20 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." - The Daily Mail (UK)
"[A] deliciously complicated police procedural ...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
This information about The Ruin was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Dervla McTiernan was born in Ireland and now lives with her family in Australia, where she works for the Mental Health Commission. The Ruin is her first novel.
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
