REVIEW: The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan

The exceptional Cormac Reilly series by Dervla McTiernan is exactly the kind that continues to get better with each book. Despite tough competition from The Ruin and The Scholar, I do believe The Good Turn might be my favourite Cormac Reilly book yet!

If you’re a fan of this series, I’m sure I don’t need to tempt you with a description of the plot – you’ve probably already ordered your copy. (If not, why not? Get on it!) Also, I don’t want to run the risk of betraying too much detail. So, let me set the scene while still keeping things as vague and non-spoilery as possible …

Dervla McTiernan

We return to McTiernan’s wonderfully atmospheric Ireland to find Detective Cormac Reilly dealing with complications in both his personal and professional life. An investigation into the abduction of a young woman goes horribly awry–a disastrous mistake that sees Reilly suspended from duty and Garda Peter Fisher exiled from Galway. What follows is an incredibly gripping and nerve-wracking police procedural that is just begging to be adapted for TV (Please HBO, make my dreams come true!).

Tightly written and expertly crafted, The Good Turn lays out several seemingly separate strands of story and then proceeds to tangle them up in the most intriguing ways. The genius behind Dervla McTiernan’s writing is that even if you think you’ve guessed the truth, you can be sure it’s probably not the whole truth. She always keeps a few plot twists up her sleeve. She is also a master at creating complex and captivating characters, and in this book Peter Fisher really shines brightly. I won’t say I love him quite as much as I love Cormac, but this book really develops his character beautifully.

At some point in every great crime read, I always find myself thinking, “How in the world is the author going to wrap this up?” Whenever I reach that crucial point of awestruck curiosity, I know I’m about to enjoy either a mind-blowingly clever resolution or, in some cases, a disappointing anticlimax. Anyone who has read the first two books in this series should know by now that Dervla McTiernan excels at mind-blowingly clever resolutions, and in The Good Turn she delivers precisely that! All the separate threads of the story are brought together in such a satisfying way that I felt like applauding at the end.

I wish so much that this was a long established series that had been going for 20+ years so that I could settle down on the couch and gleefully binge-read two decades’ worth of Cormac Reilly books. Alas, we only have three, but I sincerely hope there are many more to come. Either way, whatever Dervla McTiernan decides to write next, I am completely and wholeheartedly on board!

For a limited time only, you can order a copy of The Good Turn signed by Dervla herself – order yours here (only available while stocks last!).

The Good Turn

Limited Signed Copies Available!

by Dervla McTiernan

Police corruption, an investigation that ends in tragedy and the mystery of a little girl's silence - three unconnected events that will prove to be linked by one small town.

While Detective Cormac Reilly faces enemies at work and trouble in his personal life, Garda Peter Fisher is relocated out of Galway with the threat of prosecution hanging over his head. But even that is not as terrible as having to work for his overbearing father, the local copper for the pretty seaside town of Roundstone...

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About the Contributor

Sarah McDuling

Sarah McDuling is Booktopia's Category Manager for Children's and Young Adult Books. She has been in the bookselling game for almost a decade and a dedicated booklover since birth (potentially longer). At her happiest when reading a book, Sarah also enjoys talking/writing/tweeting about books. In her spare time, she often likes to buy a lot of books and take photographs of books. You can follow her on Twitter and Instragram @sarahmcduling

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