The Ruin
Summary:
It’s been twenty years since Detective Cormac Reilly discovered the body of Hilaria Blake in her crumbling 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 in Ireland, the police tell her it was suicide. She throws herself into work, trying to forget—but Jack’s sister Maude reappears in Ireland after years abroad, determined to prove Jack was murdered.
Meanwhile, Detective Cormac Reilly, who was recently transferred to Galway from his squad in Dublin, is assigned to dig into a cold case from twenty years ago—the seeming overdose of Jack and Maude’s drug and alcohol addled mother. Other detectives are connecting Jack’s death to his mother’s, and pushing Reilly to arrest Maude, and fast. But instinct tells him something isn’t quite what it seems…
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. [summary from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/566883/the-ruin-by-dervla-mctiernan/]
Group Reviews/Comments: Another winner for the group; all but one member giving high praise!
Characterization—she humanized the characters. The way Cormac had to make his way as a newcomer was really well done. She did a great job with all the characters, the craftsmanship was remarkable.
Thumbs up. Started the second one. So much good in it. Murder was wrong place wrong time (Jack) so that bothered me a little. A bit too much set up for who really did it.
I liked it a lot. Interesting family dynamics in both families experiencing murder and loss. Can see how easy it is to prey on vulnerable people. Liked how Cormac wrestled as a cop about how to deal with the morality of whether or not to pursue the murder of the mother once we know how and why.
I really liked it, thumbs up. Little things to nit-pick. The author really set us up to be suspicious of Maude, but not Danny.
I really liked it.
Well paced, loved that it was set in Ireland. Enjoyed the cold case more than the present one. So sad that Jack and Maude never connected as adults.
Thumbs down. I liked the setting but I found the mystery to be meh. There were no happy kids—all the kids were abused—very hard to read. Portraying Cormac as this elite detective but it wasn’t convincing that he was a good detective.
Really liked it. Fast read.
I really liked it. Wanted JUSTICE for the people who suffered. Easy flow. Author handled the pregnancy really well, so difficult, really well done.
Thumbs up, but don’t like when lots of characters introduced all at once. Also didn’t like police vs. police right up front. You know that there are all these undercurrents.
Thumbs up. But—it took me a while to get into the story. The first few chapters hard to keep track because of all the names. Lots of threads to keep straight. But I did like it. These Irish ones make me sad. Those poor Irish children. Did like how the end pace really picked up and everything tied together. Cormac was an interesting character.
I liked the book.
Audiobook—I liked the characters, pretty well done. The Irish-ness was clear. Action and pacing pretty good. Felt my attention was divided by the cold and modern case, but liked how they came together at the end. Very well written.
I loved it. Phenomenal. The child abuse part got to me. But it was so compelling it kept me going.
