The Ruin (Cormac Reilly, #1) by Dervla McTiernan

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With its engaging characters, intricate plot, and interesting not-so-often-used setting of Galway, The Ruin kept my attention and got my 5 stars!

At the height of a successful career with the Garda in Dublin, Detective Cormac Reilly relocates to Galway so his significant other, Emma, can pursue a once-in-a-lifetime research opportunity in her field. But his new colleagues and the Galway administrators are judgmental and suspicious of him, so he’s been assigned the task of reviewing cold cases, following up on evidence overlooked, questions left un-asked during the initial investigations. One of the cases is his own first death investigation that left two neglected children alone when their drug-addicted mother overdosed. There had been questions about the woman’s death at that time, but the subsequent investigation went nowhere, and it, too, had ended up in the cold case files.

Young Dr. Aisling Conroy is devastated when her boyfriend, Jack, is found drowned in the local river after he left their home to think through their future relationship. An anonymous phone call to the police claimed the caller saw Jack jump off the bridge into the water below, and his death is deemed a suicide. But Aisling doesn’t buy it, and neither does Jack’s older sister, Maude, who shows up out of the blue to stir things up down at police headquarters. When circumstances around Jack’s death intersect with Detective Reilly’s cold case, Cormac becomes involved in trying to find answers to both mysteries.

The Ruin was a thrilling police procedural set within the complex workings of the Garda Síochána, the national police service of Ireland. Cormac is a thoughtful and patient man and gets major points from me for being so supportive of his girlfriend, Emma, uprooting from a successful career to start over while giving her the chance to follow her dream. I absolutely wanted him to best those smug colleagues of his.

Aisling Conroy was, perhaps, my favorite character in the story, though. She’s got such a stressful job and has lost her love at the worst possible point in their relationship. Yet, she shows strength and courage that kept her upright and pushing for the truth of what happened to Jack.

The tidbits and details of life in Galway were tantalizing and made me feel like I was walking the streets right along with Cormac. The city became familiar to me, a place I’d never experienced in real life.

The mystery, though, is the thing, and this one had me riveted to the page. The investigation made sense, and I loved how everything from the past and present came together. I liked that there were resolutions to some of the old cold cases as well as the current ones.

With its engaging characters, intricate plot, and interesting not-so-often-used setting of Galway, I recommend THE RUIN to mystery readers who enjoy a police detective-led investigation, strong female protagonists, and Ireland set stories.

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