The Ruin

DI Cormac Reilly, Book 1

By: Dervla McTiernan

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

It's been 20 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 20 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 ...

©2018 Dervla McTiernan (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

'Corruption, clandestine cover-ups and criminal conspiracy ... as moving as it is fast-paced.' (Val McDermid, bestselling author of the Lindsay Gordon series)

'The Ruin is spectacularly good. So CONFIDENT ... excellently written and, at times, heartachingly sad.' (Marian Keyes, bestselling author of Again, Rachel)

'Brilliantly crafted ... incredibly real-feeling characters. An absolute treat!' (The Sunday Mirror)

A book by Dervla McTiernan, narrated by Aoife McMahon can never be anything but brilliant.

Another exploration of human nature set in the world of the Irish Garda with twists that I didn’t see coming. The presence of Cormac Reilly is like seeing an old friend. Ms. McTiernan makes all of her characters so human, you feel like you’ve met them at some point in your life. Trigger warning: if anyone has a son who is neurologically divergent, and has been since birth, then Chapter 39, at 6:00 minutes, felt to me like it was my son being described, to a “T”.
All of his life, I wondered what I could have done to make him hate me so much, what I could have done differently to help him, but this passage makes me feel exonerated.
We tried so hard to give him love and teach him right from wrong. He just learned to hide his true self by watching and imitating other people. “Sometimes people are just born this way.” Looking back, I can see it in my own father, so maybe it is inherited. 45 years ago you didn’t think to ask the doctor about what might just be bad behaviour in a small child. You just tried to teach him what he did wrong. It is puzzling though, that so many children are diagnosed as “on the Spectrum” these days. Are we doing something collectively wrong as a society?
Anyway, to me, this was a great mystery with the added bonus of a little lifting of the guilt I’ve been feeling for about 40 years.
Thanks Dervla.

Psoriasis is a skin condition Cirrhosis is liver

I love the accents and voice of the reader, but it makes me crazy that she constantly pronounced Cirrhosis “psoriasis”. One is a skin condition, the other liver. The woman in question had CIRRHOSIS, not psoriasis.

Well written mystery

This book kept my interest until the end. Good storyline and characters. Worth the time.

Good murder mystery; great narrator

This book was recommended by Audible for Tana French fans, so how could I resist? It’s not really like a Tana French; it lacks her deep, rich characterization and gorgeous prose, but it is still well written and entertaining, and definitely worth a listen, especially if you enjoy books set in Ireland.
The narrator is outstanding, bringing each character to life with distinct voices and nuances. She made a good book even better.

Absolutely Fabulous

I truly loved this book! Best of all, I somehow got it for free! I'm not even sure what genre this book is in? I might have missed out on a great book had it not been free!
If you like suspense then I suggest you give it a try. I thought I had it figured out and I was so off. I think what I liked most was the carracters felt very real. Like actual people I may know. The bonds of friendship were kept into adulthood. That was great. And although this book was written in Ireland and the narrator had an accent, it wasn't hard to listen to. #Abuse #heartfelt #friends # Ireland #suspenseful #tagsgiving #sweepstakes