The Death of an Irish Lass (Peter McGarr Mysteries)

Bartholomew Gill created a most Irish detective in Peter McGarr, imbuing both McGarr and the setting with the charm of an Irish Bed and Breakfast. It leans a bit toward literary, but not so far that it ever becomes dull.

McGarr is Chief Inspector of Detectives, a position created solely to lure him away from Interpol. Before that McGarr had been with Criminal Justice in Paris and is somewhat revered in his home of Ireland. When a particularly young and beautiful Irish lass named May Quirk is found murdered with a pitchfork along the roadside, McGarr tackles a case involving the I.R.A. leading him to New York and back to Ireland to catch a killer.

Gill writes a complex mystery full of atmosphere for a beautiful country where some tawdry show more things take place. He shows the sympathetic nature of many in Ireland for the I.R.A. even though their methods are frowned upon. McGarr discovers that May Quirk only returned to her homeland to expose the organization's financial pipeline for her paper in New York, and might still be alive had she not.

The reader gets to know the detective a bit as the investigation unfolds. McGarr has a wife, Noreen, 21 years younger than him, for example, and a love for fine food and his country, Ireland. As he tries to get to the bottom of May Quirk's death an explosive attempt to remove him permanently from the investigation only serves to give the detective a steely resolve to find out whether it was love or politics at the bottom of May Quirk's death.

Gill subtly makes us feel Ireland throughout this entire mystery. Whether describing the lovely Irish countryside or coast, he perfectly captures the charm of a country where a friendly Irish pub is a social club, while at the same time showing us the political divide that exists. While I found this short series (due to the author's passing) varying in quality, Death of an Irish Lass is a good read with finely drawn characters, great atmosphere and just enough fun mixed in to make this an enjoyable read. show less

Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr is called to the scene of an odd murder: a young woman is found stabbed to death with a pitchfork in a pasture near the Cliffs of Moher. The woman, May Quirk, was originally from the area but left to pursue a career as a journalist in New York City. The story she was chasing turns out to have a major bearing on McGarr's investigation, which contains no shortage of suspects.

For me the setting was a major draw -- the Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Galway and Dublin all feature in this book, and all of these places I have visited recently (including The Brazen Head, which makes a cameo appearance), so I enjoyed the return trip in fiction. But overall this was a very good book, with an interesting detective show more protagonist, a plot that had me continuing to turn the pages, and a few occasions for chuckling. I will be continuing to read this series. show less

McGarr is called in when a young woman who left Ireland to be an ace reporter in America is murdered on a visit home. He quickly realizes that she wasn't there on just a visit - she is on the trail of an explosive story involving the IRA. Following clues through Ireland, New York, the Irish diaspora, and the shadows of his own country, McGarr takes the reader on an adventure.

Un bon policier qui nous donne l’occasion de nous remémorer ce qu'était l'Irlande des années 70.