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The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan – Cormac Reilly #2

When Dr. Emma Sweeney stumbles across the victim of a hit and run, outside Galway University, late one evening, she calls her partner, Detective Cormac Reilly, bringing him to the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him.

A security card in the dead woman’s pocket identifies her as Carline Darcy, a gifted student and heir apparent to Irish pharmaceutical giant Darcy Therapeutics. The multi billion dollar company, founded by her grandfather, sponsors university research facilities and has funded Emma’s own ground breaking work. The inpuiry into Carline’s death promised to be high profile and high pressure.

As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to a Darcy laboratory and, increasingly to Emma herself. Cormac’s running of the case comes under scrutiny, and he is forced to question his own objectivity. Could his loyalty to Emma have led him to overlook evidence? Has it made him a liability? – blurb

My Thoughts

This is the second book in the Cormac Reilly series. I really enjoyed the first book, The Ruin, so was looking forward to reading the this book. It did not disappoint at all. There was always enough happening in this story, to keeping me turning the page. There were many unexpected twists and turns. The characters were believable, even the unlikeable ones.  In my opinion, many crime novels have one dimensional characters, but not so in this novel.

I read this book before I read the first in the series and it does stand alone. The events in the first novel are explained well so as not to lead to confusion.  There is no need to start with the first book, though I have gone back and read it. I couldn’t not after reading The Scholar. I had to know more about the main characters who had really interesting back stories.

Recommendations

“Taut, tense and darkly addictive, The Scholar is a treat for lovers of fine crime writing.” – Candice Fox

“Atmospheric and beautifully paced, with nuanced characters and a gripping plot – the Scholar has it all.” – Chris Hammer, author of Scrublands

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

About the Author

Dervla McTiernan is the author of The Ruin, The Scholar and The Good Turn. The Ruin was published in 2018 and is the first in the detective Cormac Reilly series. The Ruin was a top ten bestseller and an Amazon Best Book of July 2018. Dervla was a New Blood Panellist at Harrogate Festival. The Scholar was published in 2019 and was a top five bestseller. The Good Turn will be published in 2020. The Ruin has been optioned for TV by Hopscotch Features

Published in 2019 by Harper Collins Publishers
Paperbook, 377 pages.

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