Gallows Lane

Starred review from July 20, 2009
Old guilt and new sins create a tangled puzzle in McGilloway's outstanding second Inspector Devlin mystery (after 2008's Borderlands
). When Garda Insp. Benedict Devlin discovers the crucified body of James Kerr, an ex-con who claimed he'd returned home to forgive the gang members who betrayed him after a robbery, Devlin sets out to solve that slaying as well as the original robbery, which have links to drug thefts, brutal attempted rapes and additional murders. Devlin, who also has to cope with backstabbing fellow policemen and can't help getting personally involved in his cases, suffers from attacks of panic and conscience that push him to work harder, even when his wife and boss suggest he ease off. This quietly compelling procedural contains much buried passion, especially in the never acknowledged mutual attraction between Devlin and his female partner. Readers will be gripped as they watch this driven Irish detective seek his place in the moral landscape.

July 15, 2009
Disquiet along the Irish border.

Shortly before he retires, Supt. Costello DI instructs Benedict Devlin to meet James Kerr as he leaves Maghaberry Prison and warn him away from resettling in Lifford. Kerr, who's been in trouble with the Gardai most of his life, insists that he's changed; he only wants to talk to Peter Webb and forgive him. But Webb is killed soon after Kerr is spotted near his house, a matter extremely distressing to Webb's wife, who at the time was entertaining her lover Decko O'Kane, ex-con, drug dealer and used-car salesman. Was Webb one of the gang who let Kerr take the fall for the Castlederg robbery? That question is tabled when someone crucifies Kerr and leaves him to die in an orchard. Another member of the robbery gang? When Decko is killed, Devlin must juggle these three deaths with the theft of a breast-cancer drug from a local pharmacy; the attack on two young female clubbers; the appearance of a Brit from Special Branch interested in a cache of guns that bespoke Webb's status as an informer during the Troubles; and an attempt on Devlin's life that lands his partner in the hospital. It takes one bit of videotape to nail one miscreant and another to hobble the mastermind behind him, while the Gardai must discharge one of its own for misbehavior.

Devlin (Borderlands, 2008), best of fathers and least politic of coppers, is a helluva hero elbowing his way through a gritty plot.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 15, 2009
A series of murders in the borderlands between Ireland and Northern Ireland has Inspector Benedict Devlin collaborating with his Northern counterpart. The case turns ugly when Special Branch shows an interest in the investigation. Devlin, who is applying for promotion, finds that his rival for the new job fights dirty, and problems at home almost overwhelm his usual even temperament. VERDICT In this follow-up to his acclaimed debut, "Borderlands", McGilloway illustrates the pressures on police officers of rank and the current uneasy truce between Irish factions. Refreshing in its outlook, this procedural showcases a rising star in full command of his craft. Strongly recommended, especially for readers of Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus mysteries. [Library marketing.]

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2009
This outstanding follow-up to McGilloways spectacular debut (Borderlands, 2008) confirms the Irish writers place on the A-list of European procedural authors. Inspector Ben Devlin juggles his investigation into the murder of a young girl with his surveillance of James Kerr, a convict recently released from prison in Northern Ireland. When one of the men Kerr was in town to contact is found dead in his own backyard, Devlin wonders whats up. Things take an even stranger turn when Special Branch gets involved and wants the incident covered up. Then Devlin gets a sympathy card for his own deatha common tactic used in the North during the Troublesand he starts to worry about the safety of his family. This fast-paced novel effectively portrays life along the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The mystery element itself is satisfyingly complex, and McGilloway peoples the story with realistic and fully fleshed characters. Recommend to readers of Stuart MacBrides darker but equally complex and character-driven tales of police work in Scotland (Cold Granite, 2005) or Helene Turstens Scandinavian-set series starring Detective Inspector Huss, who has a stable home life much like that of Inspector Devlin. Essential reading for all followers of European crime fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)