Bleed a River Deep

Starred review from July 12, 2010
In McGilloway's stellar third Inspector Devlin mystery (after 2009's Gallows Lane), the Garda inspector fails to prevent political activist Leon Bradley, whom Devlin knew as a kid, from taking a shot with a fake gun at Cathal Hagan, a former U.S. senator with Irish ties, who's the keynote speaker at the opening of the Orcas gold mine near Devlin's hometown of Lifford in the Borderlands. Despite getting suspended for two weeks, Devlin continues to sniff around both the mine and a bank heist he was investigating before Hagan's arrival in which an illegal Chechen immigrant was killed. With the reluctant help of Insp. Jim Hendry, his counterpart in the North, Devlin digs deeper into Bradley's life and the treacherous journey of illegal immigrants who hope to get a piece of the "Celtic Tiger." A rising star in the world of Irish crime fiction, McGilloway has created a doggedly persistent hero in Devlin.

August 15, 2010

It isn't the best of times for the Donegal Garda's Inspector Benedict Devlin (Gallows Lane, 2009, etc.).

His attempt to protect Natalia Almurzayev, the illegal Chechen widow of a singularly inept bank robber, from harassment and deportation goes spectacularly wrong. His ill-advised comments about the upcoming visit of U.S. Sen. Cathal Hagen plays havoc with the security arrangements. And when Ben's childhood friend Leon Bradley uses a ticket Ben supplied to get closer to Hagen during a ceremony, Leon shoots Hagen, and Ben's a moment too late to stop him. Ben's new boss, Supt. Harry Patterson, takes considerable satisfaction in suspending him for two weeks. But although the suspension weighs on Ben's mind, it doesn't slow his police work down a bit. He's still on hand at two new crime scenes—he discovers one of the corpses himself—and he works leads, gives advice to Patterson and crosses over to Northern Ireland to rile his local counterparts with as much pugnacity as ever. It's clear that the political corruption, human trafficking, runaway pollution and eco-protest run amok that he unearths are all tied to the Orcas gold mine from the moment its owner, millionaire John Weston, insists on presenting Ben with an expensive necklace. But what pattern links all these diverse crimes, and how can Weston and his cronies possibly be brought to justice?

The hugely ambitious catalogue of crimes is as forgettable as Ben, with his keen compassion and ungovernable temper, is memorable.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2010

A U.S. senator is set to visit Donegal, Ireland, for the opening of a gold mine, and Devlin is made personally responsible for his safety. Then the discovery of a gold nugget in the local river results in a gold rush with ugly consequences. In his third outing (after Borderlandsand Gallows Lane), Devlin never does anything halfway and gets himself in trouble with everyone. VERDICT McGilloway is definitely a writer to watch. Dark but not as pessimistic as Ken Bruen and Declan Hughes, his action-packed stories feature great characters and evoke a strong sense of modern Ireland. [Library marketing.]

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2010
Imagine a police report written up by a careful, methodical copper. No deductive dazzlement, just a steady massing of detail until the case has a lifeand an emotional forceof its own. Thats exactly the feeling one gets from reading this third installment of McGilloways procedural series built around Inspector Devlin of Irelands National Police Service. Devlin goes to Mass, loves his family, has trouble with his boss. When his assignment to protect a visiting American politician goes haywire, Devlin takes his chewing-out and keeps asking questions. Soon hes uncovered a money-laundering scheme, adultery, fraud, murder, and a really nasty human-trafficking business. Yes, theyre all connected. Devlin doesnt punch anybody. He whispers an act of contrition before the guns come out. Mostly he tugs at all the loose ends until the answers come. McGilloway could have developed the character of Inspector Devlins wife more, and the Irish police system might have been explained a little better for American readers. But this is a satisfying, no-nonsense police procedural in the classic Ed McBain mold.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)