BLOOD TIES

A gripping Irish police procedural. How can a dead woman avenge herself on her killer 12 years after her murder? This is the puzzle facing Ben Devlin in his latest case when he is called to the scene of a murder. A man has been stabbed to death in his rented room and when his identity is discovered, Devlin feels a ghost walk over his grave as he knows the name Brooklyn Harris well. As a teenager, Harris beat his then-girlfriend to death and then spent 12 years in prison for the murder. It becomes apparent Harris has been grooming teenage girls online and then arranging to meet them but his activities have been discovered by others, notably a vigilante who goes straight to the top of Devlin's list of suspects, until he uncovers that Harris was killed on the anniversary of Hannah's death. So Hannah's family join the ever growing list of suspects being interviewed by his team. Then forensics contact Devlin with the astounding news that blood found on Harris's body is a perfect match to that of Hannah Row's. How can this be? Skilfully plotted and utterly absorbing, the novel is set during the beginning of the Covid pandemic in early 2020. 340pp, large softback with fairly large print.