Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) Frankie Sheehan is called to investigate the death of respected university lecturer, Eleanor Costello. At first, it appears to be a suicide, but Frankie soon realises she is seeking a murderer, a murderer who will kill again if Frankie and her team do not catch them. Will the killer be caught before it is too late?
Too Close To Breathe is Kiernan's debut novel. This is something I would not have picked up from reading it, as the writing is incredibly slick and the plot is very well constructed, combining motives, a meticulously planned method and a team of determined but flawed officers to create a novel that sucked me in and did not let me go until I knew who the murderer was. There are references throughout the novel to Frankie's previous case. I wondered at times if this had been referenced elsewhere, as occasionally it felt as though I was approaching this element of the plot from its midway stage. However, as the novel progressed, the reasons for this became clearer and formed an important part of the plot.
As a protagonist, I liked Frankie Sheehan, and I hope there is more to come from her. She has all the qualities I like in a detective: she's smart, compassionate and she thinks outside the box. She is still living with the effects of her previous case, and the descriptions of this made me empathise with her, as I suffer from PTSD myself. I felt that she had strong relationships with her colleagues, and I hope that Kiernan is able to explore these further in a sequel.
I had no idea who the perpetrator was until the ending, and I admire Kiernan's ability to keep me guessing, maintaining a level of intrigue which kept me hooked until the last page.

I love the cover for Too Close To Breathe, just looking at it made me want to read the book and I don’t think that I even read the blurb. So that meant that when I started the book I had absolutely no idea what to expect, which is how I like it when I read a book.

Too Close To Breathe is the first book in a new series, but I did have to double check that when reading it as I felt as though I was missing something, but nope, it is definitely the first book. It is also quite a slow burner, most detective series takes place over a few days or maybe weeks, but this book takes place over months, but it is an intriguing story that keeps the reader wondering as the story twists and turns and many different suspects come under suspicion.

There were a few instances where plotlines seemed to be forgotten halfway through or character traits. A heavy cold suddenly disappearing, or characters that started off swearing colourfully and then suddenly stopping and not swearing again for the rest of the book.

Many of the characters are pretty unlikeable, even the victims, which is unusual but I quite like. I did want to find out more about Baz, the sidekick detective. There is the promise of a good series and it will be interesting to see where the characters go next.

Too Close To Breathe is an original book and is definitely not your standard detective book which can only be a good thing.

This did have a rocky start; it seemed like this book was the second book in a series as it kept referencing what had happened to DS Sheehan (or Frankie) previously as if we should know what had happened. I understand that in a lot of crime and police procedural novels, the main character has generally been through something traumatic or to do with a suspect in the in the past and it is hinted at but I felt like this book did it more than usual, and seemed to place a large emphasis on it which left me feeling like I was missing something to begin with. However, this was only for the first 20% or so and by the end of the book, all has been revealed and we find out all about Frankie’s past in full detail.
This was a very twisty book and I figured who the killer was very very near the end so kudos for not giving too much away through the story! I liked how the different characters in the story were built; they weren’t simply mentioned in passing and that was all they got. All the suspects and people involved in the murders and investigation just felt fleshed out really well and I think it really helped add to the story. I especially liked how some of people involved in the investigation were people than Frankie knew from her hometown and had a personal interest in, it made things even more exciting as she has to try and navigate her personal feelings with professional feeling in order to make sure the investigation progresses.
The investigation process was so well explained, and I really felt like you could follow along with the process. I loved how we got to see the thought process behind discovering that Eleanor Costello’s hanging was a murder, the dark web references and piecing everything together to finally figure out who did it. I loved all the references to not having the money to complete certain parts of the investigation made by her superior, it just seemed so realistic. Normal police forces don’t get to spend thousands and thousands of pounds on cases constantly unless they have a specific reason and authorisation and it was great that it was mentioned here.
I would definitely recommend picking this up if you like crime thrillers! As mentioned above it does start off a bit slow and confusing but stick with it and it will get so much better! This is also set in Dublin so if you’re looking for a crime novel that isn’t set in London or another major UK city then this is the book for you! You can get this now from Amazon UK in paperback and eBook!

Was this a sequel as the reference to a previous trauma did throw me and l felt l would have felt more involved but yes l did enjoy the book not sure how much the art and Prussian blue added to the crime or how important that was l felt the story had a lot of victims and protagonists and it was complicated linking all their relationships

What a great debut novel this is. Complex story line and very well written. Frankie has returned to work after being attacked and suffers from PTSD. She is plunged into investigating a murder while her colleagues fear for her sanity. This is not a fast paced book and is a step above the usual police procedurals. The plot is complex and very cleverly written, with some interesting characterisation. I really did not see that ending coming. A book to be savoured for fans of Jo Spain and Tana French.Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreadds, Amazon and Facebook.

I found this difficult to follow and the Detective, Frankie, was not very believable. It was also quite distasteful in the subject of the murders, not my type of thing at all.

Nothing’s a coincidence”

I saw this book advertised some months ago and fell in love with the cover – it’s such a striking yet simple cover to greet you on the bookshelf. So I knew I needed to read this book when it came out.

I have to admit, I struggled a bit with the first half of the book; I can’t quite put my finger on why though. But then suddenly out of nowhere, I was hooked. I didn’t want to let the book go, reading late into the night or to the last possible moment before I had to get out the car to go to work. I was desperate to find out who was the killer. The tension grabbed me and would not let me go!

As the story went on, I warmed to Frankie. To begin with, I questioned her capabilities. She’s struggling to return to work after a serious attack on the job. She’s trying to slip back into the job whilst coping with the onset of PTSD, the looming court case arising from her attack not to mention the concern from her work colleagues. This girl has a lot on her plate to deal with. But she’s got that killer instinct and doesn’t like to give up on a case.

Overall I did enjoy Too Close To Breathe and I’ll be looking out for The Killer In Me when it is released next year!

Too Close to Breathe is a fantastic start to a new Irish police series featuring Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan. Frankie is a no nonsense kind of woman but she does carry some baggage from an on the job incident that saw her wounded. Now, back on the job after some time away to recover, she faces the case of a woman found hanged. Suicide, one might think, but it looks more like murder to Frankie. And so begins this gripping novel full of twists, turns and some great, tense drama.

I am addicted to police procedurals. I love the mystery and maneuvering through the maze of fact and fiction to get to the truth at the center. Often, the misleading red herrings feel like a haphazard road block that is easy to discount before getting back on the path. Not so with Too Close to Breathe. It feels absolutely authentic, not manufactured just to distract the reader with something shiny. Even the relatively unimportant leads do help the cause in one way or another. I also appreciated the practical realities of the investigation. There are budgetary limitations to all things, police investigations included. Frankie's boss Clancy definitely holds the purse strings and is constantly pushing for greater restraint on spending. That's not something you typically see and it gives greater credence to the story.

I loved the close relationship between Frankie and Baz. They worked well together but are close enough, and honest enough, to give each other crap and call foul when something is wrong or unfair. The drama is also notable. There's plenty that goes right and wrong in the investigation but you feel the tension build smoothly as the noose tightens around the killer. The pivotal climax was so good and had me holding my breath with anxiety.

I will definitely be on the lookout for more in this series. Well done, Ms. Kiernan on a quality read! I loved it all.

Frankie has returned to work after being attacked and is thrown right into the next murder case. Her own attack is still going through the courts and still playing on her mind. Another murder happens and it's possible they're linked. The question is how and by whom?

This was quite a fast paced thriller. Just when you think it's been solved there's a twist and a whole new suspect. This is much darker than I thought but still a really good read. The storyline was clever and interesting.

Frankie is a good lead character. She's determined and stubborn as well as smart. You quickly understand that what she's been through has made her who she is. Baz is a great addition and perfect balance to her.

This is *nothing* like Tana French, Jane Casey or Gillian Flynn all of whom I love. Instead it's lurid and packed with genre cliches including the left-field killer who appears from nowhere in a rush ending. I must learn to manage my FOMO... Not for me - sorry!

This is a great start to a new series.
A body is found hanging and at first it seems to be suicide but several things point to someone else being involved in the death.
Frankie is asked to investigate and soon another body is discovered burning on a bonfire.
Frankie and her team have their suspicions but keep coming up against a brick wall. Frankie is recovering from a nasty attack during a previous case and gradually throughout the book, we learn what happened to her.
There are some disturbing discoveries on the dark web and Frankie has to join a chat room to try and get into the mind of people who are trying to find out what death is like.
It seems that all the victims are linked somehow and there’s a real race against time at the end to save lives.
This is a really good read and I look forward to reading more of this series.
Thanks to Riverrun/Quercus and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Too Close to Breathe is a police procedural set in Dublin. It's a fresh and entertaining read with a very dark side.

A scientist is found hanged in her home. DCS Frankie Sheehan is back at work after a violent knife attack and straight on to what seems to be a simple suicide. But as the body count rises, the case turns into a gruesome, and potentially dangerous, hunt for a serial killer on the loose.

The book is well-researched, providing strong foundations to its many layers and depth to its twists and turns. It isn't for the faint-hearted, with some graphic descriptions and its journey into the seedy underworld and the Dark Web. DCI Sheehan is a strong and engaging character - relentless and determined, with an underlying vulnerability.

I admit that it took me a little while to get into the book, but I do encourage you to perservere. After a couple of chapters, I was gripped by the characters and the complex plot, until eventually I couldn't put the book down, turning the pages as fast as I could read them.

Too Close to Breathe is an accomplished debut, with plenty of humour and an intriguing protagonist with a distinctive voice. I'm looking forward to the next DCS Sheehan book.

Too Close to Breathe is an outstanding Police Procedural story set in Dublin.The plot twists and turns and I really liked Frankie ,I felt there is a lot more to know about her .The story is quite dark with its BSDM multiple murders to investigate and the dark web but it is gripping and very well written and I look forward to reading more about Frankie Sheehan .

I was sent an early copy of this book from the publishers for my independent honest review. And Wow.
It has taken me a long time for me to connect to a police procedural work of fiction to match the early days of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series., and I have to say here it is!
Be warned this book is not for the feint hearted
It features our main protagonist DI Frankie Sheenhan who is investigating a murder case. Which initially looked like suicide. Straight away I liked her character,strong,determined,excellent at her job with a hint of vulnerability about her. It is hinted at that something has happened in her in the recent past which has had a big impact on her.
The plot is fast paced and complex. Compelling and cleverly executed, although be warned the content at times is gritty,dark,graphic with scenes of disturbing sexual themes.
My only criticism being that the swearing was over used so it lost its impact when it was needed.
I am hoping to hear more from Frankie and her team in the not too distant future. I can't wait for more. A must read debut.

Actually 4.5 stars.
Ooo, this was a bit deliciously dark and gritty. Just as I like 'em!
Frankie has not long returned back to work after a case went a bit bad and she herself got attacked and wounded. Understandably, she is still suffering from the fallout a bit but she really needs to get back on the horse and try and get some of her life back to normal in order to recover. Her boss wants to ease her in gently so sends her off to deal with an apparent suicide. Best laid plans and all that as sadly, apparent is the key word in that sentence as Frankie soon decides that the evidence points more to murder. And so begins a really rather convoluted and intricately plotted case that soon has Frankie and her colleagues opening up a very shocking world going on on the dark web. Can she manage to join up the dots provided by the meagre evidence she uncovers, cut through all the noise and get to the bottom of things? And in time, as the body count is rising.
Wow, this book gripped me from the start and held me in its thrall throughout. It had me reading way past my bedtime as I, along with Frankie, was desperate to figure it all out.
Plotting was tight and very cleverly done. It had all the usual things necessary for a book of the genre; secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour, although there was a slightly less than normal amount of misdirection which I did find really refreshing. It relied instead on quality writing and good characters rather than shock or dupe the reader tactics that is all too prevalent these days.
What can I say about Frankie. Yes, she's the ubiquitous wounded cop with a bit of a past that creeps into her present. But there the cliche ends. She's gritty and determined and not afraid to think outside the box and go with what she feels and believes. I think I kinda like her! I'd definitely want her in my corner in a fight. Yes she makes mistakes and some of her leaps of logic are a bit skewed but, hey, she's human and from what I read here, she seems to learn from her mistakes in the short term. Although, whether that stuff sticks long term has yet to be discovered! This "seat of pants" investigative style also cracks the sides of the usual formula for your bulk standard police procedural, making this anything but. Again really refreshing.
The way the book began was also a bit different. It was like coming into a film after it had been running for half an hour and I was trying to work out what I had missed. But I've read enough of these sorts of book to know that patience is a virtue and, as the book went on, I started to understand and appreciate why the author did things this way. Very brave move all things told but also very clever.
All in all, a good solid opener to what looks like being an exciting new series. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I had to keep checking that this was definitely the first in a new series because of the way that the plot unfolds. The author drops us in to a new case with the unconventional lead investigator Frankie Sheehan returning to work after the knife attack on her during her last case. The plot works forward with solving the mystery of the murder staged to look like a suicide and yet also looks backwards at the previous case when D.I. Sheehan was attacked. I didn't feel that this worked as well as it could have, and was often slightly confused. Unless of course the frustrations I felt reading the book were supposed to mirror the frustrations of the team trying to solve the case, in which case bravo!
On a more positive note there are plenty of tangled loops in the plot that focus on the Dark Web, BDSM, less than truthful persons of interest and the lingering doubts over the last case. However my personal view is that overall it didn't flow in a convincing manner and the ending felt really rushed and convenient.

Thanks go to net galley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

A very enjoyable and engrossing crime/serial killer mystery set in Dublin. The plot is wonderfully, dark and twisty but also believable. I liked the character development, particularly Frankie. A very strong debut from this author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

An excellent first novel combining secrets, lies and mystery in a crime thriller

DCS Frankie is a profiler who has just returned to work following a serious injury while trying to apprehend a murderer. Frankie is very likeable and I hope we read more about her in the future. She is a courageous, smart and reliable character.

She gets back to work and is immediately called out to the suicide of Dr Eleanor Costello which Frankie can instantly see is a murder. As her investigation progresses in the most spellbinding unfolding of a cleverly laid out plot, Frankie comes across a maze of possible suspects, lies, hidden secrets within the dark web on the internet and some very disturbing sexual practices which are sadistic and disconcerting.

Appearances and education are just that, the surface of what lies underneath the perpetrators. What lies underneath is a desire to cause emotional, mental and physical pain until death. Sometimes the book is very disturbing to read but impossible to put down.

I highly recommend this book which is absolutely outstanding for a first novel. I will definitely look out for more books by Olivia Kiernan.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Too Close to Breathe, a début police procedural featuring Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan of the Dublin Gardaí.

Frankie is still recovering physically and emotionally from an attack where she failed to save Tracy Ward and was injured herself by the killer, when she returns to work to investigate the suicide of university lecturer Eleanor Costello, except the post mortem concludes Eleanor was murdered. Frankie and her team struggle to discover much about the secretive Eleanor and what they do uncover adds more confusion to already muddy waters.

I thoroughly enjoyed Too Close to Breathe which has a suspenseful plot leading up to an action packed finale. It should be noted, however, that the novel contains a fair amount of swearing and adult content which may not be suitable for those who prefer a gentler edge.

Much of the novel revolves around Frankie and her first person narrative. She is very well drawn with a sharp personality and an invasive fear of certain situations after the attack. I like the fact that she instinctively latches on to the important people and places, not always correctly, but there is always something in this instinct. I'm not sure if I like her as she's very demanding and not always tactful with it but another book would firm up my opinion (hint, hint!). I also like her interactions with her boss and her partner which have a vein of black humour as they seem very authentic.

The plot is well done in its sense of disorganisation and confusion. I can't say much about the content without issuing spoilers but each new development does not offer a firm line of enquiry as most procedurals are structured, rather it sows more confusion and a grasping of any available straw. Again it seems authentic in the circumstances and I imagine hard to pull off as successfully as it is here.

Too Close to Breathe is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Olivia Kiernan wites a highly disturbing police procedural featuring DCS Frankie Sheehan set in the darker side of Dublin. Frankie has returned to work after a serious attack in which Tracy Ward was murdered. She is far from recovered, afflicted by a form of PTSD, but she needs to be back at work if she is to stand any chance of emerging from her trauma. With the upcoming trial of Tracy's killer, Frankie is dealt the suicide of the beautiful controlling Eleanor Costello, a microbiologist found hanged at her clinically clean and ordered home. It doesn't take Frankie long to spot that it was murder, prompting Frankie and her police team to embark on a gruesome investigation where the lines between victim and killer become distinctly blurred.

The case takes them deep into the dark net and a website that focuses on self harm and the death experience called the Black Widow, and BDSM practices. The death of Amy Keegan, a woman whose family are known to Frankie, connects with Peter Costello, Eleanor's husband, the pair had been in a relationship. The missing Peter becomes their prime suspect, but nothing is as it seems. The police go undercover on the Black Widow site but to little avail, although they are certain the killer is a prominent visitor to the site. Frankie is minded to reassess her perception that they have Tracy Ward's killer as it seems her present case appears to connect with it. In a story where the truth proves to be singularly elusive, Frankie and her team come across the use of thallium and its only known antidote, Prussian Blue paint, a huge tide of lies, secrets and deception, human beings that reside in the darkest of spheres, and a killer who will not stop until caught.

Kiernan writes an atmospheric thriller with a flawed and emotionally damaged central character in Frankie. It is a promising debut that establishes Frankie's determined detective who lives close to the edge, undergoing devastating injuries that mark her physically and traumatise her emotionally. I imagine this is a series that will continue to be edgy and dark, given it is this novel's calling card. Some readers might find the disturbing content too much to bear. If you like dark atmospheric crime fiction, then this is likely to appeal to you. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.