If you like a good crime detective novel this book will not disappoint. A young man supposedly commits suicide but is everything as it seems. Is this something to do with his childhood. Or was it wrong place and wrong time. So many questions face Cornac Reilly. This is our first opportunity as readers to get to know Cornac but definitely looking forward to the next adventure

When a young man dies of apparent suicide in Galway, his family are quick to try and launch an investigation into what has happened. But as his past begins to be uncovered, Garda Cormac Reilly realises he is actually closer to this case than he once thought.

The Ruin is a good introduction to Cormac O’Reilly and his unit in Galway - I liked him as a character and I think he will hold a series well. The opening chapter of a past case that he had worked on was a good mechanic to introduce us to him. There were quite a lot of cryptic references to his past which I think will be explored in later books but I did have to check this was the first in the series as I felt as though I had maybe missed a book to start with. I’m not quite sure how the series will progress but I will look out for more books in the series.

The case and crime itself was interesting and held my attention, I liked the description of the other characters and the way that the narrative changed perspectives between Cormac and Aisling. I also liked the setting of Ireland and the themes of religion and family values that were explored.

I did feel that it was a bit slow to get started though, it was about 60% completed by the time the actual investigation starts properly and by the time it’s begun it needs to start wrapping up again!

Overall a great introduction to a new crime series, although perhaps a bit slow to start – I’ll keep an eye out for more of Dervla McTiernan’s books in future. Thank you to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dervla McTiernan's debut, The Ruin, is an excellent addition to the fine run of Irish crime novels published in recent years. Set in Galway, the novel introduces Cormac Reilly, recently transferred from Dublin to a seemingly unwelcoming An Garda Síochána station in the city, who finds that suicide of a local man appears connected to a crime scene to which he was assigned 2o years ago as an inexperienced Guard. The Ruin reminded me a lot of Tana French, which can't be a bad thing. Dervla McTiernan writes very well; the characters are well drawn and the dialogue natural. I enjoyed this immensely and look forward to the next in the series due in 2019.

Absolutely loved The Ruin! Brilliant characters, fantastic story, kept me gripped until the end! Definitely hope there are more books to come in the Cormac Reilly series - my new favourite detective! 5 out of 5 stars *****

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & Dervla McTiernan for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is brilliant. It is wonderfully written and put together and it held my attention from the first page. The characters are great and the plot is really good. I did not notice time passing. I was totally immersed in the story. I could imagine the scenery and the characters. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends and I hope that Dervla writes more books.

A little bit slow but otherwise a great read hope the author continues to write about this detective as I quite like him

This is a detective novel set in and around Galway. It opens in 1993 with a young Guard, Cormac O’Reilly, on his way to follow up on a phone call. When he eventually finds the Dower House, it is damp, run down and almost inhabitable. There, he encounters two children, fifteen year old Maude and five year old Jack, and their mother is dead upstairs in bed. Cormac removes the children from the house, and takes them to the local A&E, as the children are visibly malnourished and there are other signs of abuse. At the hospital, Maude leaves Jack to go to the toilet, ensuring that she mentions to the Guard that Jack (on his own) would stand a good chance of being adopted due to his young age. Then she disappears.

Twenty years later, Cormac is back in Galway after a very successful career in Dublin. However, he’s new to Mill Street station, and accepts that he will need to prove his worth, and work his way up from reviewing the cold cases he has been assigned. Then something happens. An apparent suicide, which links the old case of Maude and Jack to the present. Against strong opposition from Guards and detectives, with corruption and cronyism threatening to obstruct his efforts, Cormac sets about discovering the truth about what happened in 1993, and how it links to the death in Galway, March 2015.

I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes, detective novels are sparse with details and we don’t really get to know the characters, but I really liked the way Dervla brought her characters to life, and made me care about them.

I was excited when I read the Acknowledgements and the end, and learned that we have not heard the last of Detective Cormac O’Reilly…I’m looking forward to reading about his next adventure. This is a book that I read on Kindle after it was forwarded to me for review. I will definitely be buying copy of the paper back to give to my Dad, who I think will love it - especially as he started out as a young Guard, training in Templemore.
This is a detective novel set in and around Galway. It opens in 1993 with a young Guard, Cormac O’Reilly, on his way to follow up on a phone call. When he eventually finds the Dower House, it is damp, run down and almost inhabitable. There, he encounters two children, fifteen year old Maude and five year old Jack, and their mother is dead upstairs in bed. Cormac removes the children from the house, and takes them to the local A&E, as the children are visibly malnourished and there are other signs of abuse. At the hospital, Maude leaves Jack to go to the toilet, ensuring that she mentions to the Guard that Jack (on his own) would stand a good chance of being adopted due to his young age. Then she disappears.
Twenty years later, Cormac is back in Galway after a very successful career in Dublin. However, he’s new to Mill Street station, and accepts that he will need to prove his worth, and work his way up from reviewing the cold cases he has been assigned. Then something happens. An apparent suicide, which links the old case of Maude and Jack to the present. Against strong opposition from Guards and detectives, with corruption and cronyism threatening to obstruct his efforts, Cormac sets about discovering the truth about what happened in 1993, and how it links to the death in Galway, March 2015.
I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes, detective novels are sparse with details and we don’t really get to know the characters, but I really liked the way Dervla brought her characters to life.
I was excited when I read the Acknowledgements and the end, and learned that we have not heard the last of Detective Cormac O’Reilly…I’m looking forward to reading about his next adventure.



@littlebrownuk @DervlaMcTiernan

This book was not what I was expecting. A twenty year old cold case and a recent murder, what is tying them together. Two young children neglected and abused are found in the house with their dead mother. The young policeman who found them and is now a Detective sergeant and has troubles of his own gets given this case and told to sort. Little does he know what he is going to find. This book tugs at your heart even after the Last page has been turned. How far would you go to protect someone you love?
My thanks to the author Darla Mctiernan, Little House books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read a little gem.

I finished The Ruin in two days, perfect to read while relaxing in the sun... it is a real page turner and a fab debut from Dervla McTiernan, the first in the Di Reilly series. Set in Galway Ireland, this book is a perfect summer read.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read

The Ruin (or Rúin as it is marketed in Australia) is a police procedural introducing Inspector Cormac Reilly of the Garda Siochana. The novel opens well, with Reilly in his first week in the guards, sent to investigate a call from a desolate farmhouse in the wilds of County Mayo. He finds a dead junkie and her two young children. It is creepy and mysterious. Then, 20 years later, Reilly finds himself newly posted in Galway, being given the cold cases to review. He is an unwelcome blow-in and is being deliberately frozen out of any real police work. But when the young boy Reilly had rescued that night in Mayo turns up dead, reported to have jumped off a bridge, Reilly is brought into the margins of the investigation.

What follows is good in parts. When Reilly is investigating and interviewing witnesses, the story is engaging. When the narrative turns to office politics, it gets confusing – which is probably intentional; and dull – which probably isn’t. And there is a growing sense of confusion about whether characters were supposed to be in Mayo, or Galway, or moved from one to the other. Trying to piece together the different strands of plot becomes more and more of an effort. By the end, I’m really not quite sure how it did all tie up.

This is redeemed to some extend by a few great characters (the elderly Christian busybody from Mayo is brilliant, and the shady defence lawyer also springs to mind). There is also good social commentary on the enormous value placed on the family by the Irish authorities in the late 20th Century. It was the triumph of optimism over common sense.

But the overall sense is of a novel that is too complicated, too long and unevenly paced.

The Ruin is a thriller set in Galway and the first book in the Cormac Reilly Detective series. I received a free copy from the publishers on Netgalley. The story begins 20 years in the past and we have Detective Reilly being called to a disturbance. He's only fresh out of Templemore. This starts the story and he takes two children from the house, both clearly abused. The book then jumps to the present and Cormac is now a detective. Jack, the little boy rescued from the house 20 years earlier is now grown and living with his girlfriend Aisling. Cormac has moved to Galway and when Jack's body is found and suicide ruled, the story really begins.

There were a lot of characters in this book and I found it difficult to keep up with who was how. We also get points of view from a number of characters including Cormac, Aisling, and Maude (Jacks sister who has just arrived back to Ireland after being away for 20 years). Maude doesn't believe Jack committed suicide and begins an investigation herself. Things twist and Maude is charged with her mother's mother back in 1993.

This story had plenty of tension and the who-done-it factor that kept me reading. I have to say I wasn't over fond of Aisling's character and found her very unemotional.

From about 40% this story really took off and I found myself devouring it and completing the rest of the book in a day. I was hooked and wanted to see what had really happened.

Cormac's character was believable and likeable as was Maude. I think there's a lot more to come especially from Mill Street Guarda station and can't wait to see what book 2 brings. Overall I'd say this is an excellent thriller with plenty of tension and twists that will keep readers asking questions right the way to the end.

The dark heart of Ireland’s religious past is explored in this gritty crime fiction novel. I was absolutely hooked, as I raced from cover to cover.

Newbie Garda Cormac Reilly is sent to an isolated location by fellow cop Marcus Tully. The location is so remote, he begins to wonder if this a hazing, due to his short-time on the police force. Eventually, he locates Dower House in the small village of Kilmore. What he finds behind the doors, will shake him to his core and haunt him for many years to come.

A young girl opens the door to reveal a scene of neglect and despair. The house has no power, is cold and riddled with mould. The children appear emaciated and mistreated, with the small boy Jack showing signs of a recent beating. There are items of alcohol and drug use, laying around the property. Cormac is horrified, and he is yet to discover the body. . .

‘How were you supposed to handle traumatised children’

In the upper floor of the property lays the children’s mother. Her life has expired, and the children have been left to fend for themselves. Cormac spots what he thinks are track marks on the mother’s arms. How did nobody know, what was happening at Dower House?

Cormac takes the young children to the hospital. He feels out of his depth and lost for words. The sight of Maude 15yrs and Jack 5yrs, is one he will never forget.
When Maude goes missing at the hospital, never to be seen again. It adds another layer of mystery, to an already baffling case. But no one asks questions and the case soon becomes forgotten by all.

‘The best interests of the child came second’

20yrs later in Galway, Ireland. A young woman named Aisling is contemplating her future with her partner Jack. She has recently discovered she is pregnant and as a young doctor, it fills her with apprehension for what her future will hold. Her dreams of a career in medicine, seem almost over. Then the Garda arrive. . .
Cormac has suffered a career fall from grace. No longer the golden boy of Dublin’s special detective unit. He must seek pastures new, or for Cormac pastures of old.

The police officers are also looking into the rape and murder of a student. The case draws comparisons to the cold case of Maura Hughes, a young girl who was rumoured to be having an affair with a teacher.
Through Jack’s suicide, Aisling becomes acquainted with his long-lost sister. A sister she never knew existed. The two women become increasingly concerned about the Garda’s assumption, this is a suicide. Jack had everything to live for. So, who would want Jack dead?

Maude has returned from Australia and we learn she is now a woman of some considerable means. She is driven, determined and has a ruthless quest for justice. The two women united by grief, won’t rest until they know the truth.

The novel covers various themes well documented in the history. But it does so, with such a personal touch, that you feel distraught at the plight of the young children. As you read on, you want them to have known love, peace and kindness in their adult lives. But life isn’t always fair, and an abused child is never promised a second chance.
A great novel with haunting historical references 5*

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review. This was the author’s , Dervla McTiernan’s, debut book.and it was a riveting read. I thoroughly enjoyed the story set in Ireland and the way it touched upon the Church’s history of abuse and the abuses in the police force and how all the story fitted together. It was an amazing accomplishment for a first book.
I would recommend this book to all readers and look froward to reading any more books published by the author in future.

Brilliant atmospheric novel in which the ever present rain gives the perfect backdrop to unfolding events. Impressive twists which keep you guessing almost to the end. Gripping from the beginning with a story that draws you in. Can't wait for more.

"The Ruin" is Dervla McTiernan's debut novel and the first in the DI Cormac Reilly series set in Galway, Ireland.

I started this book with no expectations or preconceptions as I hadn't heard of Dervla before. However straightaway the book had me hooked. It is gripping and engaging throughout, with likable character and a lot of interesting twists and turns. In fact I enjoyed the book so much, I found myself leaving my bookclub read down and reading this instead! (A lot of speed reading to do now before bookclub on Friday!)

The story opens in an old "ruin" in Galway, twenty years previous, with a dead body and two damaged children. Cormac Reilly is the rookie guard who is sent to handle this situation and it has continued to haunt him for the last twenty years.

A series of circumstances leads Reilly back to this case and he must discover how it has become intertwined with a current case his unit are working on. Reilly has moved from a high flying career in Dublin to what some may consider a step down career to start a new life in Galway with his partner Emma. He is viewed with suspicion by many of his new colleagues, who are reluctant to help him out.

Although it becomes clear who the culprit is before the reveal, this only adds to the overall sense of the book, as it is more a story about why it happened, than the mystery of who did it.

This is truly an excellent debut novel from Dervla McTiernan and I look forward to reading about DI Cormac Reilly's future escapades in her following novels!

I really loved this book! Excellent story with brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book. The Ruin is a slow burning Irish thriller that escalates into a great surprise climax. I liked the characters are lot, especially Cormac and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Loved it

I love a good Irish crime thriller and I am very happy to add this one to my list Great story!

Five stars for this book. It was brilliantly written. The storyline was fab, the characters were very believable. I couldn’t put this book down, I was hooked from the first page. Loved it. Highly recommended

Many thanks to Netgalley and Dervla McTiernan for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Cormac Reilly is a young Garda in Galway and his first case involves a dead mother and 2 young children left alone with her. Twenty years later, after working in Dublin and returning to Galway as a detective, Cormac comes back into contact with the family. Jack, now a man and engaged, is taken from the river and a verdict of suicide is recorded. His fiance and sister do not believe it was a suicide. Cormac is ordered to reopen the case of their dead mother, but why? This case opens a lot of cans of worms.
I loved this book, the characters were very well written. Aside from the main story there was other cases and stories happening. I look forward to reading more from Dervla.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review