This story set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has its roots in the past, during The Troubles. Police are shocked when young woman, Iona Gardner, staggers into the station covered in blood - both hers and others rambling about how they are all dead and she did it! Police find a brutal scene at the cottage five friends (including Iona) were renting - three dead, strangely arranged on a bed upstairs. One almost dead downstairs and a cryptic message on the wall in block letters “WHO TOOK EDEN MULLIGAN”.

Interestingly, DI Danny Stowe, who has been relegated to cold cases for his sins, has the Eden Mulligan file on his desk ready to review yet again. Eden disappeared in 1986 leaving behind five children and never to be seen again. Authorities at the time were dismissive and just assumed she’d run away from obligations. The children, however were, and to some extent still are, traumatised by the abandonment. Their father had left months before and was also never seen again. Danny manages to co-opt an old friend of his, Dr Rose Lainey, a forensic psychologist to assist the investigation. Clearly the two cases are linked. They soon realise that the original investigation into Eden Mulligan’s disappearance was very shoddy indeed. It is also blindingly obvious that Iona Gardner did not kill anyone so why does she feel responsible and who is the actual killer?

It sounds good yeah? I thought so too, but I found the book to be very slow and I found myself losing interest. There is a lot of repetition too. What the author did really well was to paint a picture of life in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. I hadn’t read much about it and it was eye-opening at times to learn just how fraught life was for those caught in the crossfire. I get that that particular set of circumstances really coloured people’s lives long after peace was established but I felt it overtook the main narrative somewhat and really bogged the book down.

The writing was also very good which is what saved this book but then the ending and the rationale for the murders in the cottage didn’t really work for me either. Despite everything I just didn’t find it plausible. Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Sharon Dempsey for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own. 2.5 stars rounded up.

A very well written psychological thriller. Good plot with many twists and turns. Edge of your seat suspense. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

This book sounded like something I’d really enjoy, a blend of true crime and a mystery thriller. I was drawn to the book because of this and the fact it’s set in Ireland. I have a soft spot for books set in Ireland. I’m not Irish so I don’t know what appeals to me so much about the place. I loved the fact that forensic psychologist features in the book, making it a bit different than the usual thriller. This ticked all the boxes for me; well written, full of great characters, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable. This is my first time reading the author and I will check out more of her work.

Gritty murder case with lots of complications and twists. Found it hard to relate to the characters who all had their problems, kept with it to see who did it as I hadn't a clue.

I won't go too much into details on this one. I find that just this little bit is pretty interesting. This novel starts with a girl named Iona Gardener. Iona runs into a police station covered in blood claiming to be at fault and having killed people. When the police arrive at the crime scene they find five old dolls hanging from a tree. And inside, among the dead bodies, there is a question written on the wall, „Who took Eden Mulligan?“. Eden Mulligan was a missing person, mother of five children, who disappeared during The Troubles, Northern Ireland conflict.

My review:
This novel was so dark and creepy I loved that there was a mix of true crime and mystery thriller. It kept me up all night. I just needed to know what was going to happen. I was hooked from the start. The story and writing were soo good and the details were perfect. I really enjoyed the scene-setting. I was also really attracted to the book cover. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Why did Iona Gardener confess to killing her four friends when she didn't do it? And what does the scrawled declaration 'Who Took Eden Mulligan?' mean. What connection does it have to the gruesome murders?

An unusual premise of a murder combined with a historical missing person mystery that has never been solved. Set in Belfast the two main characters Danny and Rose met at university. While Danny stayed and became a detective, Rose left and became a forensic psychologist who Danny calls upon to help him unravel the murder case.

This was a clever story written both at the time of the Troubles when Eden Mulligan vanished and in present day. I enjoyed it very much. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review 'Who Took Eden Mulligan.

3.5 stars

This is an intriguing police procedural that blends a current murder with a cold case from 1986. It begins with a prologue guaranteed to get your heart thumping.

First, our MC’s. Chief Inspector Danny Stowe has just been handed a chance to redeem himself. After botching his last case, he was banished to the basement to shuffle through “historical enquiries”. And in a place like Belfast, there’s no shortage of those.

Dr. Rose Lainey is all too familiar with suffering caused by the Troubles. She couldn’t get out of Belfast soon enough & fled to university with no intention of ever returning. There she met a young guy named Danny Stowe & they became best buds. Rose went on to become a forensic psychologist working for the prison system in London. Now her mother has died & Rose returns to Belfast for the first time in 15 years.

It’s inevitable the two old uni friends will meet again, they just probably never guessed it would be over dead bodies.

Danny’s dusty exile is interrupted when a young woman stumbles into the precinct covered in blood. She tells them her friends are all dead. And she killed them. Hmmm….someone should definitely look into that. It’s like he’s been thrown a life preserver, although the old adage “be careful what you wish for” springs to mind. And just like that, he’s heading up what becomes known as the Dunlore stabbings.

Two issues need his immediate attention. The young woman who confessed is a mess & interviewing her will be a delicate matter. Also, at the scene they found “Who took Eden Mulligan” spray painted on a wall. It’s a name Danny knows well from his cold case review. He needs someone with an analytical mind & background in psychology to help him crack it…….if only he knew a forensic psychologist.

And they’re off. Danny moves upstairs to run the present day investigation while Rose takes over the basement and gets acquainted with the decades old Eden Mulligan case (which is eerily similar to the real life disappearance of Jean McConville in 1972). As the story progresses, we become more familiar with both MC’s histories & private lives as they reconnect with each other. And always lurking in the background is Belfast itself, a city whose streets & residents still bear the scars of generations of conflict.

So here’s the deal. I love a twisty police procedural, especially when cold cases are involved. There’s something about re-examining an old unsolved case that I find intriguing & the mystery behind Eden Mulligan’s disappearance was probably my favourite part of the plot. However, this also has a strong romantic element. Danny & Rose initially reconnect as friends but seem destined to become more in subsequent books.

I picked this up because I had really enjoyed “Little Bird”, the author’s previous book. From reading the blurb, for this one, I didn’t appreciate how big a role the budding romance would play in the overall story line. So I would categorize this as romantic suspense & I’m afraid I’m more of a straight up crime/procedural fan. Not the author’s fault, just a matter of personal preference. It’s a well written story that will keep you guessing & as a bonus, set in one of my favourite cities.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of Who Took Eden Mulligan?, a stand-alone procedural set in Belfast.

Iona Gardener stumbles into Dunlore police station, covered in blood and apparently confessing to killing her four friends. DI Danny Stowe is put in charge of the case and he enlists his old friend, forensic psychologist Dr Rose Lainey because he knows there’s more to the case than a false confession from Iona. There’s the creepy dolls tied to a tree in the garden and the message “who took Eden Mulligan?” scrawled on a wall.

I thoroughly enjoyed Who Took Eden Mulligan? which is a fascinating mixture of past and present. Eden Mulligan disappeared from Belfast in 1986 at the height of The Troubles, leaving five young children behind, but what does this have to do with a present day murder? It would seem that the past casts a long shadow.

The novel is mainly told from Danny and Rose’s points of view so it’s all about the investigation. The reader knows no more or less than them, allowing room for speculation and theorising. I got small bits and pieces right, but mostly came up short with regards to the perpetrator and motive, which, incidentally, I found the least convincing part of the novel when all was revealed. The novel works well apart from that, as it concentrates on the disappearance of Eden Mulligan, assuming that if they solve that the current case will fall into place. This allows the author to explore the fear, tension and violence of the time and plausibly explain the lack of initial investigation. It seems like another world now but it was all too real and I think the author does a good job of explaining it and the current constraints on getting justice. I was hooked.

I liked Danny and Rose who are renewing a friendship forged at university. Danny stayed in Belfast but Rose is returning after many years absence. This lets the reader see the transformation of the city through fresh eyes. A city that is almost a character itself with a long, troubled past. Both Rose and Danny have personal problems and secrets, enough to be interesting but not enough to weigh the novel down. I thought the choice of their problems was inspired as it allows them extra empathy during their investigation.

Who Took Eden Mulligan? is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Iona Gardener shows up covered in blood that isn't hers and confesses the murder of four of her friends in the cottage near Belfast. When the police arrives at the crime scene, they find five old dolls hanging from a tree. And inside, among the dead bodies, there is a question written on the wall, „Who took Eden Mulligan?“. Eden Mulligan was a missing person, mother of five children, who disappeared during The Troubles, Northern Ireland conflict. But nothing connects Eden Mulligan with the five young people who spent their weekend at the cottage. So how are the two cases connected?

DI Danny Stowe and forensic psychologist Rose Lainey work on the case. Both cases. They have problems from the very beginning because nobody wants to talk, everyone is afraid. The conflict ended not so long time ago and the scars are still fresh. Or maybe it ended just officially.

DI Stowe is fighting his own personal problems. His marriage is not working well and he can't help it. The forensic psychologist, Rose Lainey is coming back to Belfast after her desperate try to run away from it. But you can't hide from your past, it follows you wherever you go.

This is a new author for me and I liked her writing. I liked the setting, Belfast, because I don't know much about it, I live on the other side of Europe. I wasn't familiar with The Troubles, so I did a research on internet. I like it when the book inspires me to do a research and learn about things that I don't know much, Irish history, for example. This isn't ordinary police procedural story and that's why I liked it. I liked how Rose 's character was portrayed, little bit more than Danny's. But that's my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and will be in search of other books from this author.

I found myself interested in this mystery from the get go, enjoying the back and forth perspectives of Danny and Rose. Who killed Eden and why are there three dead bodies, one man critically wounded, and one woman escaped with her life? More to the point, how are these two seemingly unrelated cases linked? I felt like Danny and Rose made slow progress, and Danny’s character definitely reflected his frustration over the stalling status of solving the murder, but there reached a point where they found just the right clue! From there the storyline snowballed and we learned not only how the two cases are related, but who did it and how.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC. I enjoyed Sharon Dempsey’s writing style and would like to read any future books she might write. The Ireland setting was fascinating to me, as I have never been.

‘They’re dead. They’re all dead. It’s my fault. I killed them.’ Those are the words of Iona Gardener, who stands bloodied and staring as she confesses to the murder of four people in a run-down cottage outside of Belfast.

Excellent book, a typical crime drama which if that is the genre you like then it is perfect for you. The book is a gripping thriller, with lots of twists and turns, also has a very good sense of teamwork with the detective pair. Well written and enjoyable. The cover of the book is eyecatching and would make me pick it up in a book shop.

A good read though I did find it slow in places. I also got a little frustrated by the storyline, the book starts with a grizzly scene of 5 gruesome murders, however, The main characters spent most of their time dealing with a cold case that was, at first glance, only a small part of the gruesome scene which seems to get forgotten along the way! Otherwise a good who done it !!

Well written thriller with great twists. The author does an excellent job of intertwining the past 'Troubles' and 'The Disappeared' of Northern Ireland with their lasting legacy to the present day. Being from Northern Ireland myself, this particularly resonated with me and was both realistic and poignant.
Rose is a great character, engaging and believable. Her relationship with the PSNI officer, Danny, is central to the story development and I hope the author has more plans for these two!
Definitely recommended and thank you Avon books and NetGalley for my ARC.

This was an excellent book very twisty quite creepy at times and I enjoyed it immensely. I haven’t read any books by this author before so I’m so pleased that I enjoyed it. Being set in Ireland made it different which makes a change for books usually set in London or the States. The pace kept going all the way through and I was desperate to find out what happened in the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I’m afraid this was a 2* OK read for me.

There are positive elements; the setting of Belfast and NI in general is well done, as is the complexity of family relationships within an ethno-nationalist period of conflict’The Troubles’, ripples of which continue. I also liked the promise of the relationship between the 2 lead characters of Danny and Rose. However, this proved to be more and more frustrating as the book progressed. Instead of a mature, growing relationship, they behaved like starstruck teenagers.

Also, for me, the writing style didn’t engage me. There’s a solid plot line, but, instead of drawing me in, I felt it rather plodding.

I appreciate the opportunity to preview and thanks to NetGalley and Avon books UK.

It's kinda becoming a rare thing to come across thrillers that use a serious, no-fuss tone throughout and this one is just that. I liked the eerie and kinda dark vibes of this book, the imagery was perfect and reminded me of some true-crime/supernatural documentaries that I've seen. It' all good, but I feel like it hit a brick wall somewhere in the middle of the story, lost focus, and dragged a bit there. It does pick up again towards the end, but by then I had all interest and just wanted to get to the end.
All in all, it's an enjoyable ride. Recommended for the fans of true-crime and serious thrillers!

Thanks to Netgalley, author, and publishers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

First, the good: I enjoyed the physical setting (Belfast) and the cultural memory of the Troubles that shapes the book's narrative. The plot is also quite good. Dr Lainey's 'prodigal son' homecoming is a nice subplot.

Unfortunately, that's where the good ends for me. The characterisation is minimal, problematic, or unbelievable. The writing is functional. The pacing is extremely uneven - very little happens for most of the book, except the characters talking about how little is happening, and then everything seems to be resolved within a couple of chapters, following a discovery that should have been made within the first few days of an investigation (ok, let's say, that would have been discovered early on in any fictional crime novel's investigation. I don't pretend to have any knowledge of how police investigations actually work!).

Overall I felt disappointed by a strong setting and plot which could have resulted in a fantastic book, but this just didn't work for me.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC

Forensic psychologist Rose Lainey returns home to Belfast to attend her mother’s funeral and she is invited by her friend, DI Danny Stowe to take a look to a strange case. Iona is telling the police she is the one who killed her friends in the cottage they were spending time, but DI Dany doesn't believe her. This case is related to the disappearance of Eden Mulligan, but how?
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this fast pacing thriller.

Who Took Eden Mulligan? by Sharon Dempsey

Intrigue and mystery from the first pages. A young woman, covered in the blood of her murdered friends, confesses to killing them. But the police know she did not. Then there is the question written on the wall at the crime scene: Who Took Eden Mulligan? The detectives will have to dig back to a case from 1986 and try to find a connection between the two. This is a great blend of how life was like in the 1980's in Ireland during the Troubles and how the events of that era effect modern day Ireland.

Rounding up to three stars.

Whilst there is a lot to like about this book,three brutal murders,creepy scene,political Irish background.... I found it not quite living up to my expectations.
The first half of the book barely touched on the brutal murder (though I know the book is actually about Eden) and at times it felt more like a family drama than a who dunnit.