Book is set in the Lifford-Strabane area, with the death of a young girl. Someone has confessed to the death. Book was well written, and I will read more by the author in future.

Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author.

I enjoyed the book set on Lifford/ Strabane border of NI. It has strong themes of family ties whilst integrating complex issues of covid, Brexit and NI history. It was well written and kept me reading into the night as I wanted to know the ending.
Good characters portrayed in book and Ben Devlin is a likeable Guard, the plot was well paced, well written and engaging. It is easy to read and can be read as a stand alone as I had not previously read anything by Brian McGilloway before. I will seek out his other books to read in the future.
My only criticism would be that there was too much reference to his political views which slightly took away from the reading at times.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an Arc in exchange for an honest opinion

A great read. An excellent portrayal of present day Ireland with the spectre of Brexit on the horizon. Well rounded characters, excellent plot line and a chilling ending.

Blood ties is a very competent and well written police procedural. It's well written, gripping, a well-told story.

But a month or two after reading it, I had to check it out to remember if I had even read it yet. Couldn't remember anything without a reminder. Then saw that oh yes, I remember, that was good. Reading the first few pages again, I'm thinking, 'this is good!'

So I'd call this a good airplane book. Perfectly does what it says on the tin. To read, enjoy, forget.

4 stars, because it's a decent read. I take off only one star because it didn't make a lasting impression, but I can hardly blame the author because I've the memory of a goldfish.

I am never keen to read books set in Northern Ireland, having lived through the Troubles, but thought I would give this one a try. I was pleased that I did. It stood alone satisfactorily, as I hadn't read any others of the series. The only thing was that I had no clear idea what the hero looked like. It was a well written novel with a good story line.

Evocative Of Time And Place…
Ben Devlin returns in this powerful and immersive procedural. A distressing case with links to the past puts Devlin in reflective mode. Evocative of both time and place with a credible, realistic cast of characters. A tale of many threads, both gripping and devastating.

Haven’t tried any of the Inspector Devlin books before but after reading this one I can see why readers like them. This was a well planned and interesting book just not quite giving me the wow factor but I enjoyed it all the s@me.

It’s the paperback publication day for Blood Ties and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to tell you a wee bit about it. Brian McGilloway is a lovely, understated writer and this very welcome return to the Ben Devlin series is so much more than a police procedural. Set in 2020, just before the beginning of lockdown and when Covid was just starting to bite, this book deals with a range of complex issues from cross border co-operation in the wake of Brexit, to the barely concealed sectarianism that still lurks under the surface of Northern Ireland’s politics.

Easily read as a stand-alone, this book concerns Detective Inspector Ben Devlin of the Garda Siochana. Sent to investigate after the body of a man has been found stabbed in a local AirBnB, Devlin discovers that the dead man is an ex-convict, released after serving his sentence for the rape and murder of a teenage girl. Blood Ties is centred on the borderlands area of Lifford in the South and Strabane in the North, where Devlin must work with his counterpart Jim Hendry to get to the truth.

McGilloway gently explores the nature of victimhood as he introduces a vigilante group – barely concealed thugs – who have been tracking the dead man and baiting him. No -one feels sorry for the dead man, and quite a few think he got what was coming to him. The situation is complicated by blood found at the scene which seems to tie this murder back to the original crime for which he was incarcerated. This story features child exploitation and social media alongside historic crimes.

To solve this man’s murder means going back to the original crime and stirring up a world of hurt and bad memories for the girl’s family and friends who were with her on the night she was murdered.

Devlin also has to come to terms with the fact that his father’s health is failing. He’s no longer able to take care of himself and as Devlin struggles with the new ‘soft’ border arrangements between the Republic and Northern Ireland, he’s also making his own transition from father and loving son to carer – and that in itself is very difficult, setting him more on edge than usual as the reality of beginning to lose his father hits home.

It’s a gently told story and the more powerful because of that. Everything is changing and as far as Devlin can see, none of that change is for the better. McGilloway explores themes of loss, of dealing with shifting sands and uncertainty, of family and of grief in a novel that is both touching and emotional while also dealing with hateful crimes and social media vigilantes.

Verdict: As with his last book, The Last Crossing, McGilloway is able to blend together so many personal and political strands to create a work that has depth and meaning beyond the obvious. This feels like a personal tribute to fatherhood, too and as such is unashamedly emotional. Brian McGilloway is a class act who deserves to be widely read. If you haven’t read the Devlin series, you have such a treat awaiting you!

Blood Ties is Brian McGilloway's latest intense thriller featuring the edgy, Irish border-straddling detective Ben Devlin. It is excellent!

In this story, Devlin investigates the killing of a man, Gerard Dawson who recently completed a sentence for a crime which attracts little sympathy among the police and the general public. Devlin however is determined to identify the killer and finds himself coming up against a number of obstacles as he needs to revisit an investigation from long ago.

McGilloway's characters are so realistically created that the reader feels a strong emotional bond; additionally the many layers to the narrative keeps the reader engaged and interested - now the norm for this excellent author. Blood Ties is the first book that I have read where the author is comfortable using the pandemic setting without allowing it to overtake the main story. A great read!

This is one of those books that kept me reading till late in the night as I couldn't stop reading.
It's the first i read in this series and I think it's brilliant.
It's a complex mystery that deals with serious issues like justice for all the victims, vigilantes, child abuse and grief.
It's a police procedural but it's also a story about life on the Irish border and the impacts of history on the life of common people.
The characters are complex and well developed, you can feel the empathy of the author towards all the victims.
It talks about murder but also about the passing of time, the changes in life and how grief affects our life.
It's heartbreaking at times, tense and full of twists.
I found it poignant, gripping and intense.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really enjoyed this story, Ben Devlin is a likeable detective and the plot was excellent! Set in Northern Ireland this was my first book by this author and whist it did read very well on its own, it would be well worth checking out the series. Very well written, the plot moved along at a good pace and even though I thought we had the reveal, there was yet more towards the end. Strong themes of family ties and bonds, I really enjoyed the characterisation and also the sense of place. I would recommend and would also check out others in this series.

I’ve familiar with some of the titles by Brian McGilloway but this is the first of the popular ‘Inspector Ben Devlin’ series that I’ve read. Despite being book number six in the series, it is easy to step into the world of Ben Devlin.
The tagline for ‘Blood Ties’ reads as “”How can a dead woman avenge herself on her killer twelve years after her murder?” and is both a fascinating and eye-catching one. We delve into the life of Ben Devlin as he investigates the murder of Brooklyn Harris. Harris is a familiar figure to Devlin as he has recently been released from prison after serving a twelve year sentence for killing is girlfriend Hannah Row while they were teenagers. As the investigation unfolds, Devlin uncovers several potential suspects and motives behind the killing. But the true twist comes when the blood from the crime scene provides to belong to …. Hannah! As Devlin tries to uncover the truth, he must face several battles. Not least of these battles is trying to understand the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic and the potential, impending lockdown

Devlin is in a transitory position now – he is no longer needed as much by his children, the approach to work in the Garda Siochana is slowly adapting to the impact of technology and social media in the world, Brexit is complicating the issue of the ‘soft’ border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – his world is rapidly changing. However the greatest change, may be the most painful one as his beloved father is showing signs of dementia and struggle to live on his own. We see Devlin as he moves from the role to son to carer and readjusts to this new relationship. The move from Garda to family man is deftly handled by McGilloway and both storylines are intriguing and move at a rapid pace.

In this way, the book is a beautiful, poignant tribune to McGilloway’s own father. As fascinating as I found the investigation storyline, it was the development of Devlin’s relationship with his family that I loved. His struggle was so true to life and with a sense of love and loss.

Oh gosh. This book just brought back so many memories of my late father. DI Devlin is investigating the murder of a convicted murderer. A well written crime thriller but also a personal account by the author of family love, relationships and parents growing old. It really touched me and I shed a tear for my own father, who died suddenly at aged 53. We never got to say goodbye. I highly recommend this read, just have the tissues at the ready. Thanks to Net Galley for this very emotional read by Brian McGilloway.

My first book from this author and a great read. It is set at the beginning of the pandemic and peppered with references to the early rules of social distancing and restrictions in hospitals and care homes. A very well written police procedural crime thriller but with more than a nod to families and the grief of loss.

Briefly, DI Ben Devlin is investigating the murder of Brooklyn Harris. A name Devlin knows from his past, as a teenager Harris was convicted of killing Hannah Row, and since his release, after 12 years, has been living under a new identity. As his investigations continue it is clear Harris has been grooming up young girls and a vigilante group have been following him. When new information comes to light about Hannah’s murder Devlin starts to look into that case as well. It is clear to him that the two cases are connected. With the list of suspects growing the shocking news is received that blood from Hannah has been found at the scene. How can that be?

As good as the crime element of this book was what really touched me was the personal element. Not only the dreadful grief suffered by Hannah’s family but Devlin’s own family. Having to deal with children growing up and finding their own way in life and the sadness of a parent growing old and the role reversal of parent and child. A fabulous book and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ben Devlin returns Blood Ties which is the latest book by Brian McGilloway and whilst it is primarily a police procedural in which Devlin investigates the murder of a recently released murderer it is much more besides.

Without giving away any spoilers the author cleverly uses both Devlin’s personal life and the real events at the start of the COVID pandemic as extra characters that add to a thoroughly entertaining and engrossing narrative.

Probably the best book in the series so far

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This was an enjoyable read. The main character is very realistic, believable and it was very easy to like him, He investigates a murder and finds the victim had a connection to a case from 20 years ago. The book was well written and engaging right from the start and one which held my attention throughout. I loved how the author gives little glimpses of Devlins home and personal life and his relationships with his family. Overall a good, well paced read although it was one that didn’t wow me. I would read other books featuring Inspector Devlin.

A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read his next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC. Love Brian's books. If you love crime books you will love Brian's books brilliant books This is the 6thcin the series and boy is it brilliant