The Ruin

Shortlisted for the Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year

Shortlisted for the RTE Listeners' Choice Award

Shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize 2018

'As moving as it is fast-paced' VAL McDERMID
'Spectacularly good' MARIAN KEYES
'Beautifully drawn characters' LAURA MARSHALL

*****

February 1993

On his first week on the job, Garda Cormac Reilly responds to a call at a decrepit country house to find two silent, neglected children waiting for him - fifteen-year-old Maude and five-year-old Jack. Their mother lies dead upstairs.

March 2013

Twenty years later, Cormac has left his high-flying career as a detective in Dublin and returned to Galway. As he struggles to navigate the politics of a new police station, Maude and Jack return to haunt him.

What ties a recent suicide to the woman's death so long ago? And who among his new colleagues can Cormac really trust?

This powerful debut will draw you into the dark heart of Ireland and ask who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Tana French and Susie Steiner.

*****

Praise for THE RUIN:

'Brilliantly crafted . . . an absolute treat!' SUNDAY MIRROR

'An exciting new voice in Irish noir' SUNDAY TIMES

'Corruption, clandestine cover-ups and criminal conspiracy . . . as moving as it is fast-paced' VAL McDERMID

'Absolutely brilliant. Wonderful characters, authentic setting, and a sublime, twisty plot' IRISH EXAMINER

'A compelling story with beautifully drawn characters I really cared about' LAURA MARSHALL

'Heartbreaking and heart-stopping' CAZ FREAR

'As convincing as it is multi-layered, as compelling as it is complex . . . Dervla is a future star of the genre' CHRIS BROOKMYRE

'Fans of Tana French will love McTiernan's expertly plotted, complex web of secrets that refuse to stay hidden' KAREN DIONNE

'There are not many books that will keep me reading from start to finish but THE RUIN did just that . . . An excellent story, very well written . . . this one was a winner for me!' ALEX GRAY

'Loved every page . . . Cormac Reilly is a brilliant new character, so real you can hear his footsteps on the stairs. Utterly gripping, brilliantly executed story' SAM BLAKE

'Intelligent, compassionate and believable' SINEAD CROWLEY


Genre: Mystery

"Loved every page . . . Cormac Reilly is a brilliant new character, so real you can hear his footsteps on the stairs. Utterly gripping, brilliantly executed story." - Sam Blake

"THE RUIN is as convincing as it is multi-layered, as compelling as it is complex . . . Dervla is a future star of the genre." - Chris Brookmyre

"Intelligent, compassionate and believable." - Sinéad Crowley

"Fans of Tana French will love McTiernan's expertly plotted, complex web of secrets that refuse to stay hidden." - Karen Dionne

"Heartbreaking and heart-stopping." - Caz Frear

"There are not many books that will keep me reading from start to finish but Dervla McTiernan's THE RUIN did just that . . . An excellent story, very well written . . . this one was a winner for me!" - Alex Gray

"Excellently written and at times, heartcatchingly sad." - Marian Keyes

"A terrific read." - Liz Nugent