The Ruin

A Cormac Reilly Novel

By: Dervla McTiernan

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

The Top Ten fiction bestseller and critically acclaimed crime debut featuring everyone's favourite new detective, Cormac Reilly

'The Ruin is spectacularly good. So CONFIDENT ... excellently written and, at times, heartachingly sad' Marian Keyes

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

'Dervla McTiernan's first novel outclasses some of the genre's stalwarts making her a crime writer to watch ... fans of Ian Rankin and Tana French will feel right at home' Bookseller + Publisher (4.5 stars)

Galway 1993: Young Garda Cormac Reilly is called to a scene he will never forget. Two silent, neglected children—15-year-old Maude and five-year-old Jack—are waiting for him at a crumbling country house. Upstairs, their mother lies dead.

Twenty years later, a body surfaces in the icy black waters of the River Corrib. At first it looks like an open-and-shut case, but then doubt is cast on the investigation's findings—and the integrity of the police. Cormac is thrown back into the cold case that has haunted him his entire career—what links the two deaths, two decades apart? As he navigates his way through police politics and the ghosts of the past, Detective Reilly uncovers shocking secrets and finds himself questioning who among his colleagues he can trust.

What really did happen in that house where he first met Maude and Jack? The Ruin draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland and asks who will protect you when the authorities can't—or won't.

©2018 HarperCollins Publishers Australia pty Ltd (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Australia pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"Dervla McTiernan's first novel outclasses some of the genre's stalwarts making her a crime writer to watch...fans of Ian Rankin and Tana French will feel right at home." (Bookseller + Publisher)

"The Ruin is a terrific debut and a rare gem: a compelling crime thriller that delivers depth as well as twists." (Sara Foster, author of The Hidden Hours)

Can't wait for her next book!

Loved it. Well written, neatly woven story threads, page turner, great narrator. Frustrated to find there is no second book in the series yet.

Great first novel, can’t wait for the next one.

I really enjoyed this book, the story is great, loved the characters. The only jarring note is that the reader cannot do an Australian accent, it sounded like a garbled mixture of New Zealand and South African.

Police procedural from a debut author

The opening chapter of this book starts out strong with a rookie Irish policeman, Cormac, being called to a derelict country house to investigate a domestic call. Inside, Cormac finds a young girl and her younger brother living in squalor and to his horror, their dead mother with a needle sticking out of her arm. Years later, Cormac has the chance to revisit his initial investigation, only this time evaluating it as a murder rather than a drug overdose. He again finds himself in a new situation having moved to a different squad and having to figure out the office politics.

The story has an intricate plot and many characters, so many, in fact, that I concentrate and rewind sometimes to line up the charters. I also found the second half of the novel dragged a little, but it did deliver an exciting climax although a bit unbelievable. Overall, this is a good police/procedural/mystery with one thing annoyed me a bit. The over use of the words Christ and Jesus not from a religious point the words were just used too much. I think the editors should have picked that up.

Aoife McMahon was outstanding with the delivery of the story

The Ruin - Excellent

This book was really good, well written with good police procedures, and lots of mystery. Will be reading book 2.

A wonderful suspense.

I have to admit to find the start a bit slow, but I was soon swept along with not only the main character Cormac, but found all the POV characters compelling. An author to watch.

Good story, terrible Australian accent.

I enjoyed this book for the most part and found the story interesting. The only low points were the otherwise fabulous narrator’s lamentable attempt at an Australian accent and the somewhat confusing (at times) cast of supporting characters, who were all voiced identically.

I don’t see how Dervla or Aoife could have done any better!!!

This book held my interest from the first page to the last… something I’ve found difficult to find for some time.
I agree with others that the entire book has been so well constructed, every detail thought through, and interesting details added to create a realism rarely found even amongst my favourite authors.
Previously I had read only the 2 free prequels which gave me a taste for what this extraordinary author is capable of.
The narrator too, is extraordinary. So many different voices, carried perfectly throughout the whole story. Each character portrayed true, and separately brilliantly.
I will be looking for the next books by Dervla, and any other books that Aoife has narrated.
It feels as though I’ve just come out of a long desert experience!