Ben Devlin faces another seemingly impenetrable case in McGilloway's pulsating police procedural, as DNA from a long-dead woman shows up on the corpse of her killer many years later.
Longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2022
How can a dead woman avenge herself on her killer twenty years after her murder?
This is the puzzle facing Ben Devlin in his latest case. He is called to the scene of a murder - a man has been stabbed to death in his rented room and when his identity is discovered Devlin feels a ghost walk over his grave as he knows the name Brooklyn Harris well. As a teenager, Harris beat his then-girlfriend Hannah Row to death, and then spent twelve years in prison for the murder.
As Devlin investigates the dead man's movements since his release it becomes apparent Harris has been grooming teenage girls online and then arranging to meet them. But his activities have been discovered by others, notably a vigilante, who goes straight to the top of Devlin's list of suspects... until he uncovers that Harris was killed on the anniversary of Hannah's death - just too big a coincidence in Devlin's books. So Hannah's family join the ever-growing list of suspects being interviewed by his team. And then forensics contact Devlin with the astounding news that blood found on Harris's body is a perfect match to that of Hannah Row's. Yet how can this be; the girl was murdered many years ago - and Devlin doesn't believe in ghosts.
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN: 9781472133267
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 240 g
Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'An enthralling, powerful and incredibly moving novel' - Irish Times
'Blood Ties is a compulsive police procedural, but it's so much more than that: thought-provoking, compassionate and beautifully-written. McGilloway is one of the finest crime-writers working today.' - Ann Cleeves
'Written in elegantly simple prose... this novel is full of compassion' - Literary Review
'Blood Ties is one of those rare gems; a beautifully written crime novel that's also brilliantly paced, skillfully plotted and utterly absorbing.' - Jo Spain
'Brian McGilloway's police procedurals are a masterclass in crime fictions' - Andrea Carter
'A clever, engaging and beautifully crafted police procedural' - Irish Independent
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“Superb! Addictive! Highly recommended!”
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy.
I had never read any of Brian's books before, so is he a well kept secret or was I snoozing and you have all read him already?
Either way there is a backlist of...
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“A class act”
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... More
“a fascinating and eye-catching tale”
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... More
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