Inspector Benedict Devlin #06: Blood Ties

- Blurb -

' 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' Blood Ties is one of those rare gems; a beautifully written crime novel that' s also brilliantly paced, skillfully plotted and utterly absorbing. Brian McGilloway is, quite simply, a master of his art. Bravo. ' Jo Spain ' Brian McGilloway' s police procedurals are a masterclass in crime fictions' Andrea Carter' Some of the very best crime fiction being written today' LEE CHILD on Bad Blood __________________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. __________________Praise for Brian McGilloway' This dazzling, labyrinthine debut impresses not only for the authentic depiction of a troubled community and the conflicts of a fallible detective, but also for the intense portrait of the borderlands themselves; as beautiful and terrible as the secrets they keep' Guardian' McGilloway' s Borderlands was one of last years most impressive debuts. Does Gallows Lane pass the feared second-novel test? Easily. ' The Times' McGilloway skilfully handles the tangled threads of a conspiracy surrounding an old crime, to make a satisfying mystery with an attractive central character. ' Sunday Telegraph