Product Description

An Irish cultural treasure has been stolen from the Trinity College library: the Book of Kells, an ancient, exquisitely illustrated ninth-century amalgam of Christian doctrine and Celtic legend. Normally, theft would not fall under the jurisdiction of Peter McGarr of the Murder Squad, even one of this magnitude. But the heinous crime comes with an extra indignity: the brutal slaying of a night watchman, believed to have been a party to the felony. The fact that blood has been so freely spilled is most disturbing to McGarr, suggesting that the perpetrators' motive was not merely financial gain. Backbiting politics only further tangles the web of thievery and murder that McGarr must unravel quickly and completely. Mounting evidence suggests that the repercussions of this case may be more devastating than first imagined, pointing the intrepid detective toward a secret organization intent on nothing less than the destruction of contemporary Irish society. They call themselves the New Druids, dangerous zealots dedicated to returning Ireland to its ancient pagan state. Their deadly reach is wide, infiltrating the hallowed halls of Trinity College and quite possibly the Garda itself, forcing McGarr to doubt the loyalties of even his closest compatriots. With the dubious help of an unlikely "partner" -- the millionaire publisher of a disreputable "scandal sheet" -- McGarr undertakes the most perilous assignment of his career, plunging into a deadly maelstrom of secrets, deceptions, dark rituals...and the ever-escalating violence that even his most determined efforts cannot prevent. The crowning achievement of a magnificent career, Death in Dublin is a wonderful parting gift from the incomparable Bartholomew Gill -- one last exhilarating visit to the Emerald Isle in the company of the unforgettable folk the author and his devoted readers have loved so well.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1728686 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

A worthy sequel and a poignant goodbye.
For those of us who have shared Peter McGarr's life and his many professional challenges as Chief Superintendent of the Murder Squad of the Garda Siochana in Dublin, this novel comes as worthy sequel to Death of an Irish Sinner and a satisfying farewell to McGarr and his associates, with whom we have shared personal and professional tribulations. With the death of Bartholomew Gill this past summer, this series is at an end, though three out-of-print and hard-to-find early McGarr mysteries are now scheduled for reprinting.

This novel takes place two years after Gill's previous novel, Death of an Irish Sinner, in which McGarr and his associates investigated Agnus Dei, an extremist Catholic group, and experienced profound changes in their personal lives as a result. Here we see how McGarr, Hugh Ward, and Ruthie Bresnahan have coped with their changed circumstances and how they have continued their lives. We also see the return of Charles Stewart Parnell Sweeney, an Agnus Dei supporter and tabloid owner whom McGarr believes is at the heart of much illegal activity in Dublin. Though this novel is fully able to stand on its own merits, those who have read "Sinner" first will more fully appreciate the intricacies and revelations in plot and character which this sequel provides.

Here McGarr and his squad are called to investigate the theft of the Book of Kells and two other illuminated manuscripts from their hermetically sealed cases at Trinity College. The manuscripts' importance in Irish Catholic culture, the history of the Celts before the arrival of Christian missionaries, and a growing political party called the New Druids, a gang of former IRA thugs involved in organized crime and the torching of churches, are well detailed and dramatically impact the exciting and unusual plot. Skinheads, the tabloid press and its excesses, the growing use of Oxycontin, and the political machinations of Irish politicians add contemporary complications to the efforts to retrieve the ancient manuscripts.

As always, McGarr remains a practical, no-nonsense investigator, willing to throw the niceties of procedure out the window, if necessary, to achieve justice. His loyal staff, familiar to McGarr fans, all appear here, and McGarr's obvious affection for them and for his daughter gives real warmth to this novel. As McGarr, wounded professionally, emotionally, and physically wraps up the case, the reader is left with the feeling that though the novels will not continue, that McGarr will continue to work his way out of difficulties, as always, and that, emotionally, he will be OK. After two years his nemesis has been destroyed, he has made some new friendships, and most tellingly, he has resumed work on his much-loved garden. Though I'm saddened that the series has ended, I'm confident that McGarr will endure. Mary Whipple