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Paula Maguire #2
The Dead Ground
A stolen baby. A murdered woman. A decades-old atrocity. Something connects them all.
A month before Christmas, and Ballyterrin on the Irish border lies under a thick pall of snow. When a newborn baby goes missing from hospital, it's all too close to home for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, who's wrestling with the hardest decision of her life.
Then a woman is found in a stone circle with her stomach cut open and it's clear a brutal killer is on the loose.
As another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula is caught up in the hunt for a killer no one can trace, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
A month before Christmas, and Ballyterrin on the Irish border lies under a thick pall of snow. When a newborn baby goes missing from hospital, it's all too close to home for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, who's wrestling with the hardest decision of her life.
Then a woman is found in a stone circle with her stomach cut open and it's clear a brutal killer is on the loose.
As another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula is caught up in the hunt for a killer no one can trace, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
391 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
410 people are currently reading
1724 people want to read
About the author
Claire McGowan
43 books2,052 followersClaire McGowan grew up in a small village in Northern Ireland. After a degree in English and French from Oxford University she moved to London and worked in the charity sector. THE FALL is her first novel, which is followed by a series starring forensic psychologist Paula Maguire. She also writes as Eva Woods.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
December 31, 2015
No praise is too high for this wonderful author and the 2nd in this powerful series.
There is a clear DNA to her writing that has filled 2 books and continues on into 3 and 4 to come.
I really enjoy the characterisations and all the relationships from Paula who remains the 13 year old girl whose Mother disappeared one day when Paula returned home from school to an empty house. This fact is fundamental to her life even today as a 30 year old living back home with her Dad. It blunts her ability to share and make lasting relationships, I just love her tenderness to her Dad although they appear to have almost agreed without words, not to talk about their loss. I find it painful but captive reading to see how her once close friends are kept at arms length.
Despite all this wonderful human interest, we have the fascinating detective novel with all the office interaction and the consequences of her one night stand with her boss still unresolved.
The missing person's team is still trying to justify its existence and their close rivalry with the PSNI, the basic police department, continues to threaten their continued funding as a separate entity.
Here a stolen baby is taken on by the PSNI and their nose is put out briefly until they can focus on a missing doctor who advises women who may seek abortion; illegal in Northern Ireland. However both cases could be linked, but frustratingly little progress is made initially.
This is a real tense thriller with horrible consequences and no obvious motive; an element of careful planning but also cruel and almost senseless violence. The reason I thoroughly recommend this book is that it is carefully plotted and as a whole the story eventually makes sense. Meanwhile Paula moves on slowly with her life and her motivations and hopes for the future remain as unclear as ever.
There is a clear DNA to her writing that has filled 2 books and continues on into 3 and 4 to come.
I really enjoy the characterisations and all the relationships from Paula who remains the 13 year old girl whose Mother disappeared one day when Paula returned home from school to an empty house. This fact is fundamental to her life even today as a 30 year old living back home with her Dad. It blunts her ability to share and make lasting relationships, I just love her tenderness to her Dad although they appear to have almost agreed without words, not to talk about their loss. I find it painful but captive reading to see how her once close friends are kept at arms length.
Despite all this wonderful human interest, we have the fascinating detective novel with all the office interaction and the consequences of her one night stand with her boss still unresolved.
The missing person's team is still trying to justify its existence and their close rivalry with the PSNI, the basic police department, continues to threaten their continued funding as a separate entity.
Here a stolen baby is taken on by the PSNI and their nose is put out briefly until they can focus on a missing doctor who advises women who may seek abortion; illegal in Northern Ireland. However both cases could be linked, but frustratingly little progress is made initially.
This is a real tense thriller with horrible consequences and no obvious motive; an element of careful planning but also cruel and almost senseless violence. The reason I thoroughly recommend this book is that it is carefully plotted and as a whole the story eventually makes sense. Meanwhile Paula moves on slowly with her life and her motivations and hopes for the future remain as unclear as ever.
September 1, 2016
I waivered between 4 and 5 stars but the last third of the book really picked up and convinced me it was worth 5 stars. Paula McGuire faces a dilemma throughout this novel that develops at the end of the first. She continues to look for clues to solving her mother's disappearance when she was a teenager. Themes that are unique to a crime novel located on the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
This story focuses on the disappearance of babies, as well as murders. Paula and some colleagues are very suspicious of a local celebrity who claims to be a healer as well as someone who has a kind of second sight. Her origins are vague and when Paula and her supervisor go to Donegal to investigate they meet an elderly recluse living in the family home. McGowan seems to get it right when she has this elderly woman, who certainly knows English, speaking Irish to the visitors. And Paula dregs up some of her Irish, learned in her youth from a teacher who was a rabid Republican. This detail rings true as the study of the Irish language is not compulsory in Northern Ireland as it is in the Republic. But there are some language diehards and Republicans who embrace the language. These touches are what make McGowan's books compelling and ring true.
McGowan is quickly becoming one of my favorite crime novelists. Readers don't have to know a lot about Northern Ireland, but can trust that the details that McGowan includes are bang on.
This story focuses on the disappearance of babies, as well as murders. Paula and some colleagues are very suspicious of a local celebrity who claims to be a healer as well as someone who has a kind of second sight. Her origins are vague and when Paula and her supervisor go to Donegal to investigate they meet an elderly recluse living in the family home. McGowan seems to get it right when she has this elderly woman, who certainly knows English, speaking Irish to the visitors. And Paula dregs up some of her Irish, learned in her youth from a teacher who was a rabid Republican. This detail rings true as the study of the Irish language is not compulsory in Northern Ireland as it is in the Republic. But there are some language diehards and Republicans who embrace the language. These touches are what make McGowan's books compelling and ring true.
McGowan is quickly becoming one of my favorite crime novelists. Readers don't have to know a lot about Northern Ireland, but can trust that the details that McGowan includes are bang on.
January 30, 2014
Coming 10th April from Headline
Thank you SO much Claire McGowan for sending me a proof copy.
A stolen baby. A murdered woman. A decades-old atrocity. Something connects them all.
A month before Christmas, and Ballyterrin on the Irish border lies under a thick pall of snow. When a newborn baby goes missing from hospital, it’s all too close to home for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, who’s wrestling with the hardest decision of her life.
Last year I read “The Lost” the first in the Paula Maguire series from Claire McGowan and I loved every minute of it. Another series added to my “must reads” I was exceptionally happy to receive an advanced reading copy for the next book, “The Dead Ground”.
After the shocking finale to the last story, Paula is struggling with a huge decision so now is really not the best time for her to be immersed in an emotional and heart wrenching case involving a missing baby. Especially when it becomes clear that one missing child is not going to be the end of it. As the case becomes ever more complicated, Paula struggles to cope and yet somehow she must, in order to save lives.
I love these characters – Paula has such a depth to her and is one of the strongest female leads in a series to be found out there in the world of crime fiction currently. Still haunted by the loss of her mother at a young age and living in a world after “The Troubles” she is both one tough cookie and compellingly vulnerable all in one small package. She trips through life, often acting on impulse, yet highly intelligent and insightful. Surrounding her is an eclectic mix of supporting cast – her Father I am particularly fond of – and together they make for a heck of a team.
The Irish setting is well developed – as someone who knows very little about the background to that time, I find it fascinating how Claire McGowan can give you an understanding by letting her characters talk – when past haunts present as it does in a very real way there, it is through the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the people in the pages that you come to learn and almost see it for yourself.
The mystery element of this particular story is clever and compelling – it twists and turns its way to yet another superb finale, leaving Paula with a few more things to face next time yet wrapping up the current case, perhaps surprisingly – who knows? Me I usually beat the author but this is a twisty tale, how will you get on I wonder?
The personal relationships ongoing in this series is also one of the things I love about it. Particularly well developed and intriguing is the relationship Paula has with her Dad, hence why he is one of my favourite characters here. Her romantic life is beautifully complicated and I will admit that a lot of my time reading this was spent yelling at her about what she should be doing. Pfft. Who listens to me? I’m always right you know.
Overall a terrific read. Fast paced when it needs to be, offering moments for reflection and giving a real insight into both the smaller and larger community psyche if you like, I would highly recommend these for crime fiction aficionado’s. There is a lot of it about – seems everyone wants to write a great crime novel – well Ms McGowan manages that just fine. And seemingly with ease.
Happy Reading Folks!
Thank you SO much Claire McGowan for sending me a proof copy.
A stolen baby. A murdered woman. A decades-old atrocity. Something connects them all.
A month before Christmas, and Ballyterrin on the Irish border lies under a thick pall of snow. When a newborn baby goes missing from hospital, it’s all too close to home for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, who’s wrestling with the hardest decision of her life.
Last year I read “The Lost” the first in the Paula Maguire series from Claire McGowan and I loved every minute of it. Another series added to my “must reads” I was exceptionally happy to receive an advanced reading copy for the next book, “The Dead Ground”.
After the shocking finale to the last story, Paula is struggling with a huge decision so now is really not the best time for her to be immersed in an emotional and heart wrenching case involving a missing baby. Especially when it becomes clear that one missing child is not going to be the end of it. As the case becomes ever more complicated, Paula struggles to cope and yet somehow she must, in order to save lives.
I love these characters – Paula has such a depth to her and is one of the strongest female leads in a series to be found out there in the world of crime fiction currently. Still haunted by the loss of her mother at a young age and living in a world after “The Troubles” she is both one tough cookie and compellingly vulnerable all in one small package. She trips through life, often acting on impulse, yet highly intelligent and insightful. Surrounding her is an eclectic mix of supporting cast – her Father I am particularly fond of – and together they make for a heck of a team.
The Irish setting is well developed – as someone who knows very little about the background to that time, I find it fascinating how Claire McGowan can give you an understanding by letting her characters talk – when past haunts present as it does in a very real way there, it is through the thoughts, feelings and experiences of the people in the pages that you come to learn and almost see it for yourself.
The mystery element of this particular story is clever and compelling – it twists and turns its way to yet another superb finale, leaving Paula with a few more things to face next time yet wrapping up the current case, perhaps surprisingly – who knows? Me I usually beat the author but this is a twisty tale, how will you get on I wonder?
The personal relationships ongoing in this series is also one of the things I love about it. Particularly well developed and intriguing is the relationship Paula has with her Dad, hence why he is one of my favourite characters here. Her romantic life is beautifully complicated and I will admit that a lot of my time reading this was spent yelling at her about what she should be doing. Pfft. Who listens to me? I’m always right you know.
Overall a terrific read. Fast paced when it needs to be, offering moments for reflection and giving a real insight into both the smaller and larger community psyche if you like, I would highly recommend these for crime fiction aficionado’s. There is a lot of it about – seems everyone wants to write a great crime novel – well Ms McGowan manages that just fine. And seemingly with ease.
Happy Reading Folks!
July 13, 2014
The Dead Ground takes up the story from where The Lost, which was the first in the Paula McGuire series, ended. Paula McGuire, forensic psychologist is still in Ballyterrin, Northern Ireland with her father an ex-policeman and the ghost of her missing mother haunting her.
Paula is a likable character, she has made mistakes, not least with her boss DI Guy Brooking at the MPRU and newspaper owner Aiden O’Hara, but for now she has work to do, someone has snatched a baby from the hospital and there is a race against time to find him. This book has the constant theme of pregnancy and babies running all the way through it which although compelling, can be more than a little disturbing at times. It is impossible not to imagine the televised appeal for the return of a new-born baby or to wonder at the local hatred from both Catholics and Protestants, for the English doctor who helps pregnant women to arrange abortions. This is very much a modern novel which includes postings on social media site as well as placards to cajole Dr Alison Bates and anyone who wants to use her services into stopping. Alongside this is the insistence of the head of Serious Crime, DCI Helen Corry for the area on consulting the local psychic to find the new-born.
There was plenty to keep me turning the pages throughout this book, not least the on-going mystery of Paula’s missing mother as she searches in vain for clues to her disappearance seventeen years previously. I like that Paula makes mistakes, she doesn’t have the answers and she appears to have curbed the more maverick tendencies which featured in the last investigation. The plot moves at a pace with plenty of twists and turns although I had figured most of the whodunit by the time of the reveal.
An excellent read and one that has confirmed that I will be looking out for the third in the Paula McGuire, but one that does come with a warning that the subject matter is extremely sensitive and I for one would not recommend that you read this book if you are pregnant or have recently had a baby!
Although I’m sure this could be read as a stand-alone read I do think you’ll get more from this book if you read The Lost before picking this one up.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers Headline in return for this honest opinion ahead of the publication date of 10 April 2014!
Paula is a likable character, she has made mistakes, not least with her boss DI Guy Brooking at the MPRU and newspaper owner Aiden O’Hara, but for now she has work to do, someone has snatched a baby from the hospital and there is a race against time to find him. This book has the constant theme of pregnancy and babies running all the way through it which although compelling, can be more than a little disturbing at times. It is impossible not to imagine the televised appeal for the return of a new-born baby or to wonder at the local hatred from both Catholics and Protestants, for the English doctor who helps pregnant women to arrange abortions. This is very much a modern novel which includes postings on social media site as well as placards to cajole Dr Alison Bates and anyone who wants to use her services into stopping. Alongside this is the insistence of the head of Serious Crime, DCI Helen Corry for the area on consulting the local psychic to find the new-born.
There was plenty to keep me turning the pages throughout this book, not least the on-going mystery of Paula’s missing mother as she searches in vain for clues to her disappearance seventeen years previously. I like that Paula makes mistakes, she doesn’t have the answers and she appears to have curbed the more maverick tendencies which featured in the last investigation. The plot moves at a pace with plenty of twists and turns although I had figured most of the whodunit by the time of the reveal.
An excellent read and one that has confirmed that I will be looking out for the third in the Paula McGuire, but one that does come with a warning that the subject matter is extremely sensitive and I for one would not recommend that you read this book if you are pregnant or have recently had a baby!
Although I’m sure this could be read as a stand-alone read I do think you’ll get more from this book if you read The Lost before picking this one up.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers Headline in return for this honest opinion ahead of the publication date of 10 April 2014!
November 19, 2015
Full disclosure: I know Claire personally. We’ve got pissed together in a staggering number of places. I’m a writer, I hang out with other writers, I knew it wouldn’t be long until I got round to reviewing a pal’s book. I’m not going to pull the wordy wool over your eyes and neglect to mention our relationship. That’s not cool. But I will let you know my policy for reading and reviewing my mate’s books (whether on a public forum or face to face): only say something if you liked it. Everyone’s different with different tastes, and even a bad book is hard to write. There’s no point needlessly hurting the feelings of your writing buddy if you don’t dig their work. However, if you love it, and you love them, it’s your duty to tell anyone who’ll listen how bloody brilliant it is. And McGowan’s book is bloody and brilliant.
The Dead Ground is the second in McGowan’s Paula McGuire series. Paula is a forensic psychologist in a current day Northern Ireland specialist team investigating missing persons. In The Dead Ground she is investigating a stolen baby and, in case with many dark twists and turns, soon the disappearance of a heavily pregnant woman…and more. Paula is also pregnant and she doesn’t know who the baby daddy is, and whether she wants to keep it. Let’s hear it for an interesting, multifaceted strong female lead. You know, like a real life woman.
Just like McGowan’s first book in the Paula McGuire series, The Lost, this one plunged me into a world I thought I was familiar with from the telly box news. Turns out I know nothing about post- troubles Northern Ireland. McGowan’s writing illuminates a unique culture, in which the tensions of the past permeate the present. It makes for a fascinating and complex backdrop to what is an incredibly gripping, and at times distressing, story. Be warned the prologue is particularly brutal. And to think I’ve slept in the same room as the mind that conjured that up.
The Dead Ground is the second in McGowan’s Paula McGuire series. Paula is a forensic psychologist in a current day Northern Ireland specialist team investigating missing persons. In The Dead Ground she is investigating a stolen baby and, in case with many dark twists and turns, soon the disappearance of a heavily pregnant woman…and more. Paula is also pregnant and she doesn’t know who the baby daddy is, and whether she wants to keep it. Let’s hear it for an interesting, multifaceted strong female lead. You know, like a real life woman.
Just like McGowan’s first book in the Paula McGuire series, The Lost, this one plunged me into a world I thought I was familiar with from the telly box news. Turns out I know nothing about post- troubles Northern Ireland. McGowan’s writing illuminates a unique culture, in which the tensions of the past permeate the present. It makes for a fascinating and complex backdrop to what is an incredibly gripping, and at times distressing, story. Be warned the prologue is particularly brutal. And to think I’ve slept in the same room as the mind that conjured that up.
October 17, 2015
An engrossing mystery with plenty of local color and information about Irish history, but Paula spent waaaay too much time mooning around Guy, when some of us are Team Hey Let's Solve These Crimes First Then Think About Romance. A little too unbalanced (Aidan has like, four lines total, appears twice) but still a satisfying read.
September 18, 2024
Like always McGowan delivers. Absolute page turner through and through.
What I enjoy most is how developed Paula’s character is and her ability to read people and at the same time know what she gives away.
The story is not as much mystery but the thriller aspect is so vivid and you simply can’t stop till the end. Time for the Silen Dead.
What I enjoy most is how developed Paula’s character is and her ability to read people and at the same time know what she gives away.
The story is not as much mystery but the thriller aspect is so vivid and you simply can’t stop till the end. Time for the Silen Dead.
May 4, 2020
Imagine being in the middle of a complex criminal investigation. A stranger comes up to you, hands you a bunch of letters and runs off. Instead of taking ten minutes of your day (which you spend faffing about who could possibly be the father of your unborn child - tip: probably the one you had unprotected sex with) reading the letters, you stuff them in your pocket, don't tell your boss and eventually pass them on to your father asking him to look at them because, I don't know, you've suddenly lost your reading skills. This is only one of many inexplicable decisions Paula makes, and the greatest mystery in the book is why she is so highly respected in her profession seeing as she is shit at her job. Anyway, as long as you can suspend disbelief it's a page-turner for sure.
August 9, 2019
Second book in a series and again, a farfetched ending. Paula’s behavior, as a professional and part of the team investigating the crimes, is disconcerting. I suppose it makes for more drama, but to me, it makes me question her choices and professionalism. The ending in both books was a bit abrupt; not sure if I will bother reading the next in this series.
April 29, 2016
Geweldige serie!
October 12, 2023
3 stars
It's been quite a while that I read the first instalment and I seem to remember that I liked that one, better than this one. Especially Paula had me roll my eyes quite frequently. Decent enough plot, though perhaps a bit farfetched.
Characters 6
Atmosphere 7
Writing Style 6
Plot/Premise 6
Execution/Setup 5
Logic 5
Enjoyment/Engrossment 6
Narration 6
It's been quite a while that I read the first instalment and I seem to remember that I liked that one, better than this one. Especially Paula had me roll my eyes quite frequently. Decent enough plot, though perhaps a bit farfetched.
Characters 6
Atmosphere 7
Writing Style 6
Plot/Premise 6
Execution/Setup 5
Logic 5
Enjoyment/Engrossment 6
Narration 6
August 28, 2017
I was surprised enough to write a wee review.
The book is dark, full of twists and packed with action. None of the things that by themselves warrant a 4-5 star review - not for me at least. I know what I'm getting into with books like these, I listen to them while doing dishes, running errands or performing especially dull tasks at work. They are fairly decent and serve the purpose of not letting me die of boredom but at the same time they don't require my full attention which is sometimes extremely convenient.
However, The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan managed to surprise me. I thought the first of the books in the Paula McGuire series (The Lost) was OK - definitely not great or even good, but OK - for me the key is to manage your expectations before starting to read/listen to a so called "bestselling page-turner". But the sequel had certain depths that I was not expecting, pretty spectacular character development (for the genre) and - this I liked the most - really great pacing. It did not feel drawn out but allowed time for the characters to reveal their motivations in natural and believable way.
I'm not going to comment on the plot, but it is pretty gruesome. Anyhow, after finishing it, I really don't think that 10+ hours of my life were wasted.
The book is dark, full of twists and packed with action. None of the things that by themselves warrant a 4-5 star review - not for me at least. I know what I'm getting into with books like these, I listen to them while doing dishes, running errands or performing especially dull tasks at work. They are fairly decent and serve the purpose of not letting me die of boredom but at the same time they don't require my full attention which is sometimes extremely convenient.
However, The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan managed to surprise me. I thought the first of the books in the Paula McGuire series (The Lost) was OK - definitely not great or even good, but OK - for me the key is to manage your expectations before starting to read/listen to a so called "bestselling page-turner". But the sequel had certain depths that I was not expecting, pretty spectacular character development (for the genre) and - this I liked the most - really great pacing. It did not feel drawn out but allowed time for the characters to reveal their motivations in natural and believable way.
I'm not going to comment on the plot, but it is pretty gruesome. Anyhow, after finishing it, I really don't think that 10+ hours of my life were wasted.
January 29, 2023
I bought this book for 99p, without looking at what it was about, and perhaps reading a book about pregnant women and babies being victims wasn’t the best idea, one month post-partum. But I persevered, and it wasn’t too disturbing.
It wasn’t good though.
It was an easy read, and I liked the setting, with the cross-border cooperation and the legacy of the troubles.
And now for the buts. The main character is a drip, I didn’t believe in her job, and she didn’t seem to be great at it. Some of the observations were just so obvious, and it took her ages to remember certain things, or even do certain things ! Like, she’s given a bundle of letters by a mysterious stranger, which could help with the case, and doesn’t bother reading them for a day, and even then delegates to her dad! And she’s not the only one. When she asks her colleague if his wife was working on the day of a crime he says “let’s leave my family out of it “ Eh, she could be a witness !
The book treats of Ireland’s attitude towards abortion. One of the victims is targeted because of her work helping women access abortion services. And the anti-choice brigade are not depicted in a positive light. BUT the main character, who is struggling with what to do about her unplanned pregnancy, entertains some very dodgy thoughts about the issue, at one point comparing a women who killed her 3 month old baby to an abortion at 8 weeks gestation.
It also doesn’t seem like the author has researched pregnancy. She makes mistakes about how the number of weeks is calculated, refers to her main character as not being able to fit in her clothes very early on, and then lets her know the sex of the baby well before what is actually possible.
So no. It just struck me as sloppy. And I wasn’t dying to find out whodunnit either.
It wasn’t good though.
It was an easy read, and I liked the setting, with the cross-border cooperation and the legacy of the troubles.
And now for the buts. The main character is a drip, I didn’t believe in her job, and she didn’t seem to be great at it. Some of the observations were just so obvious, and it took her ages to remember certain things, or even do certain things ! Like, she’s given a bundle of letters by a mysterious stranger, which could help with the case, and doesn’t bother reading them for a day, and even then delegates to her dad! And she’s not the only one. When she asks her colleague if his wife was working on the day of a crime he says “let’s leave my family out of it “ Eh, she could be a witness !
The book treats of Ireland’s attitude towards abortion. One of the victims is targeted because of her work helping women access abortion services. And the anti-choice brigade are not depicted in a positive light. BUT the main character, who is struggling with what to do about her unplanned pregnancy, entertains some very dodgy thoughts about the issue, at one point comparing a women who killed her 3 month old baby to an abortion at 8 weeks gestation.
It also doesn’t seem like the author has researched pregnancy. She makes mistakes about how the number of weeks is calculated, refers to her main character as not being able to fit in her clothes very early on, and then lets her know the sex of the baby well before what is actually possible.
So no. It just struck me as sloppy. And I wasn’t dying to find out whodunnit either.
June 29, 2017
Listened to in audio format.
I am new to the Dr Paula McGuire series. I read Claire's first book The Lost a week ago and it had such an unexpected finale I could not wait to listen to book 2. I am glad to say The Dead Ground is just as good.
I have to say this book is very disturbing, if you are pregnant I would not recommend this book. Paula is two months pregnant and is not sure whether to keep the baby or not. The father could be her boss Guy Brooking, or childhood sweetheart and journalist Aidan O'Hara.
When a baby is stolen from the local maternity unit, the team are approached by a local psychic/faith healer who wants to help. Guy is sceptical and thinks she must a charlatan but her visions do help find the baby.
Then Alison Bates a pro-choice Dr is found brutally murdered. A baby is abducted from her back yard and the pregnant sister of one of her colleagues is brutally attacked. Paula's Father PJ realises that the cases are linked to a incident from the past. When the killer kidnaps Paula, it is a race against time to save her and the baby.
The book is set in current day Northern Ireland but the troubles are still in the background. Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and Claire describes protesters picketing outside Alison Bate's clinic for offering advise on abortion.
In Paula's home life her mother has been declared dead after going missing in 1993. PJ has proposed to Aidan's mother and potential grandmother to her unborn baby.
This series is just getting stronger. I did not guess the culprit and the reason for the killings was very sad. Highly recommended, on to book 3.
I am new to the Dr Paula McGuire series. I read Claire's first book The Lost a week ago and it had such an unexpected finale I could not wait to listen to book 2. I am glad to say The Dead Ground is just as good.
I have to say this book is very disturbing, if you are pregnant I would not recommend this book. Paula is two months pregnant and is not sure whether to keep the baby or not. The father could be her boss Guy Brooking, or childhood sweetheart and journalist Aidan O'Hara.
When a baby is stolen from the local maternity unit, the team are approached by a local psychic/faith healer who wants to help. Guy is sceptical and thinks she must a charlatan but her visions do help find the baby.
Then Alison Bates a pro-choice Dr is found brutally murdered. A baby is abducted from her back yard and the pregnant sister of one of her colleagues is brutally attacked. Paula's Father PJ realises that the cases are linked to a incident from the past. When the killer kidnaps Paula, it is a race against time to save her and the baby.
The book is set in current day Northern Ireland but the troubles are still in the background. Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and Claire describes protesters picketing outside Alison Bate's clinic for offering advise on abortion.
In Paula's home life her mother has been declared dead after going missing in 1993. PJ has proposed to Aidan's mother and potential grandmother to her unborn baby.
This series is just getting stronger. I did not guess the culprit and the reason for the killings was very sad. Highly recommended, on to book 3.
March 16, 2018
This novel takes place almost directly after its predecessor The Lost. Doctor Paula Maguire finally has to accept that she is pregnant. In many ways this sets the premise for all the major themes covered in the novel: pregnancy, childbirth, babies, abortion, motherhood.
Paula is still haunted by the disappearance of her mother 17 years previously which occasionally sours her otherwise wonderful relationship with her father PJ. In a novel awash with child abductions, murder and torture, it is often the personal relationships between the central characters which create the most tension.
In the end, this is a wonderfully complex and thoughtful novel, alternately funny and heartbreaking, with a thrilling finale.
Paula is still haunted by the disappearance of her mother 17 years previously which occasionally sours her otherwise wonderful relationship with her father PJ. In a novel awash with child abductions, murder and torture, it is often the personal relationships between the central characters which create the most tension.
In the end, this is a wonderfully complex and thoughtful novel, alternately funny and heartbreaking, with a thrilling finale.
September 12, 2018
When a new-born baby is kidnapped from a hospital in Ballyterrin, a chain of events linking back to a dark incident in the past is set in motion. Paula Maguire, forensic psychologist for the missing persons unit is battling her own personal demons whilst trying to shed light on the case. With few leads and time running against them as kidnap turns to murder, the team has to work hard to stop the killer. Well-paced with engaging characters - looking forward to reading others in the series.
April 8, 2014
Working with the police in a small Irish border down, neither psychologist Paula McGuire, or any of her colleagues, have ever had to deal with a spate of baby snatching before. It is baffling when the first baby is returned, alive and well, after so much effort was put into the snatching the newborn from a maternity ward in the first place. The taking of another child puts the entire community of Ballyterrin on watch; whose child will be next? The brutal slaying of a pro-choice Doctor soon after has everyone talking; a life for many lives taken seems to be the general consensus. As Paula has her own secret that she is not quite ready to tell, it becomes increasingly difficult to put her personal views on hold for the investigation. The killer may be all too aware of what that secret is.
There is a terrific sense of immediacy with this read; we’re transported into the action very swiftly and thus soon find ourselves tramping around in the Irish cold, knocking on doors, bantering with our police colleagues etc. The series characters are sketched rather economically in THE DEAD GROUND but this does serve them well and will make new readers to McGowan want to afterwards trip off to hunt down her first title for this series, THE FALL. The history of the relationships between our protagonist and her family, the police both sides of the border and those that are close to our leading lady Paula McGuire are intriguing and appear worthy of further exploration.
Whilst this novel is set in present day, when reading there is a still a curious need to suspend your sense of time; the issues of the day getting everyone hot and bothered in THE DEAD GROUND might not still arise as conversation starters in your part of the world.
What is successfully included in THE DEAD GROUND is the myriad of plot threads for future works. The effort at ground level has been put in for a series of novels.
If you’re up for a new crime series, THE DEAD GROUND is an entirely satisfactory entry point though two novels in. Paula McGuire is not a dressed up doll made to lead the investigative charge, she is charmingly relatable and one that you will look forward to seeing again.
There is a terrific sense of immediacy with this read; we’re transported into the action very swiftly and thus soon find ourselves tramping around in the Irish cold, knocking on doors, bantering with our police colleagues etc. The series characters are sketched rather economically in THE DEAD GROUND but this does serve them well and will make new readers to McGowan want to afterwards trip off to hunt down her first title for this series, THE FALL. The history of the relationships between our protagonist and her family, the police both sides of the border and those that are close to our leading lady Paula McGuire are intriguing and appear worthy of further exploration.
Whilst this novel is set in present day, when reading there is a still a curious need to suspend your sense of time; the issues of the day getting everyone hot and bothered in THE DEAD GROUND might not still arise as conversation starters in your part of the world.
What is successfully included in THE DEAD GROUND is the myriad of plot threads for future works. The effort at ground level has been put in for a series of novels.
If you’re up for a new crime series, THE DEAD GROUND is an entirely satisfactory entry point though two novels in. Paula McGuire is not a dressed up doll made to lead the investigative charge, she is charmingly relatable and one that you will look forward to seeing again.
July 13, 2014
In deel 1, 'Verloren', liet Claire McGowan nog wat steekjes vallen (zie mijn recensie). In deel 2, 'Barre grond', is ze daar waar ze wezen moet: meeslepend en spannend verhaal, mooi geschreven, prima balans tussen werk- en privéleven van Paula Maguire cum suis, de personages krijgen allengs meer karakter. McGowans ontwikkeling als auteur gaat pijlsnel, een compliment is hier op zijn plaats.
'Barre grond' speelt zich wederom af in Noord-Ierland, perfecte locatie voor een thriller als deze. De Noord-Zuid-problematiek wordt ook in dit tweede deel van de Paula Maguire-reeks aangestipt, maar is minder prominent aanwezig dan in 'Verloren'. Logisch, want 'Barre grond' heeft abortus als hoofdthema en daarover zijn beide partijen het in grote lijnen eens: abortus is uit den boze. Wie zich desondanks wil laten aborteren gaat naar de praktijk van dokter Bates, die voor de vrouwen een doorverwijzing naar Engeland kan regelen.
Paula Maguire is zwanger, weet niet van wie en weet ook nog niet of ze het kind wil houden. Zij maakt een afspraak bij dokter Bates, die verdwenen blijkt. Een dag eerder is een pasgeboren baby meegenomen uit het ziekenhuis. Is er een verband tussen de verdwijning van deze baby en de arts? Op aanwijzingen van een 'helderziende' wordt de baby levend teruggevonden. Dan wordt er weer een kindje vermist en vlak daarna een hoogzwangere vrouw. Hoe loopt dit af? Zijn Paula en inspecteur Guy Brooking er tijdig bij om hun levens te redden? En hoe zit het tussen die twee? En tussen Paula en journalist Aidan O'Hara?
Het is een zware periode voor Paula, zowel op haar werk als in de persoonlijke sfeer, want ondertussen probeert ze ook nog meer informatie boven water te krijgen over de verdwijning van haar moeder, zeventien jaar geleden.
Niet alles is opgelost of duidelijk aan het eind van het boek, maar de cliffhangers zijn aanzienlijk minder storend dan aan het eind van deel 1. Ik hoop dat Claire McGowan hard werkt aan deel 3, ik kijk ernaar uit!
Waarschuwing!
'Barre grond' draait voornamelijk om baby's, zwangerschappen en abortusproblematiek en het bevat gruwelijke passages.
'Barre grond' speelt zich wederom af in Noord-Ierland, perfecte locatie voor een thriller als deze. De Noord-Zuid-problematiek wordt ook in dit tweede deel van de Paula Maguire-reeks aangestipt, maar is minder prominent aanwezig dan in 'Verloren'. Logisch, want 'Barre grond' heeft abortus als hoofdthema en daarover zijn beide partijen het in grote lijnen eens: abortus is uit den boze. Wie zich desondanks wil laten aborteren gaat naar de praktijk van dokter Bates, die voor de vrouwen een doorverwijzing naar Engeland kan regelen.
Paula Maguire is zwanger, weet niet van wie en weet ook nog niet of ze het kind wil houden. Zij maakt een afspraak bij dokter Bates, die verdwenen blijkt. Een dag eerder is een pasgeboren baby meegenomen uit het ziekenhuis. Is er een verband tussen de verdwijning van deze baby en de arts? Op aanwijzingen van een 'helderziende' wordt de baby levend teruggevonden. Dan wordt er weer een kindje vermist en vlak daarna een hoogzwangere vrouw. Hoe loopt dit af? Zijn Paula en inspecteur Guy Brooking er tijdig bij om hun levens te redden? En hoe zit het tussen die twee? En tussen Paula en journalist Aidan O'Hara?
Het is een zware periode voor Paula, zowel op haar werk als in de persoonlijke sfeer, want ondertussen probeert ze ook nog meer informatie boven water te krijgen over de verdwijning van haar moeder, zeventien jaar geleden.
Niet alles is opgelost of duidelijk aan het eind van het boek, maar de cliffhangers zijn aanzienlijk minder storend dan aan het eind van deel 1. Ik hoop dat Claire McGowan hard werkt aan deel 3, ik kijk ernaar uit!
Waarschuwing!
'Barre grond' draait voornamelijk om baby's, zwangerschappen en abortusproblematiek en het bevat gruwelijke passages.
June 26, 2016
Firsly I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a paperback copy of this book for review. I also ended up buying the book on kindle so my Mum could enjoy it. And as I don't always have room to store books, it's a good way of getting to keep a copy.
Book 2 in the Paula MaGuire Series. I recently read book 1 The Lost And really enjoyed it.
You can read my review of that on my blog. or clicking here.
So here we are again back with the wonderful Paula. She's a little mixed up this time, with things going on in her private life that she is so unsure of.
She is faced with helping on a kidnapping case, as a forensic psychologist she works very closely with the police in the missing persons unit. Sometimes a little to closely.
This case soon turns into a murder case, and its down to the team to figure out what the hell is going on, and why babies are being taken from their parents.
Is there a link somewhere of is it just some mad Man/Woman taking them randomly.
Time is running out, if they are to save other babies, and save themselves then this team needs to act and act fast.
As I said this is the 2nd book I have read from this author featuring Paula McGuire, and she's a character I'm really beginning to like. I keep rooting for her, want to tell her off when she makes the wrong decisions, and root for her in what she does.
I was gutted I didn't get the answer to the one question throughout this book, that I wanted to know. ( I wont say as I don't want to spoil it). But I am so glad I now have book 3 to start, and I'm sure then next book will have to answer those lingering questions.
Overall - An interesting read, you can get lost in the story, and feel a part of it. I would recommend reading the first book for the character background. But all in all a good book and a 4/5 from me.
Book 2 in the Paula MaGuire Series. I recently read book 1 The Lost And really enjoyed it.
You can read my review of that on my blog. or clicking here.
So here we are again back with the wonderful Paula. She's a little mixed up this time, with things going on in her private life that she is so unsure of.
She is faced with helping on a kidnapping case, as a forensic psychologist she works very closely with the police in the missing persons unit. Sometimes a little to closely.
This case soon turns into a murder case, and its down to the team to figure out what the hell is going on, and why babies are being taken from their parents.
Is there a link somewhere of is it just some mad Man/Woman taking them randomly.
Time is running out, if they are to save other babies, and save themselves then this team needs to act and act fast.
As I said this is the 2nd book I have read from this author featuring Paula McGuire, and she's a character I'm really beginning to like. I keep rooting for her, want to tell her off when she makes the wrong decisions, and root for her in what she does.
I was gutted I didn't get the answer to the one question throughout this book, that I wanted to know. ( I wont say as I don't want to spoil it). But I am so glad I now have book 3 to start, and I'm sure then next book will have to answer those lingering questions.
Overall - An interesting read, you can get lost in the story, and feel a part of it. I would recommend reading the first book for the character background. But all in all a good book and a 4/5 from me.
July 26, 2016
I was thrilled to receive this as a first reads giveaway as I'd already read The Lost by the same author. The second in the series, set in the border town of Ballyterrin where Dr Paula Maguire is working with the police as a forensic psychologist. The opening scene is well written and takes you straight into the storyline involving a missing newborn child and a separate incident of a murdered woman, these events are quickly followed by others.
The scene setting of a small border town was good, the underlying tensions left after the peace process are very good and the storyline moved along at a good pace. The characters were well rounded as are Paula's family who she has returned to live with after a long period away on the mainland.
The plot does involve gruesome scenes and I felt this was done really well, descriptive but not overdone. There are plenty of twists and turns which kept it interesting and I found myself warming a bit more towards Paula as a character in this book, though I must still confess to being somewhat exasperated by her at times.
Whilst this book could certainly be read as a standalone novel I would recommend reading The Lost, the first in the series beforehand
A good read and I look forward to seeing how things develop in the third.
The scene setting of a small border town was good, the underlying tensions left after the peace process are very good and the storyline moved along at a good pace. The characters were well rounded as are Paula's family who she has returned to live with after a long period away on the mainland.
The plot does involve gruesome scenes and I felt this was done really well, descriptive but not overdone. There are plenty of twists and turns which kept it interesting and I found myself warming a bit more towards Paula as a character in this book, though I must still confess to being somewhat exasperated by her at times.
Whilst this book could certainly be read as a standalone novel I would recommend reading The Lost, the first in the series beforehand
A good read and I look forward to seeing how things develop in the third.
July 22, 2020
I love Claire McGowan's work - I think she's a hugely talented writer, with so many wonderful descriptive phrases. This is only the second of her novels I've read, but I'm glad I have another two Paula Maguire books to read, as well as some of her other work.
Paula is a forensic psychologist based in the Missing Persons Unit in a town in Northern Ireland. She also has - to put it mildly - a somewhat complex personal life, without entering spoiler territory.
In this novel she's thrust into helping profile and identify the person abducting babies in the town, as well as heavily pregnant women with the intention of giving them caesarean sections so they can steal the newborn. This means the team are in a real race against time to save both the babies and the mothers.
A wonderfully strong supporting cast, as well as superb depictions of Northern Ireland and the emotive religious issues associated with pregnancy and childbirth, make this a book which has you really rooting for the likeable (but not perfect) Paula, and the team, from the off. I know I'm late to the party with this one (the usual - too many books, not enough time) but I absolutely can't wait to read numbers three and four. A book I really struggled to tear myself away from - classy, original crime fiction.
Paula is a forensic psychologist based in the Missing Persons Unit in a town in Northern Ireland. She also has - to put it mildly - a somewhat complex personal life, without entering spoiler territory.
In this novel she's thrust into helping profile and identify the person abducting babies in the town, as well as heavily pregnant women with the intention of giving them caesarean sections so they can steal the newborn. This means the team are in a real race against time to save both the babies and the mothers.
A wonderfully strong supporting cast, as well as superb depictions of Northern Ireland and the emotive religious issues associated with pregnancy and childbirth, make this a book which has you really rooting for the likeable (but not perfect) Paula, and the team, from the off. I know I'm late to the party with this one (the usual - too many books, not enough time) but I absolutely can't wait to read numbers three and four. A book I really struggled to tear myself away from - classy, original crime fiction.
February 3, 2017
As a Northern Ireland novelist I have always made a point of never mentioning The Troubles, politics or the religious divide in any of my books. It just never sat right with me; creating entertainment based on the worst period in my country's recent history. Too many people who lived through those times are still around, and I think profiting off it, in books films, TV shows, etc. is in very poor taste and belittles what they went through.
OK, that's my soap box rant over.
I admit I only read the first chapter of this, but it was enough to see where it was going and put me off. It's a shame because I'm always looking for other NI writers to read, but this stuff just doesn't interest me.
Sorry, Claire, but this review is a reflection of my taste more than your writing.
OK, that's my soap box rant over.
I admit I only read the first chapter of this, but it was enough to see where it was going and put me off. It's a shame because I'm always looking for other NI writers to read, but this stuff just doesn't interest me.
Sorry, Claire, but this review is a reflection of my taste more than your writing.
May 5, 2014
Received this book through First Reads.
Paula Maguire is involved in providing psychological profiles of criminals in her role for the police. This latest set of cases are the toughest yet. The story kept me guessing right up to the end, and there is still one piece of information I would love to know, but I'd guess there will be another book featuring Paula!
If you are currently pregnant I would not recommend reading this book for a while as it is quite disturbing. Otherwise its a very good book that I enjoyed reading.
Paula Maguire is involved in providing psychological profiles of criminals in her role for the police. This latest set of cases are the toughest yet. The story kept me guessing right up to the end, and there is still one piece of information I would love to know, but I'd guess there will be another book featuring Paula!
If you are currently pregnant I would not recommend reading this book for a while as it is quite disturbing. Otherwise its a very good book that I enjoyed reading.
October 10, 2016
The timing couldn't be worse for psychological profiler Dr. Paula McGuire when she is called in to help with a series of murders involving abducted babies and pregnant women. Herself pregnant, she is not sure whether to have an abortion or even who the father is. What's more, the case also seems to be tied to horrific case that her father was involved years ago on the day her mother disappeared. Strong sense of place and good characterization if somewhat unlikely plot..
April 8, 2018
This 2nd book in the series is a very gripping read about stolen babies. Paula's personal life has become very interesting and complex just like the mystery involving the babies. The book is a real page-turner and hard to put down. The author makes you feel like you are in Northern Ireland experiencing everything that is happening there. Can't wait to read the 3rd book in order to find out more about these intriguing characters.
July 13, 2018
Interesting and entertaining but not overly compelling. The storyline and characters are OK but I found the ending a tad too predictable, and overly complex. By predictable I mean not necessarily the identify of the "offender" but more what part the main character would play in the ending and how it would unfold. Because of that only three stars from me.
October 23, 2015
A 2.5 star book as the mystery was reasonably well done but a bit too much of a soap opera feel to the other parts of the story. Paula is interesting enough that I may try the next book to see if the character matures.
August 1, 2016
While this is a good book it is probably at the low end of 4 ratings. Slightly confusing (there are quite a few police characters) but only slightly. I am anxious to read the next book in the series which is always a good sign.
May 19, 2019
Motherhood
Die deutsche Ausgabe heißt "Bittet nicht um Gnade"
2010, Ballyterrin (a fictive town on the Northern Ireland border)
A newborn has disappeared from the hospital - was this a woman desperate to have a child of her own or is this rather an attack against the little boy's Polish parents? Forensic psychiatrist Paula Maguire, consultant for the MPRU (Missing Persons Response Unit), is working on that case while at the same time she has to make up her own mind about whether to have a baby or not, given the situation she is in. When she goes to see gynecologist Dr. Bates, the doc never shows up for the appointment, but soon is reported missing, too. Then a faith healer gives the police clues about where to find the missing baby boy - shortly before yet another baby is reported missing and the dead body of a woman is found.
This second book in the Paula Maguire series could be read standalone as far as the case and the characters are concerned - the case is fresh, the characters' backgrounds are explained so cleverly, in small portions, it was not boring to me even knowing the first book. You still should expect some spoilers, as the series uses something I liked in TV with stories such as "The Mentalist" or "Castle": you have a new case in each book, and an underlying one at the background of the series, here related to Paula's family (like the Mentalist looking for Red John, who had killed his wife and daughter; or Kate Beckett trying to figure out who killed her mother). The same is true about developments about Paula's present - so there is tad more in this book about Paula's private life, as she is trying to make up her mind about her pregnancy. I have read that others found that too much - I did not. I rather find those mysteries/thrillers boring with too much of a love story, but that is just my personal taste.
Frankly spoken, this book may not be something for the reader who has an issue about women unsure whether to have a baby or not - as much as I favor the use of anti-contraception over abortion, I favor abortion over skelotons found in freezers or babies dumped or simply unwanted (and yes, this is very black or white). And yes, Paula had sex without having gotten married first and there are two men who might have fathered her baby.
The book has kept up the speed, the unexpected twists and dry humour I had come to love with its predecessor, like when Paula gives a cover-up story for her constant pregnancy induced throwing up to her colleagues: "Must have been a twenty-four-hour-thing." Twenty-four years, more like. p 37
It was a positive surprise that the topical case is very much different from the first: Disappearences but different ages, something related to giving birth (probably - just find out yourself), and the missing showing up in a setup somehow related to religious scenes. Again, there is a lot of local life woven in, expressions like "God love them", wee, aye, pet make the reader feel like being there. And yet another hit close to home for Paula in what I had in the previous book's review referred to as the "golden thread" within the series, that Paula tries to come to some understanding about the disappearence of her own mother throughout all books.
5 stars, also to praise the author that I could have guessed it all if only I had read more attentively in two places...
Die deutsche Ausgabe heißt "Bittet nicht um Gnade"
2010, Ballyterrin (a fictive town on the Northern Ireland border)
A newborn has disappeared from the hospital - was this a woman desperate to have a child of her own or is this rather an attack against the little boy's Polish parents? Forensic psychiatrist Paula Maguire, consultant for the MPRU (Missing Persons Response Unit), is working on that case while at the same time she has to make up her own mind about whether to have a baby or not, given the situation she is in. When she goes to see gynecologist Dr. Bates, the doc never shows up for the appointment, but soon is reported missing, too. Then a faith healer gives the police clues about where to find the missing baby boy - shortly before yet another baby is reported missing and the dead body of a woman is found.
This second book in the Paula Maguire series could be read standalone as far as the case and the characters are concerned - the case is fresh, the characters' backgrounds are explained so cleverly, in small portions, it was not boring to me even knowing the first book. You still should expect some spoilers, as the series uses something I liked in TV with stories such as "The Mentalist" or "Castle": you have a new case in each book, and an underlying one at the background of the series, here related to Paula's family (like the Mentalist looking for Red John, who had killed his wife and daughter; or Kate Beckett trying to figure out who killed her mother). The same is true about developments about Paula's present - so there is tad more in this book about Paula's private life, as she is trying to make up her mind about her pregnancy. I have read that others found that too much - I did not. I rather find those mysteries/thrillers boring with too much of a love story, but that is just my personal taste.
Frankly spoken, this book may not be something for the reader who has an issue about women unsure whether to have a baby or not - as much as I favor the use of anti-contraception over abortion, I favor abortion over skelotons found in freezers or babies dumped or simply unwanted (and yes, this is very black or white). And yes, Paula had sex without having gotten married first and there are two men who might have fathered her baby.
The book has kept up the speed, the unexpected twists and dry humour I had come to love with its predecessor, like when Paula gives a cover-up story for her constant pregnancy induced throwing up to her colleagues: "Must have been a twenty-four-hour-thing." Twenty-four years, more like. p 37
It was a positive surprise that the topical case is very much different from the first: Disappearences but different ages, something related to giving birth (probably - just find out yourself), and the missing showing up in a setup somehow related to religious scenes. Again, there is a lot of local life woven in, expressions like "God love them", wee, aye, pet make the reader feel like being there. And yet another hit close to home for Paula in what I had in the previous book's review referred to as the "golden thread" within the series, that Paula tries to come to some understanding about the disappearence of her own mother throughout all books.
5 stars, also to praise the author that I could have guessed it all if only I had read more attentively in two places...
July 7, 2023
Paula Maguires neuer Fall verlangt ihr einiges ab. Ein Neugeborenes wurde aus dem Krankenhaus entführt. Kurz darauf findet man die verstümmelte Leiche einer jungen Frau in einem Steinkreis – sie war schwanger, doch von dem Kind fehlt jede Spur. Diesmal ist die forensische Pathologin besonders von dem Fall betroffen, denn die Spuren führen in ihre eigenes Vergangenheit.
Das Buch hat mich von Anfang an in seinem Bann gezogen. Das erste Kapitel wird aus der Sicht von Paulas Vater erzählt, der Anfang der 90er Jahre einer Frau sagen muss, dass ihr Mann von der IRA getötet werden soll. Claire McGowan beschreibt, wie er den Anruf seiner Dienststelle frühmorgens entgegennimmt, wie er sich von seiner Frau verabschiedet, noch einmal nach seiner Tochter sieht und dann losfährt. Was er im Haus der Frau vorfindet, übertrifft seine schlimmsten Befürchtungen. Das ist so eindringlich beschrieben, dass ich kurz Pause machen musste um das ganze sacken zu lassen.
Paula ist im Gegensatz zu ihrem Vater eher ein Kopfmensch. Zumindest kommt es mir so vor, aber vielleicht liegt das an ihrer privaten Situation. sie ist schwanger und weiß nicht, von wem. Eine Freundin von ihr bringt meine Gedanken auf den Punkt: hat sie noch nicht gehört, dass es mittlerweile auch in Irland Kondome gibt?
Der Fall selbst scheint eindeutig zu sein. Die Geschichte aus der Vergangenheit, Paulas Schwangerschaft- ich ahne schon wie es weitergeht.
Was mir beim Lesen immer stärker aufgefallen ist, war stark die Autorin den Kontrast zwischen der Stadt und dem Land gemacht hat. So, wie sie die Figuren in ländlichen Gegenden beschrieben hat, hätten sie durchaus aus den 50er Jahren stammen können.
Die Geschichte teilt sich auf. Es gibt den Fall des verschwundenen Säuglings, der immer weitere Kreise zieht. Im weiteren Verlauf wird es immer desto verwickelter und auch dramatischer werden die Ermittlungen. Dabei hat sich meine weiter oben erwähnte Ahnung bis auf ein kleines Detail komplett bestätigt, viel Spannung kam deshalb nicht auf.
Paulas Privatleben ist da schon interessanter. Sie ist schwanger, es kommen zwei mögliche Väter in Frage. Zu beiden ist das Verhältnis kompliziert. Dazu gibt es noch den Fall ihrer verschwundenen Mutter, bei dem es plötzlich wieder Hinweise gibt. Bei beidem gibt es Ende des Buchs einen Cliffhanger, deshalb werde ich auch den dritten Fall von Paula Maguire lesen.
Das Buch hat mich von Anfang an in seinem Bann gezogen. Das erste Kapitel wird aus der Sicht von Paulas Vater erzählt, der Anfang der 90er Jahre einer Frau sagen muss, dass ihr Mann von der IRA getötet werden soll. Claire McGowan beschreibt, wie er den Anruf seiner Dienststelle frühmorgens entgegennimmt, wie er sich von seiner Frau verabschiedet, noch einmal nach seiner Tochter sieht und dann losfährt. Was er im Haus der Frau vorfindet, übertrifft seine schlimmsten Befürchtungen. Das ist so eindringlich beschrieben, dass ich kurz Pause machen musste um das ganze sacken zu lassen.
Paula ist im Gegensatz zu ihrem Vater eher ein Kopfmensch. Zumindest kommt es mir so vor, aber vielleicht liegt das an ihrer privaten Situation. sie ist schwanger und weiß nicht, von wem. Eine Freundin von ihr bringt meine Gedanken auf den Punkt: hat sie noch nicht gehört, dass es mittlerweile auch in Irland Kondome gibt?
Der Fall selbst scheint eindeutig zu sein. Die Geschichte aus der Vergangenheit, Paulas Schwangerschaft- ich ahne schon wie es weitergeht.
Was mir beim Lesen immer stärker aufgefallen ist, war stark die Autorin den Kontrast zwischen der Stadt und dem Land gemacht hat. So, wie sie die Figuren in ländlichen Gegenden beschrieben hat, hätten sie durchaus aus den 50er Jahren stammen können.
Die Geschichte teilt sich auf. Es gibt den Fall des verschwundenen Säuglings, der immer weitere Kreise zieht. Im weiteren Verlauf wird es immer desto verwickelter und auch dramatischer werden die Ermittlungen. Dabei hat sich meine weiter oben erwähnte Ahnung bis auf ein kleines Detail komplett bestätigt, viel Spannung kam deshalb nicht auf.
Paulas Privatleben ist da schon interessanter. Sie ist schwanger, es kommen zwei mögliche Väter in Frage. Zu beiden ist das Verhältnis kompliziert. Dazu gibt es noch den Fall ihrer verschwundenen Mutter, bei dem es plötzlich wieder Hinweise gibt. Bei beidem gibt es Ende des Buchs einen Cliffhanger, deshalb werde ich auch den dritten Fall von Paula Maguire lesen.
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