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Paula Maguire #3
The Silent Dead
Victim: Male. Mid-thirties. 5'7".
Cause of death: Hanging. Initial impression - murder.
ID: Mickey Doyle. Suspected terrorist and member of the Mayday Five.
The officers at the crime scene know exactly who the victim is.
Doyle was one of five suspected bombers who caused the deaths of sixteen people.
The remaining four are also missing and when a second body is found, decapitated, it's clear they are being killed by the same methods their victims suffered.
Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is assigned the case but she is up against the clock - both personally and professionally.
With moral boundaries blurred between victim and perpetrator, will be Paula be able to find those responsible? After all, even killers deserve justice, don't they?
Cause of death: Hanging. Initial impression - murder.
ID: Mickey Doyle. Suspected terrorist and member of the Mayday Five.
The officers at the crime scene know exactly who the victim is.
Doyle was one of five suspected bombers who caused the deaths of sixteen people.
The remaining four are also missing and when a second body is found, decapitated, it's clear they are being killed by the same methods their victims suffered.
Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is assigned the case but she is up against the clock - both personally and professionally.
With moral boundaries blurred between victim and perpetrator, will be Paula be able to find those responsible? After all, even killers deserve justice, don't they?
400 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 2015
295 people are currently reading
1410 people want to read
About the author
Claire McGowan
39 books2,070 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 131 reviews
November 24, 2021
Oh Paula, I love you but you were so frustrating in this book! I didn’t really agree with any of the choices made in this one, or the thought processes behind said choices. And also this one was a little too heavily political for my general mystery preferences, it dragged a bit. It’s very much centered around the IRA/Ireland First, with not enough focus on the individual characters outside of their involvement or dealings with various members.
The synopsis for the next one looks more my speed though, and it looks like Paula gets it together more maybe? I can’t see how she couldn’t at this point. 🤦🏻♀️
The synopsis for the next one looks more my speed though, and it looks like Paula gets it together more maybe? I can’t see how she couldn’t at this point. 🤦🏻♀️
November 18, 2015
The Paula Maguire series from Claire McGowan is brilliantly addictive, great storytelling, intriguing and intelligent plotting with some truly memorable characters, not least of which is Paula herself. Having followed her story from the start I was really looking forward to this one and honestly, it was incredible.
Claire McGowan has given her novels a rich historical aspect when it comes to the troubles in Northern Ireland, put her main protagonist up against the grey moral area’s and given her a depth of character and emotional resonance that I’ve not seen done better in many other ongoing crime series. Each individual story told within that framework is beautifully done, has all the things you look for within the crime fiction genre when it comes to mystery and edge of the seat moments and taken as a whole this makes for a completely immersive reading experience each time.
In The Silent Dead those moral area’s are even harder to navigate as the victims in this case once created victims of their own – as Paula investigates, at the same time dealing with some emotive issues in her own life, those lines blur even further and this novel gives you a lot to ponder on whilst being utterly entertaining throughout – a proper page turner.
Hard to know what to say without spoilers – Paula’s back story is intense and riveting – the wider cast of characters just as much so, these are books that definitely benefit from being read in order (although the author allows for this to be read on its own merits you won’t be lost if that is what you choose to do). To review this story in depth I would have to glance back – so perhaps I’ll just say this. If you havent tried these yet then you are definitely missing out and if you are on track with Paula and co The Silent Dead will not disappoint. If anything this series grows in stature with every passing tale told, this one for me was the best so far and the others were not exactly lacking in excellence.
Most definitively Highly Recommended by me.
Claire McGowan has given her novels a rich historical aspect when it comes to the troubles in Northern Ireland, put her main protagonist up against the grey moral area’s and given her a depth of character and emotional resonance that I’ve not seen done better in many other ongoing crime series. Each individual story told within that framework is beautifully done, has all the things you look for within the crime fiction genre when it comes to mystery and edge of the seat moments and taken as a whole this makes for a completely immersive reading experience each time.
In The Silent Dead those moral area’s are even harder to navigate as the victims in this case once created victims of their own – as Paula investigates, at the same time dealing with some emotive issues in her own life, those lines blur even further and this novel gives you a lot to ponder on whilst being utterly entertaining throughout – a proper page turner.
Hard to know what to say without spoilers – Paula’s back story is intense and riveting – the wider cast of characters just as much so, these are books that definitely benefit from being read in order (although the author allows for this to be read on its own merits you won’t be lost if that is what you choose to do). To review this story in depth I would have to glance back – so perhaps I’ll just say this. If you havent tried these yet then you are definitely missing out and if you are on track with Paula and co The Silent Dead will not disappoint. If anything this series grows in stature with every passing tale told, this one for me was the best so far and the others were not exactly lacking in excellence.
Most definitively Highly Recommended by me.
November 17, 2016
Paula McGuire is a forensic psychologist working with the Missing Persons Unit in her hometown in Northern Ireland. Five suspects in a local bombing, who escaped conviction, disappear. The book opens with the first of them being found dead. The unit works to find the other four who are missing, and solve the murder. Paula's personal life is in turmoil, and much of the story focuses on her pushing herself almost beyond her limits. She is driven by the disappearance of her mother almost 2 decades earlier, among other things. Despite being warned off pursuing her mother's case, she cannot give up.
The middle of the book dragged for me, as the search continues. Interviews of the families of bombing victims, who are suspects in the murder and disappearances, were excruciating. I found this novel a difficult read because the pain of the families. The bombing in the novel occurred on a Saturday in the town center, killing 18 people including babies and young children. It is eerily similar to the Enniskillen bombing in 1987 and the Omagh bombing in 1998. In August 1998 in Northern Ireland , there were no British Army patrols. It was 4 months after the Good Friday (peace) agreement. I was traveling with my young son throughout Ireland including the North, and had decided to avoid Derry and Belfast. I thought we'd be safe. The Omagh bombing occurred at 3:10 PM on August 15th, 1998. That very day we were in Omagh center at 3:05. I saw no unusual activity. Traffic wasn't stopped although apparently a warning had been called in. I said no to my son's request to stop for a snack and we drove through town. To this day, I cannot believe we were that close, and that something (my second sight?) told me not to stop.
As in the two previous McGuire novels, McGowan brings the story to a climatic ending, with only some issues resolved. But there is never a neat ending, and readers will have to read the next book in the series to get more answers.
The middle of the book dragged for me, as the search continues. Interviews of the families of bombing victims, who are suspects in the murder and disappearances, were excruciating. I found this novel a difficult read because the pain of the families. The bombing in the novel occurred on a Saturday in the town center, killing 18 people including babies and young children. It is eerily similar to the Enniskillen bombing in 1987 and the Omagh bombing in 1998. In August 1998 in Northern Ireland , there were no British Army patrols. It was 4 months after the Good Friday (peace) agreement. I was traveling with my young son throughout Ireland including the North, and had decided to avoid Derry and Belfast. I thought we'd be safe. The Omagh bombing occurred at 3:10 PM on August 15th, 1998. That very day we were in Omagh center at 3:05. I saw no unusual activity. Traffic wasn't stopped although apparently a warning had been called in. I said no to my son's request to stop for a snack and we drove through town. To this day, I cannot believe we were that close, and that something (my second sight?) told me not to stop.
As in the two previous McGuire novels, McGowan brings the story to a climatic ending, with only some issues resolved. But there is never a neat ending, and readers will have to read the next book in the series to get more answers.
July 30, 2016
A startling opening and my first introduction to the Paula Maguire series caught my attention immediately and despite my reluctance to read a novel set against a backdrop of a Northern Ireland post the Troubles where the wounds still remain so raw, I was captivated. Despite being new to the series Claire McGowan's quick and dirty rundown of Paula and her history to date ensured that I had no problem reading The Silent Dead as a standalone. As the novel opens a seven months pregnant Paula is watching her father get remarried as she stands alongside her soon to be step-brother Aidan, incidentially one of the two possible men who could have fathered her child. Strong-willed and at times awkward, Paula doesn't mince her words and despite a personal life in tatters she doesn't hesitate to throw herself into the melee when her boss, the other possible candidate for paternity, calls her.
After a spell working in London, Paula has returned to her home of Ballyterrin, Northern Ireland and is attached to the Missing Persons Response Unit as a forensic psychologist. Working alongside the police in a virtual no-man's-land she wades through the moral quagmire as the team coordinate missing persons' cases north and south of the border. When a staged hanging victim is found, the team quickly identify the man as Mickey Doyle, suspected terrorist and member of the Mayday Five. Doyle was one of a group of five suspects who caused the deaths of sixteen innocent people after a bomb aimed at creating havoc during an Orange Day Parade detonated early, ravaging lives and leaving the town scarred. With the anniversary of the bombing date upcoming and the other four members of the group also missing, the race is on to track them down. When a second body is found decapitated, the stakes are raised and Paula attempts to approach the survivors and relatives of the dead. Can she expect anything except vitriol as she searches for the members of the Mayday five still unaccounted for? After a collapsed trial has left survivors and relatives understandably bitter they quickly come under scrutiny as fears escalate that they could have sought their own form of restitution? After all, the law may have failed them but why should that be the end of the matter? With the local Mayor about to run for parliament, his connections to the suspected bombers cannot stay secret for long adding to the confusion for Paula and the team.
Despite Paula Maguire being very vocal in her belief that the public cannot dispense justice and the law must be allowed to deliver, I doubt there are many Northern Irish citizens whose opinion this truly reflects. Hostilities live long and as The Silent Dead reflects every family has some connection to the massacres of the past. No one more so than Paula as she seeks to uncover the truth surrounding her own mother's disappearance from her life at the age of thirteen. With a body never recovered and the case file in her desk drawer, can she realistically move on? Paula is an appealing protagonist and with a personal life that muddles along keeping her very busy and a dry humour she makes for an entertainingly larger than life character.
The narrative is largely told through a third person point of view but extracts of a forthcoming book written by investigative journalist Maeve Cooley, aimed at establishing the guilt of the bombers, are woven throughout. We also hear from one of those at the heart of the kidnapping, meaning readers are privy to information prior to Paula and the team and this detracted from the suspense which ran through the novel. On the whole I thought the secondary characters were well drawn, in particular DI Guy Brooking as an Englishman serves to raise the issue of whether a non-native can ever appreciate the gravitas of the problem faced by Northern Ireland. Maeve Cooley posed questions on the media portrayal of such cases and as leaks begin to filter out, Paula's relationship with local newspaper editor Aidan comes under the spotlight.
I must admit that on finishing The Silent Dead I did question what McGowan was aiming to achieve through the Paula Maguire series. After all the questions of moral justice which are raised throughout the novel there can never be an agreed opinion in a Northern Ireland which has borne witness to so much bloodshed in the name of religion and politics. An unflinching portrayal of how the cracks of the past can never be papered over. Knowing of the fragile Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent bombing of Omagh occurring in 1998 which The Silent Dead called to mind I was left wondering just what has been achieved after the years of violence which Northern Ireland has witnessed. The Silent Dead is a powerful novel, all the more for the truth that lies behind the situation and the knowledge that the miseries of the past are no work of fiction. Whilst Paula's personal life added the humour, the subject matter is unavoidably bleak. Very well written, The Silent Dead will force readers to question how they themselves define justice and provides an appreciation of how these events have devastated Northern Ireland.
After a spell working in London, Paula has returned to her home of Ballyterrin, Northern Ireland and is attached to the Missing Persons Response Unit as a forensic psychologist. Working alongside the police in a virtual no-man's-land she wades through the moral quagmire as the team coordinate missing persons' cases north and south of the border. When a staged hanging victim is found, the team quickly identify the man as Mickey Doyle, suspected terrorist and member of the Mayday Five. Doyle was one of a group of five suspects who caused the deaths of sixteen innocent people after a bomb aimed at creating havoc during an Orange Day Parade detonated early, ravaging lives and leaving the town scarred. With the anniversary of the bombing date upcoming and the other four members of the group also missing, the race is on to track them down. When a second body is found decapitated, the stakes are raised and Paula attempts to approach the survivors and relatives of the dead. Can she expect anything except vitriol as she searches for the members of the Mayday five still unaccounted for? After a collapsed trial has left survivors and relatives understandably bitter they quickly come under scrutiny as fears escalate that they could have sought their own form of restitution? After all, the law may have failed them but why should that be the end of the matter? With the local Mayor about to run for parliament, his connections to the suspected bombers cannot stay secret for long adding to the confusion for Paula and the team.
Despite Paula Maguire being very vocal in her belief that the public cannot dispense justice and the law must be allowed to deliver, I doubt there are many Northern Irish citizens whose opinion this truly reflects. Hostilities live long and as The Silent Dead reflects every family has some connection to the massacres of the past. No one more so than Paula as she seeks to uncover the truth surrounding her own mother's disappearance from her life at the age of thirteen. With a body never recovered and the case file in her desk drawer, can she realistically move on? Paula is an appealing protagonist and with a personal life that muddles along keeping her very busy and a dry humour she makes for an entertainingly larger than life character.
The narrative is largely told through a third person point of view but extracts of a forthcoming book written by investigative journalist Maeve Cooley, aimed at establishing the guilt of the bombers, are woven throughout. We also hear from one of those at the heart of the kidnapping, meaning readers are privy to information prior to Paula and the team and this detracted from the suspense which ran through the novel. On the whole I thought the secondary characters were well drawn, in particular DI Guy Brooking as an Englishman serves to raise the issue of whether a non-native can ever appreciate the gravitas of the problem faced by Northern Ireland. Maeve Cooley posed questions on the media portrayal of such cases and as leaks begin to filter out, Paula's relationship with local newspaper editor Aidan comes under the spotlight.
I must admit that on finishing The Silent Dead I did question what McGowan was aiming to achieve through the Paula Maguire series. After all the questions of moral justice which are raised throughout the novel there can never be an agreed opinion in a Northern Ireland which has borne witness to so much bloodshed in the name of religion and politics. An unflinching portrayal of how the cracks of the past can never be papered over. Knowing of the fragile Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent bombing of Omagh occurring in 1998 which The Silent Dead called to mind I was left wondering just what has been achieved after the years of violence which Northern Ireland has witnessed. The Silent Dead is a powerful novel, all the more for the truth that lies behind the situation and the knowledge that the miseries of the past are no work of fiction. Whilst Paula's personal life added the humour, the subject matter is unavoidably bleak. Very well written, The Silent Dead will force readers to question how they themselves define justice and provides an appreciation of how these events have devastated Northern Ireland.
November 22, 2015
I've really enjoyed the Paula Maguire series so far by Claire McGowan and The Silent Dead is a great addition and personally my favourite so far. I would certainly recommend that you start at the beginning of the series as, although this is a standalone story, you will get so much more out of it by following Paula from the start.
Paula is now heavily pregnant but that isn't stopping her getting stuck in to gory crime scenes, like the hanging of Mickey Doyle. Doyle is one of 5 people who have gone missing on the same day but this group are no ordinary missing persons. They were all, controversially, found not guilty in court of being involved in a bombing that killed 16 people. So where are the other 4? Paula is determined not to let her condition get in the way of finding out!
The troubles in Northern Ireland are at the heart of this intelligent and well researched novel. Paula herself has spent years wondering if her mother's disappearance was related to the times. This story has an intriguing moral dilemma at its heart and it is difficult to read at times as there is so much emotion involved. Paula's relationships with the men in her life (Guy, Aiden and her father PJ) are also becoming clearer and I am keen to see where she goes from here.
I received a copy of the book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Paula is now heavily pregnant but that isn't stopping her getting stuck in to gory crime scenes, like the hanging of Mickey Doyle. Doyle is one of 5 people who have gone missing on the same day but this group are no ordinary missing persons. They were all, controversially, found not guilty in court of being involved in a bombing that killed 16 people. So where are the other 4? Paula is determined not to let her condition get in the way of finding out!
The troubles in Northern Ireland are at the heart of this intelligent and well researched novel. Paula herself has spent years wondering if her mother's disappearance was related to the times. This story has an intriguing moral dilemma at its heart and it is difficult to read at times as there is so much emotion involved. Paula's relationships with the men in her life (Guy, Aiden and her father PJ) are also becoming clearer and I am keen to see where she goes from here.
I received a copy of the book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
August 19, 2017
I've now given up half-way through this third book of the series. Overall, the writing is competent, and the characters fairly well fleshed out, but the central character continues to make inexplicably stupid choices for the sake of manufacturing internal conflict. Similarly, the romantic element feels artificially fraught instead of creating credible conflict in the detective fiction aspect of the story. The forensic psychology part of the story, which drew me to the stories in the first place, really lacks depth or meat. Mostly, I gave up because, although I'm a woman, I found the themes of fertility and motherhood so omnipresent as to be stifling. This theme dominates all three books in the series.
July 17, 2017
Listened to in audio format.
The Silent Dead is the third book in the Paula Maguire series. I did not dislike this book but I preferred the first two books more. I felt there were many too many characters in the story, if you are listening to a book it is hard to go back to find out who a character is. Secondly Paula reckless irritated me, still attending crime scenes whilst heavily pregnant instead of staying at the office.
However The Silent Dead was a powerful, emotional read and reminded me of the Warrington bombing of 1993. The meeting for the survivors of the bomb and their relatives brought home to you how they continue to suffer after the newspapers leave.
In Paula's personal life Paula's dad PJ marries Pat, Aiden's mum. Paula still doesn't know if Aidan or Guy Brooking is the father of her child which creates some tension.
Paula is still trying to find out what happened her mum and uncovers some disturbing information.
I look forward to find out what happens to Paula and baby Maggie in the next book.
The Silent Dead is the third book in the Paula Maguire series. I did not dislike this book but I preferred the first two books more. I felt there were many too many characters in the story, if you are listening to a book it is hard to go back to find out who a character is. Secondly Paula reckless irritated me, still attending crime scenes whilst heavily pregnant instead of staying at the office.
However The Silent Dead was a powerful, emotional read and reminded me of the Warrington bombing of 1993. The meeting for the survivors of the bomb and their relatives brought home to you how they continue to suffer after the newspapers leave.
In Paula's personal life Paula's dad PJ marries Pat, Aiden's mum. Paula still doesn't know if Aidan or Guy Brooking is the father of her child which creates some tension.
Paula is still trying to find out what happened her mum and uncovers some disturbing information.
I look forward to find out what happens to Paula and baby Maggie in the next book.
March 21, 2018
The third book in this excellent series sees Doctor Paula Maguire seven months pregnant, but still valiantly pursuing her work with the Missing Persons Response Unit. Five former terrorists have been abducted and the dead body of one is soon discovered. Is this a vendetta conducted by relatives of their victims - or by their former colleagues?
Once again, Claire McGowan vividly describes a community still bitterly divided almost 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement supposedly marked the end of "The Troubles". Some still hankering after continuing the armed struggle; others still looking for justice for crimes of the past. Where corruption is still rife, at times it seems as if "justice" and "the law" are not just different, but polar opposites.
In many ways, Paula's personal woes are a microcosm of much of Northern Ireland's. The continuing 17 year search for the truth behind her mother's disappearance is again threaded through the whole narrative. Another enthralling and thought-provoking read.
Once again, Claire McGowan vividly describes a community still bitterly divided almost 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement supposedly marked the end of "The Troubles". Some still hankering after continuing the armed struggle; others still looking for justice for crimes of the past. Where corruption is still rife, at times it seems as if "justice" and "the law" are not just different, but polar opposites.
In many ways, Paula's personal woes are a microcosm of much of Northern Ireland's. The continuing 17 year search for the truth behind her mother's disappearance is again threaded through the whole narrative. Another enthralling and thought-provoking read.
February 17, 2018
Claire McGowan is one of a new generation of British & Irish crime writers who in the past few years have quickly ascended from fresh voices breaking in to established must-read status (for me, at least, and I suggest should be for you too - Eva Dolan is another on the same list). McGowan writes intelligent crime fiction that ticks boxes across the board: good crime plotlines, interesting and well-drawn characters, plenty of depth to go with page-turning pace, a great and rich sense of setting, and plenty of underlying issues among the people and places she sets her tales.
But there's also much more here than just ticking all boxes on what can make for a good or great crime novel; McGowan has that magic touch for balancing various aspects, and putting enough of a fresh spin on things to make the sum even greater than all its very good component parts.
There's plenty of marrow in the well-constructed bones.
I first encountered McGowan's series heroine, forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, in a terrific short novella published in between series novels. That looked back to a teenage Maguire and gave an insight into some things that set her on the path to fighting crime and finding justice (or trying to).
McGowan loses none of the verve and power of that story in a full-length novel, while adding further depth and layers. THE SILENT DEAD is an excellent read, a compulsive page-turner that draws you in early and keeps you riveted throughout, while offering lots of thought-provoking depth and rich characterisation to go along with the intriguing 'who's behind all of this, and why?' storylines.
Maguire is heavily pregnant in THE SILENT DEAD, unsure which of her two past lovers is the father. It's a complicated situation on several fronts, especially given their identities - a man who's a been a big part of Maguire's history, and a man who plays a key part in her professional present.
Add in a complicated case: the abduction and killing of suspects in an horrific bombing that sought to reignite 'the Troubles' - is it vigilantes seeking overdue justice, paramilitaries cleaning house of bad PR, or something else going on? - and Maguire's life is teetering on the edge in several ways.
Determined to show that she's still highly capable, and valuable to the investigation, despite her 'condition', Maguire barnstorms her way around. There's a lot to admire about the character, who isn't without her flaws, but comes across as very human and engaging. There are understandable reasons for her choices and actions, even if readers might wish she'd made different ones at times. In this way, and others, McGowan does a great job drawing us in and bringing us alongside Maguire and her colleagues as they investigate a case that tears them in all sorts of directions.
THE SILENT DEAD will intrigue your head and tug at your heart. A very fine crime novel.
But there's also much more here than just ticking all boxes on what can make for a good or great crime novel; McGowan has that magic touch for balancing various aspects, and putting enough of a fresh spin on things to make the sum even greater than all its very good component parts.
There's plenty of marrow in the well-constructed bones.
I first encountered McGowan's series heroine, forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, in a terrific short novella published in between series novels. That looked back to a teenage Maguire and gave an insight into some things that set her on the path to fighting crime and finding justice (or trying to).
McGowan loses none of the verve and power of that story in a full-length novel, while adding further depth and layers. THE SILENT DEAD is an excellent read, a compulsive page-turner that draws you in early and keeps you riveted throughout, while offering lots of thought-provoking depth and rich characterisation to go along with the intriguing 'who's behind all of this, and why?' storylines.
Maguire is heavily pregnant in THE SILENT DEAD, unsure which of her two past lovers is the father. It's a complicated situation on several fronts, especially given their identities - a man who's a been a big part of Maguire's history, and a man who plays a key part in her professional present.
Add in a complicated case: the abduction and killing of suspects in an horrific bombing that sought to reignite 'the Troubles' - is it vigilantes seeking overdue justice, paramilitaries cleaning house of bad PR, or something else going on? - and Maguire's life is teetering on the edge in several ways.
Determined to show that she's still highly capable, and valuable to the investigation, despite her 'condition', Maguire barnstorms her way around. There's a lot to admire about the character, who isn't without her flaws, but comes across as very human and engaging. There are understandable reasons for her choices and actions, even if readers might wish she'd made different ones at times. In this way, and others, McGowan does a great job drawing us in and bringing us alongside Maguire and her colleagues as they investigate a case that tears them in all sorts of directions.
THE SILENT DEAD will intrigue your head and tug at your heart. A very fine crime novel.
January 17, 2016
Paula Maguire is a single-minded woman who carries this third story about the missing persons unit in Ballyterrin on the Irish border. she has come home to care for her Father who has subsequently got wed and in the process admitted that his first wife, Paula's Mum who went missing 17 years before when Paula was just 13 is dead.
Paula is pregnant and throughout this wonderful novel is determined to find out as much about the day her Mother went missing; who took her and if she could possibly be alive. As the birth of her own child nears its due date, she is more desperate than ever to get to the truth.
This is the common theme of all these books however by day she is Dr Maguire, forensic psychologist who at work is equally single-minded and never gives up on the missing and lost.
The thing I like about Claire McGowan's writing is the ability she has to raise issues that still remain at the front of the minds of the people in Northern Ireland and gives them a human interest aspect that challenges attitudes and existing views. The story brings you into it so completely you feel for the characters; you sense the conflict and begun fully engaged. Not as a voyeur or a member of a jury but as a human being exposed in fiction to someone else's reality.
In this powerful book we learn of a bombing 5 year's previously that was aimed for an Orange Parade but became an atrosity beyond any legitimate action as the bomb exploded early killing and maiming every day shoppers going about their routine lives. Its impact and fallout is still felt by the families of the dead and injured who despire when a trial of the guilty 5 ends in a not guilty verdict. Without any sense of finding rest as the perpretrators went to prison the failed investigation and presenting of evidence left the relatives without hope or peace.
When the five accquitted individuals all go missing on the same day the question is are the families seeking some restorative justice or have Sinn Féin IRA metered out their own punishment of this discordant group out of step with the 'Peace Process'.
Moving dialogue, clear and stark locations and strong returning characters make for an enthralling read; an author who bears her soul so we can glimpse the ongoing pain and desire for a safe future in such communities. How would we behave? Could we forgive? Would we accept imperfect justice?
Paula is a terrific force for good, a believer in law and order but with the failings of one who will not cease to find personal truth or corporate justice. She places herself at risk because of this spirit and her humanity makes McGowan's writing so real and cathartic.
Paula is pregnant and throughout this wonderful novel is determined to find out as much about the day her Mother went missing; who took her and if she could possibly be alive. As the birth of her own child nears its due date, she is more desperate than ever to get to the truth.
This is the common theme of all these books however by day she is Dr Maguire, forensic psychologist who at work is equally single-minded and never gives up on the missing and lost.
The thing I like about Claire McGowan's writing is the ability she has to raise issues that still remain at the front of the minds of the people in Northern Ireland and gives them a human interest aspect that challenges attitudes and existing views. The story brings you into it so completely you feel for the characters; you sense the conflict and begun fully engaged. Not as a voyeur or a member of a jury but as a human being exposed in fiction to someone else's reality.
In this powerful book we learn of a bombing 5 year's previously that was aimed for an Orange Parade but became an atrosity beyond any legitimate action as the bomb exploded early killing and maiming every day shoppers going about their routine lives. Its impact and fallout is still felt by the families of the dead and injured who despire when a trial of the guilty 5 ends in a not guilty verdict. Without any sense of finding rest as the perpretrators went to prison the failed investigation and presenting of evidence left the relatives without hope or peace.
When the five accquitted individuals all go missing on the same day the question is are the families seeking some restorative justice or have Sinn Féin IRA metered out their own punishment of this discordant group out of step with the 'Peace Process'.
Moving dialogue, clear and stark locations and strong returning characters make for an enthralling read; an author who bears her soul so we can glimpse the ongoing pain and desire for a safe future in such communities. How would we behave? Could we forgive? Would we accept imperfect justice?
Paula is a terrific force for good, a believer in law and order but with the failings of one who will not cease to find personal truth or corporate justice. She places herself at risk because of this spirit and her humanity makes McGowan's writing so real and cathartic.
November 4, 2017
Some Saturdays, all you can do with yourself is go back to bed, curling up under the covers with a good book, a clear schedule, and several small dogs to keep warm by. This was my Saturday, bundled under a comforter with the heating down, socked in by a pack of softly farting hot water bottles, and a very good book indeed. So good it was hard to tear myself away to do things like make tea, or let the hot water bottles out, as eager as I was to return to the story.
The story of the aftermath of a terrorist bomb in a small Northern Irish town in the Borderlands packs a huge wallop, in large part because of the included first-person accounts of the day in question, and pieces that take place in the head of a girl who lost someone dear to her, getting caught in the blast at the age of eight. It's wrenching at times, but also a very, very good mystery.
The solution's one I haven't seen attempted in a long time, pulled off uniquely and convincingly, but it remains the larger story, that of a shell-shocked community trying to believe that the war in their past can someday remain there, that steals the day.
Minus one star for a tiny thing that annoyed me, which is simply that when Paula finally gives birth, she pops right back up for running and jumping and climbing, after a C-section, which... I understand may possibly not be realistic? But more than that, she's so focused on the case that she keeps handing her days-old preemie to strangers and being like, oh, can you just hold this for a bit, I need to go out. Which is... a thing, but then she'll later see those strangers without her baby and only distantly remember to ask, "Oh, so is it in the car? Nearby? Perhaps in that tree over there?"
Which I understand is also an improbable thing, unless the author were to point out that she was feeling hormonal or whatever, rather than kind of useless at keeping track of babies. But it's such a minor thing in comparison to the rest of the glorious, spiteful, terrifying story.
And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go feed the hot water bottles, after which I am going back to bed.
The story of the aftermath of a terrorist bomb in a small Northern Irish town in the Borderlands packs a huge wallop, in large part because of the included first-person accounts of the day in question, and pieces that take place in the head of a girl who lost someone dear to her, getting caught in the blast at the age of eight. It's wrenching at times, but also a very, very good mystery.
The solution's one I haven't seen attempted in a long time, pulled off uniquely and convincingly, but it remains the larger story, that of a shell-shocked community trying to believe that the war in their past can someday remain there, that steals the day.
Minus one star for a tiny thing that annoyed me, which is simply that when Paula finally gives birth, she pops right back up for running and jumping and climbing, after a C-section, which... I understand may possibly not be realistic? But more than that, she's so focused on the case that she keeps handing her days-old preemie to strangers and being like, oh, can you just hold this for a bit, I need to go out. Which is... a thing, but then she'll later see those strangers without her baby and only distantly remember to ask, "Oh, so is it in the car? Nearby? Perhaps in that tree over there?"
Which I understand is also an improbable thing, unless the author were to point out that she was feeling hormonal or whatever, rather than kind of useless at keeping track of babies. But it's such a minor thing in comparison to the rest of the glorious, spiteful, terrifying story.
And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go feed the hot water bottles, after which I am going back to bed.
December 22, 2017
Claire McGowan has become one of my favourite crime writers with her Series featuring Forensic Psychologist Paula Maguire. Set in Ballyterrin, Northern Ireland the author cleverly highlights the hatred and desire for revenge that is just below the surface of society there. It’s very disturbing and shows how the past still impacts on the present as people have long memories.
The Mayday five were all suspects in a plot in which a bomb devastated a town killing and maiming innocent people. However they were not convicted. Years later they disappear and one by one the bodies turn up and it is apparent they have been tortured before being killed. The race is on to find the killers and also to save any of the five who may still be alive.
Paula despite being heavily pregnant gets involved with the case and interviews the families of the bomb victims. They are the ones who have had to live with the pain of losing loved ones and also with the knowledge that the bombers escaped justice. She is a very likeable character although at times she has me saying ‘oh, for goodness sake, don’t do that!!’ She has a rather complicated personal life to say the least.
Great atmosphere, it’s tense and chilling and I simply did not want to put this book down. Superb fast paced plot and wonderful storytelling. I love these books.
.
The Mayday five were all suspects in a plot in which a bomb devastated a town killing and maiming innocent people. However they were not convicted. Years later they disappear and one by one the bodies turn up and it is apparent they have been tortured before being killed. The race is on to find the killers and also to save any of the five who may still be alive.
Paula despite being heavily pregnant gets involved with the case and interviews the families of the bomb victims. They are the ones who have had to live with the pain of losing loved ones and also with the knowledge that the bombers escaped justice. She is a very likeable character although at times she has me saying ‘oh, for goodness sake, don’t do that!!’ She has a rather complicated personal life to say the least.
Great atmosphere, it’s tense and chilling and I simply did not want to put this book down. Superb fast paced plot and wonderful storytelling. I love these books.
.
November 23, 2015
The Silent Dead, by Claire MCGowan, is the third book to feature forensic psychologist Paula Maguire who is working for the police in the missing persons unit. Paula, now pregnant and uncertain who the father is, is working on a case of 5 people who appear to have been abducted. All 5 were cleared of a bomb attack (post the Good Friday agreement) in the small town which caused many deaths & injuries and left many families affected. The story here deals with both the consequences of the modern bombing and the legacies of the past. In a sense this book focuses of the remains of the "Troubles" in the present day. With echoes of the old troubles and more current splinter group issues there seems to be a fairly accurate portrayal of the Northern Ireland of the present.
I missed the 2nd book in this series but I like Paula and I do like the writing so I'll put that right soon. The book feels atmospheric and thoughtfully written. However it is also dark - bleak & violent at times - and gritty. The use of the counterpoint of then and now is effective. There is a running theme in this book and the first (& I assume the second) in that, while Paula is working in the missing persons unit. She and her family have also been affected by some issues and she herself is on a quest for knowledge. I find this very well done indeed. I guess it goes without saying that she is a bit of a maverick character doing as she sees fit despite the views of those in authority however Claire McGowan writes her well and I certainly find Paula an appealing character. I'd suggest that the writing is getting better in these books. The characters are becoming fuller and more rounded and, for me, they make for good gritty crime reading in a believable setting. I'd like to read the next book and will try and read book 2 as well. I guess they could be read standalone however it would probably be better to read them in order. I'd probably say 4.5/5 all in all.
Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
I missed the 2nd book in this series but I like Paula and I do like the writing so I'll put that right soon. The book feels atmospheric and thoughtfully written. However it is also dark - bleak & violent at times - and gritty. The use of the counterpoint of then and now is effective. There is a running theme in this book and the first (& I assume the second) in that, while Paula is working in the missing persons unit. She and her family have also been affected by some issues and she herself is on a quest for knowledge. I find this very well done indeed. I guess it goes without saying that she is a bit of a maverick character doing as she sees fit despite the views of those in authority however Claire McGowan writes her well and I certainly find Paula an appealing character. I'd suggest that the writing is getting better in these books. The characters are becoming fuller and more rounded and, for me, they make for good gritty crime reading in a believable setting. I'd like to read the next book and will try and read book 2 as well. I guess they could be read standalone however it would probably be better to read them in order. I'd probably say 4.5/5 all in all.
Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
December 26, 2024
Urgh. This is going to be a rant.
Paula is such an annoying protagonist in this book! I don’t see a lot of evidence of her being smart enough to be a forensic psychologist with years of experience in London. Maybe she had book smarts but her other smarts (aren’t trained psychologists supposed to have some level of emotional intelligence?) seem to be utterly MIA.
I am still waiting to see Paula contribute her forensic psychology expertise in any substantive way. As far as I can tell, her biggest asset is her local knowledge of Ballyterrin. But even then, she is often distracted by the mystery of her disappeared mother or her feelings for Brookings/Aiden.
Not sure if I’ll read the next book. It’s one thing to have a flawed protagonist, it’s another to have one that seems to be quite stupid. It’s a shame because the first book had so much promise (even with the whole torn between two men-who’s the daddy subplot) - Northern Ireland with its distinct history and culture is a great foundation for a crime novel.
Paula is such an annoying protagonist in this book! I don’t see a lot of evidence of her being smart enough to be a forensic psychologist with years of experience in London. Maybe she had book smarts but her other smarts (aren’t trained psychologists supposed to have some level of emotional intelligence?) seem to be utterly MIA.
I am still waiting to see Paula contribute her forensic psychology expertise in any substantive way. As far as I can tell, her biggest asset is her local knowledge of Ballyterrin. But even then, she is often distracted by the mystery of her disappeared mother or her feelings for Brookings/Aiden.
Not sure if I’ll read the next book. It’s one thing to have a flawed protagonist, it’s another to have one that seems to be quite stupid. It’s a shame because the first book had so much promise (even with the whole torn between two men-who’s the daddy subplot) - Northern Ireland with its distinct history and culture is a great foundation for a crime novel.
April 8, 2018
This series is highly addictive. Paula Maguire has a very complex situation in her life besides the fact that her mother has been missing for over 20 years. She is a forensic psychologist and her job keeps her very busy. Five Mayday bombers who caused the death of 16 people are being murdered one at a time and Paula is helping to find the killers. I'm finding the history of Northern Ireland fascinating and how the people were affected. The book is filled with suspense and lots of surprises. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
January 3, 2018
Such a powerful, disturbing read.
September 14, 2021
Another great book in the Paula Macguire series. Paula is heavily pregnant and is finding it difficult to get to some of the crime scenes. A man is found hanging, and the officers know who the victim is, a suspected terrorist and one of the Mayday Five suspected bombers. When another one of the Mayday Five turns up dead, the police are sure the relatives of the people killed in the Mayday bomb attack are involved. Paula has her baby, a little girl, Maggie. Good story line, and well narrated.
January 30, 2018
Geweldig ....sluit mooi aan op de vorige delen en heeft een mooi einde. Ik hou hiervan. Mooie spanning , mooi verhaal, en het zit allemaal zo mooi in elkaar..Ik hoop dat er echt nog meer komt
February 7, 2022
A solid addition to the series. I look forward to reading Book 4.
January 9, 2021
My Review 2.5 Stars**
This novel was featured in an Amazon Kindle promotion in my email last month. I hit the “purchase” button because a brief perusal of the description sounded like the theme of the novel was akin to vigilantism. I finished it early in the first week of January but I must confess that I had to force my way through reading this book to the end.
I really had my doubts that this novel was going to make it to the 25% mark (I make an honest effort to read at least the first quarter of a book before deciding to figuratively pitch it into the “never-to-be-thought-about-again” virtual DNF folder on my Kindle. I think of myself as pretty much neutral about crime fiction authored by writers in other countries. I have read books authored by more than a few names in Britain, Canada, and more recently Scotland’s Helen Fields. In this case the setting is McGowan’s native land of Ireland. It didn’t take five minutes for me to fully realize that I knew incredibly little about Ireland (other than it’s the native soil of UFC legend Conan McGregor and that there are no snakes residing there). Unfortunately, I’m guilty here of only a slight understatement. Frankly I was dimly aware that there was some kind of long-standing violent conflict in Ireland and that there were atrocities perpetrated by a terrorist group called the IRA. Perhaps I should have, but I didn’t anticipate that this novel would be laden with political emphasis on the infamous IRA, the “Troubles”, eventual peace treaty, etc. I learned that there was an extended period of unrest from the late ‘60s to the late ‘90s, and that it was not until “The Good Friday Agreement of 1998” that established a kind of “cease fire” and a dramatically safer environment free of extreme violence in the streets.
This is significant because the plot of the book was predicated on the concept that a small group of political opponents of the peace agreement plotted and carried out a catastrophic act of terrorism to demonstrate their opposition. Specifically, five people were by all accounts guilty of a bombing five years previously which killed 16 people and maimed or injured hundreds of others. That is not counting the ruined marriages and all of the ruined lives in addition to the human carnage and property destruction with blood running in the streets. The five terrorists who were responsible became known as the Mayday Five. It is approaching the fifth anniversary of this act of terrorism and the book opens with the likely kidnapping and systemic murdering of the infamous Mayday Five by party or parties unknown. Paula is determined to remain a part of the investigation into this missing persons case despite her advanced stage of pregnancy.
Two bodies of the five criminals had been recovered by the 25% mark of the book. There is absolutely no rational reason that I can point out that induced me to keep reading. It was not an aspiration of mine to research the tumultuous history of Ireland and the narrative was almost as difficult to plod through as I imagine quicksand would be. “Readability” of the novel (for me) was a major obstacle, but my dislike for the main character of forensic psychologist Paula Maguire was likely just as significant a factor if not more so.
The protagonist (Paula Maguire) was not rendered as a sympathetic, especially smart, or even particularly strong lead. I speculated that perhaps this was at least in part because this reader was not made privy to any substantial back story that may have been illuminated in the prior two installments. Paula, then, is a Forensic Psychologist who works with a team dedicated to locating missing persons, which is suggested to be separate and apart from the police department per se. She is a 30-year-old self-proclaimed atheist who manages to slander the Catholic Church pretty early on in the book. More significantly perhaps she is a single woman nearing full term of an unplanned pregnancy, yet committed to making her way to isolated and “off the beaten path” crime scenes, going to dangerous locations, and scheduling emotionally painful interviews. Oh, and there is the fact that she is unable to guess the correct father of her child between two candidates, namely her “married with children” boss and sullen old boyfriend who had dumped her years earlier.
There is a particular reason that I feel especially unsympathetic about Paula’s plight relative to the two potential biological fathers. In the book, Paula elaborates:
“She was very aware that Guy’s own loss of a child was what kept her stuck there, even though he was married, and Aidan’s brooding grief over his father’s death was likewise what made her chronically unable to get past him.”
It isn’t clear (to me) what the author is attempting to reveal to the reader about Paula’s motivations. We do know from the information in this novel that Paula is emotionally damaged and has been unable to effectively get past the disappearance of her own mother nearly two decades earlier. She has also attempted suicide. While we are on the topic of Paula’s impaired judgment relative to her sexual liaisons, I would like to point out that most of what the reader tunes in to hear about (or from) Paula are lines like:
“She’d just arrived back at the station to get some files, bone-weary from dragging the baby around all day.”
If I’d had any inkling that the female protagonist (Maguire) was a 30-year-old pregnant woman big as a house and seemingly 5 minutes away from her water breaking from the very beginning pages of the book, I wouldn't have bought it. I have read enough in this novel about how uncomfortable it is to be 9 months pregnant waddling around like a walrus needing to sit down or to pee every 5 minutes to literally last me a lifetime.
The language idiosyncrasies always bug me, that’s a given, but I have to say that I got to the point that when I saw the word “wean” about every five seconds [referring to every age group from infants to toddlers to teenagers] ---and the descriptive adjective "wee" (which is insanely overutilized in the book to describe virtually everything from “a to z”) I felt like throwing something.
Then there was the issue of my complete inability to pronounce names, and I mean mostly first names. In the spirit of full disclosure, I just hate it when I am reading along and keep hitting names I can’t begin to pronounce. It stops me cold and then I invariably pause to try to guess the pronunciation all over again. Maybe it’s my OCD. When I read David L. Lindsey’s THE FACE OF THE ASSASSIN, I encountered several names I couldn’t begin to pronounce. I “googled” each one of them and listened to the pronunciation enough times that when I saw it on the page I could “read” the name while simultaneously comprehending the sound of it in my head.
The above “readability” obstacles all got in the way, and I am honest enough to admit it. I ran into what seemed like an inordinate number of unfamiliar terms that I found myself taking wild guesses at as to the meaning based on the context used in the sentence(s). I truly believe it would have lowered my frustration tolerance level if I had known that the author actually included a Glossary at the end of the novel to humanely decipher terms which might as well have been Klingon from the realm of Star Trek. For instance, I guessed correctly that a “peeler” was a police officer, but really? Why not just use “police officer” in the narrative in the first place? A “peeler” to me is what I use to skin my Idaho potatoes.
Truth be told I disliked this book quite a bit, and I mean even setting aside the number of “readability” issues that plagued my progress. I thought about what this book was really about and the basic question is suggested to be what happens to the victims of a tragedy when the perpetrators walk free because the system of law and order fails miserably to bring any semblance of justice.
Naturally this brings me to more reasons I disliked the Paula character. There was Paula’s tirade toward the end directed at her father PJ:
‘You should understand, of all people. It shouldn’t be like this anymore – people can’t just dispense justice however they see fit. We have laws. We shouldn’t have border justice – judge, jury, and executioner in one.’
Paula rants at PJ her father from her hospital bed (following C-Section for preemie newborn "Maggie"). Paula ignores the task of proceeding with a paternity test---basically dismisses the need to identify the father. Exhibits no sensitivity toward the two and any of their respective family members who feel the desire if not the need to know the answer. I feel it was a selfish position to take. Then she feels bored and restless in the hospital so does not want 3 months off to recuperate from surgery and adjust to being a new mother to a premature infant. NOPE. Wants to selfishly burden her team and coworkers. FINALLY rants to PJ about how unimaginably horrible it is that a human being (likely plural) would not do the RIGHT thing and simply do NOTHING (about the Mayday Five going on to enjoy life and enjoy the rest of their lives with no repercussions).
The truth is that it is easy to espouse this view that we have laws in our country and that there is simply no place for vigilantism in civilized society. Toward the conclusion there is the thrust of this philosophic sword used to pierce the surprise actor in the drama on the stage of revenge:
‘No. Because we’re not like them. They killed without remorse or regret, but there has to be some end to it, (spoiler). To the killing. Or else there’ll be no one left alive.’
This is a beautiful and poetic speech but it is in theory only. In this book there were real victims in pain amidst destroyed lives, and when they turned to the group who had deprived them of the people they loved and the lives they might have led, their moral conscious was awakened in the face of their violent acts of attrition. Conversely, there was a representative sample of victims of the massacre who were no longer in touch with any feeling of humanity toward a group they viewed as animals. It was a release to torture and kill without remorse, and unfortunately to expand their rage to include interlopers who may interfere with the end of the play they had written.
There is even the author’s short dissertation on why we have laws in the first place.
“(Paula) thought about what Guy had said – how you could lose your ability to judge, to say who was right and who was wrong, and that was why we had the law, so we didn’t have to make those choices ourselves, in all our human weakness and pain”.
Again, this is idealistic rhetoric pure and simple. In a beatific world all criminals would be caught, provided appropriate representation, be fairly convicted, and then the law would mete out justice accordingly. It is difficult enough for loved ones to move on with their lives when justice does prevail as it should. He, she, or they will never see their loved one(s) smile or speak again, feel their touch, experience love lost. It is not my opinion by the way that idealists are hypocrites, unintelligent, or that any other negative connotation should apply. Rather, it is my personal belief that emotion can never be removed from an equation that personally impacts the subject making the idealistic argument. Conversely, I could feel that the very architect of the Mayday explosion, the very “brains behind the bombing”, deserved if not forgiveness by man, at least consideration for the amends he made at the end of his life. I could genuinely feel that way because I had the necessary emotional distance from the act he perpetrated, or more specifically, the lack of any direct connection with his victims.
My point? An act of murderous violence that happens to the loved one(s) of an idealist has the inherent capacity to transform him or her into a vicious vigilante in a heartbeat. It isn’t at all the same if it is one’s own wife, son or daughter, etc. that has been violated, tortured, and killed. Only a scant handful of idealistic opponents of the death penalty and family members of victims will be waiting patiently at home for the law to mete out justice in all due time. Read (or better still watch the film adaptation of Grisham’s “A Time To Kill”). Think about it.
I am an Outlier here “big time” (not the first time by any means), but I have to say that I am astounded by the stunning and overwhelming positive reviews this book garnered. I will add that Claire McGowan sounds like (from her bio) a very warm and altruistic idealist that is an asset to our world. May nothing every occur to change her world view.
This novel was featured in an Amazon Kindle promotion in my email last month. I hit the “purchase” button because a brief perusal of the description sounded like the theme of the novel was akin to vigilantism. I finished it early in the first week of January but I must confess that I had to force my way through reading this book to the end.
I really had my doubts that this novel was going to make it to the 25% mark (I make an honest effort to read at least the first quarter of a book before deciding to figuratively pitch it into the “never-to-be-thought-about-again” virtual DNF folder on my Kindle. I think of myself as pretty much neutral about crime fiction authored by writers in other countries. I have read books authored by more than a few names in Britain, Canada, and more recently Scotland’s Helen Fields. In this case the setting is McGowan’s native land of Ireland. It didn’t take five minutes for me to fully realize that I knew incredibly little about Ireland (other than it’s the native soil of UFC legend Conan McGregor and that there are no snakes residing there). Unfortunately, I’m guilty here of only a slight understatement. Frankly I was dimly aware that there was some kind of long-standing violent conflict in Ireland and that there were atrocities perpetrated by a terrorist group called the IRA. Perhaps I should have, but I didn’t anticipate that this novel would be laden with political emphasis on the infamous IRA, the “Troubles”, eventual peace treaty, etc. I learned that there was an extended period of unrest from the late ‘60s to the late ‘90s, and that it was not until “The Good Friday Agreement of 1998” that established a kind of “cease fire” and a dramatically safer environment free of extreme violence in the streets.
This is significant because the plot of the book was predicated on the concept that a small group of political opponents of the peace agreement plotted and carried out a catastrophic act of terrorism to demonstrate their opposition. Specifically, five people were by all accounts guilty of a bombing five years previously which killed 16 people and maimed or injured hundreds of others. That is not counting the ruined marriages and all of the ruined lives in addition to the human carnage and property destruction with blood running in the streets. The five terrorists who were responsible became known as the Mayday Five. It is approaching the fifth anniversary of this act of terrorism and the book opens with the likely kidnapping and systemic murdering of the infamous Mayday Five by party or parties unknown. Paula is determined to remain a part of the investigation into this missing persons case despite her advanced stage of pregnancy.
Two bodies of the five criminals had been recovered by the 25% mark of the book. There is absolutely no rational reason that I can point out that induced me to keep reading. It was not an aspiration of mine to research the tumultuous history of Ireland and the narrative was almost as difficult to plod through as I imagine quicksand would be. “Readability” of the novel (for me) was a major obstacle, but my dislike for the main character of forensic psychologist Paula Maguire was likely just as significant a factor if not more so.
The protagonist (Paula Maguire) was not rendered as a sympathetic, especially smart, or even particularly strong lead. I speculated that perhaps this was at least in part because this reader was not made privy to any substantial back story that may have been illuminated in the prior two installments. Paula, then, is a Forensic Psychologist who works with a team dedicated to locating missing persons, which is suggested to be separate and apart from the police department per se. She is a 30-year-old self-proclaimed atheist who manages to slander the Catholic Church pretty early on in the book. More significantly perhaps she is a single woman nearing full term of an unplanned pregnancy, yet committed to making her way to isolated and “off the beaten path” crime scenes, going to dangerous locations, and scheduling emotionally painful interviews. Oh, and there is the fact that she is unable to guess the correct father of her child between two candidates, namely her “married with children” boss and sullen old boyfriend who had dumped her years earlier.
There is a particular reason that I feel especially unsympathetic about Paula’s plight relative to the two potential biological fathers. In the book, Paula elaborates:
“She was very aware that Guy’s own loss of a child was what kept her stuck there, even though he was married, and Aidan’s brooding grief over his father’s death was likewise what made her chronically unable to get past him.”
It isn’t clear (to me) what the author is attempting to reveal to the reader about Paula’s motivations. We do know from the information in this novel that Paula is emotionally damaged and has been unable to effectively get past the disappearance of her own mother nearly two decades earlier. She has also attempted suicide. While we are on the topic of Paula’s impaired judgment relative to her sexual liaisons, I would like to point out that most of what the reader tunes in to hear about (or from) Paula are lines like:
“She’d just arrived back at the station to get some files, bone-weary from dragging the baby around all day.”
If I’d had any inkling that the female protagonist (Maguire) was a 30-year-old pregnant woman big as a house and seemingly 5 minutes away from her water breaking from the very beginning pages of the book, I wouldn't have bought it. I have read enough in this novel about how uncomfortable it is to be 9 months pregnant waddling around like a walrus needing to sit down or to pee every 5 minutes to literally last me a lifetime.
The language idiosyncrasies always bug me, that’s a given, but I have to say that I got to the point that when I saw the word “wean” about every five seconds [referring to every age group from infants to toddlers to teenagers] ---and the descriptive adjective "wee" (which is insanely overutilized in the book to describe virtually everything from “a to z”) I felt like throwing something.
Then there was the issue of my complete inability to pronounce names, and I mean mostly first names. In the spirit of full disclosure, I just hate it when I am reading along and keep hitting names I can’t begin to pronounce. It stops me cold and then I invariably pause to try to guess the pronunciation all over again. Maybe it’s my OCD. When I read David L. Lindsey’s THE FACE OF THE ASSASSIN, I encountered several names I couldn’t begin to pronounce. I “googled” each one of them and listened to the pronunciation enough times that when I saw it on the page I could “read” the name while simultaneously comprehending the sound of it in my head.
The above “readability” obstacles all got in the way, and I am honest enough to admit it. I ran into what seemed like an inordinate number of unfamiliar terms that I found myself taking wild guesses at as to the meaning based on the context used in the sentence(s). I truly believe it would have lowered my frustration tolerance level if I had known that the author actually included a Glossary at the end of the novel to humanely decipher terms which might as well have been Klingon from the realm of Star Trek. For instance, I guessed correctly that a “peeler” was a police officer, but really? Why not just use “police officer” in the narrative in the first place? A “peeler” to me is what I use to skin my Idaho potatoes.
Truth be told I disliked this book quite a bit, and I mean even setting aside the number of “readability” issues that plagued my progress. I thought about what this book was really about and the basic question is suggested to be what happens to the victims of a tragedy when the perpetrators walk free because the system of law and order fails miserably to bring any semblance of justice.
Naturally this brings me to more reasons I disliked the Paula character. There was Paula’s tirade toward the end directed at her father PJ:
‘You should understand, of all people. It shouldn’t be like this anymore – people can’t just dispense justice however they see fit. We have laws. We shouldn’t have border justice – judge, jury, and executioner in one.’
Paula rants at PJ her father from her hospital bed (following C-Section for preemie newborn "Maggie"). Paula ignores the task of proceeding with a paternity test---basically dismisses the need to identify the father. Exhibits no sensitivity toward the two and any of their respective family members who feel the desire if not the need to know the answer. I feel it was a selfish position to take. Then she feels bored and restless in the hospital so does not want 3 months off to recuperate from surgery and adjust to being a new mother to a premature infant. NOPE. Wants to selfishly burden her team and coworkers. FINALLY rants to PJ about how unimaginably horrible it is that a human being (likely plural) would not do the RIGHT thing and simply do NOTHING (about the Mayday Five going on to enjoy life and enjoy the rest of their lives with no repercussions).
The truth is that it is easy to espouse this view that we have laws in our country and that there is simply no place for vigilantism in civilized society. Toward the conclusion there is the thrust of this philosophic sword used to pierce the surprise actor in the drama on the stage of revenge:
‘No. Because we’re not like them. They killed without remorse or regret, but there has to be some end to it, (spoiler). To the killing. Or else there’ll be no one left alive.’
This is a beautiful and poetic speech but it is in theory only. In this book there were real victims in pain amidst destroyed lives, and when they turned to the group who had deprived them of the people they loved and the lives they might have led, their moral conscious was awakened in the face of their violent acts of attrition. Conversely, there was a representative sample of victims of the massacre who were no longer in touch with any feeling of humanity toward a group they viewed as animals. It was a release to torture and kill without remorse, and unfortunately to expand their rage to include interlopers who may interfere with the end of the play they had written.
There is even the author’s short dissertation on why we have laws in the first place.
“(Paula) thought about what Guy had said – how you could lose your ability to judge, to say who was right and who was wrong, and that was why we had the law, so we didn’t have to make those choices ourselves, in all our human weakness and pain”.
Again, this is idealistic rhetoric pure and simple. In a beatific world all criminals would be caught, provided appropriate representation, be fairly convicted, and then the law would mete out justice accordingly. It is difficult enough for loved ones to move on with their lives when justice does prevail as it should. He, she, or they will never see their loved one(s) smile or speak again, feel their touch, experience love lost. It is not my opinion by the way that idealists are hypocrites, unintelligent, or that any other negative connotation should apply. Rather, it is my personal belief that emotion can never be removed from an equation that personally impacts the subject making the idealistic argument. Conversely, I could feel that the very architect of the Mayday explosion, the very “brains behind the bombing”, deserved if not forgiveness by man, at least consideration for the amends he made at the end of his life. I could genuinely feel that way because I had the necessary emotional distance from the act he perpetrated, or more specifically, the lack of any direct connection with his victims.
My point? An act of murderous violence that happens to the loved one(s) of an idealist has the inherent capacity to transform him or her into a vicious vigilante in a heartbeat. It isn’t at all the same if it is one’s own wife, son or daughter, etc. that has been violated, tortured, and killed. Only a scant handful of idealistic opponents of the death penalty and family members of victims will be waiting patiently at home for the law to mete out justice in all due time. Read (or better still watch the film adaptation of Grisham’s “A Time To Kill”). Think about it.
I am an Outlier here “big time” (not the first time by any means), but I have to say that I am astounded by the stunning and overwhelming positive reviews this book garnered. I will add that Claire McGowan sounds like (from her bio) a very warm and altruistic idealist that is an asset to our world. May nothing every occur to change her world view.
November 17, 2019
In the third Paula Maguire book, The Silent Dead, five IRA bombers vanish, but because they got away with a terrible act well into peacetime, no one cares much about what might have happened to them - but the unit have to question the families of their victims in case they know something. I thought this one gave really excellent insight into the politically charged atmosphere of Northern Ireland - and the fact that so many still live with the pain of the past.
November 26, 2015
The Silent Dead is the first of Claire McGowan’s, Paula Maguire series that I have had the pleasure of reading, I would like to go back and read the first two in the series for my own pleasure, but I don’t believe it’s necessary for the enjoyment of this novel.
Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is among the first on the scene when a member of the so called May Day Five (those responsible for the devastating May Day bombing) is found hung.
The immediate and inevitable conclusion is suicide; however it soon becomes clear that this is anything but.
A mysterious handwritten note is found upon the body linking the killing to the ‘May Day Trial’ where the bombers were set free, the families and their victims left distraught, wanting answers and possibly revenge.
Clearly the families of the victims are among the first suspects, but something just doesn’t add up...
When a second body is discovered, fears grow for the other members of the organisation.
No matter what they did, they are still human beings and Maguire is determined to get to the bottom of the case before the others are declared missing or worse still found murdered.
Her issue is, she is not an official member of the investigation team, and is heavily pregnant, neither of which endear her to the officer in charge of the investigation. But Maguire doesn't much care; neither for protocol, or for what others think of her. She is determined only to do her job.
The Silent Dead is a novel that highlights some of the troubles in Northern Ireland without being too brutal. It is gripping and in parts disturbing, but always enjoyable. I very much look forward to McGowan's next one...
Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is among the first on the scene when a member of the so called May Day Five (those responsible for the devastating May Day bombing) is found hung.
The immediate and inevitable conclusion is suicide; however it soon becomes clear that this is anything but.
A mysterious handwritten note is found upon the body linking the killing to the ‘May Day Trial’ where the bombers were set free, the families and their victims left distraught, wanting answers and possibly revenge.
Clearly the families of the victims are among the first suspects, but something just doesn’t add up...
When a second body is discovered, fears grow for the other members of the organisation.
No matter what they did, they are still human beings and Maguire is determined to get to the bottom of the case before the others are declared missing or worse still found murdered.
Her issue is, she is not an official member of the investigation team, and is heavily pregnant, neither of which endear her to the officer in charge of the investigation. But Maguire doesn't much care; neither for protocol, or for what others think of her. She is determined only to do her job.
The Silent Dead is a novel that highlights some of the troubles in Northern Ireland without being too brutal. It is gripping and in parts disturbing, but always enjoyable. I very much look forward to McGowan's next one...
July 28, 2015
I was enthralled by this book from the out-set. It provides an insight into aspects of the troubles from an unusual point of view. What is it like for the survivors when the perpetrators walk free? The story is set around the 'Mayday' five.
The story is very cleverly crafted, with the details of the 'Mayday' bombing being delivered through excerpts from a book written about the atrocity.
In places there are some disturbing sections. What did I like about it? Well for me the strength of this novel is the inter-play between the fast moving plot and the subtle insights into the tense political, religious and social aspects of life in Northern Ireland during the late 90s onwards.
Regrets? I wish I had read the two earlier Paula Maguire stories before reading this. I would probably have known a bit more about some of the police characters.
Without wishing to spoil the plot in any way, I feel it is safe to say that there are a couple of intriguing twist towards the end which help to make this a superb book.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Headline, for an advanced copy in exchange for a review. I hope this is fair recompense?
The story is very cleverly crafted, with the details of the 'Mayday' bombing being delivered through excerpts from a book written about the atrocity.
In places there are some disturbing sections. What did I like about it? Well for me the strength of this novel is the inter-play between the fast moving plot and the subtle insights into the tense political, religious and social aspects of life in Northern Ireland during the late 90s onwards.
Regrets? I wish I had read the two earlier Paula Maguire stories before reading this. I would probably have known a bit more about some of the police characters.
Without wishing to spoil the plot in any way, I feel it is safe to say that there are a couple of intriguing twist towards the end which help to make this a superb book.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Headline, for an advanced copy in exchange for a review. I hope this is fair recompense?
March 8, 2016
The forensic psychologist Paula Maguire has a new case, but it will be more close to home than she expects...
The appearance of a victim is not a surprise for the police, the problem is that is a suspected terrorist... Is it vengeance or justice?
This is my first book of Claire McGowan, (is the third book in the series), but I loved the intensity of the book and how the writer explains the ambivalent feelings the police have in this case.
Five suspected bombers have disappeared and their bodies are appearing being tortured as the same victims of the bomb. Could it be that some of the survivors are taking the law into their own hands?
What can you do if justice doesn't work? Vengeance is never the answer, but seeing the people that murdered your loved ones being free and without punishment isn't the answer neither.
Reading this book will make you feel the pain of the bomb survivors and how they try to cope with their life after a big tragedy like that.
This is a sad and deep book, being so realistic that you feel you almost understand their motives.
Would you ever take the law in your own hands?
The appearance of a victim is not a surprise for the police, the problem is that is a suspected terrorist... Is it vengeance or justice?
This is my first book of Claire McGowan, (is the third book in the series), but I loved the intensity of the book and how the writer explains the ambivalent feelings the police have in this case.
Five suspected bombers have disappeared and their bodies are appearing being tortured as the same victims of the bomb. Could it be that some of the survivors are taking the law into their own hands?
What can you do if justice doesn't work? Vengeance is never the answer, but seeing the people that murdered your loved ones being free and without punishment isn't the answer neither.
Reading this book will make you feel the pain of the bomb survivors and how they try to cope with their life after a big tragedy like that.
This is a sad and deep book, being so realistic that you feel you almost understand their motives.
Would you ever take the law in your own hands?
July 30, 2015
This is the third book to feature forensic psychologist Paula Maguire and the series is going from strength to strength. Heavily pregnant, Paula is part of a missing persons team trying to find out who has methodically kidnapped and murdered five suspected bombers. Northern Ireland's troubled history runs throughout the story showing how carefully the police have to tread as religion and old grudges spring up at every corner. The plot is tightly written and the dialogue as snappy as the last two books in the series. This is a tremendous series, the ongoing storyline concerning Paula's missing mother continues to inch along and though I don't suspect we'll get an answer for another couple of books at least, this isn't frustrating as there's so much else going on as well. I now have the classic problem of the crime series reader which is the long wait till the next book! This is fantastic stuff and up there with the likes of Ian Rankin and Stuart Macbride.
I received a free copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a free copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
October 12, 2020
Seriously? The Troubles are a worthy subject which runs through this series pretty deeply. But I have come to loathe Paula Maguire with all my heart and soul. She is pig-headed and thoughtless and pretty much runs away with herself whenever she gets an idea, despite being connected to a police department where she could get some much-needed help.
I also asked myself during this book if the author had ever actually experienced pregnancy. I have, twice, and it was nothing like Paula's little rendez-vous with the subject. Unless she gained 100 pounds, there's no reason she couldn't put her boots on at 8 months. Unless she has super-hero healing powers, there's no way she could RUN a week post-Caesarian without doing some unspeakable damage to herself.
I could go on and on, but let me just note to the author that your breasts don't "ache with milk." They LEAK. Which would have made the grand finale hilarious.
I also asked myself during this book if the author had ever actually experienced pregnancy. I have, twice, and it was nothing like Paula's little rendez-vous with the subject. Unless she gained 100 pounds, there's no reason she couldn't put her boots on at 8 months. Unless she has super-hero healing powers, there's no way she could RUN a week post-Caesarian without doing some unspeakable damage to herself.
I could go on and on, but let me just note to the author that your breasts don't "ache with milk." They LEAK. Which would have made the grand finale hilarious.
July 26, 2015
‘The Troubles’ are supposed to be over in Northern Ireland, but for the victims and their relatives left behind it will never be in the past, especially when the guilty walk free.
I have never read any of Claire McGowan’s books before. This is the third in a series and there were times when I wished I knew about events that had brought some of the characters to this stage of their lives, but no knowing did not spoil my enjoyment of the book.
In places this was a very harrowing read. There was so much sadness on both sides of the divide. It was a riveting story with solid interesting characters, Paula Maguire in particular was a very engaging character.
Thanks to Netgallery for the chance to read this excellent book- a good five star read.
I have never read any of Claire McGowan’s books before. This is the third in a series and there were times when I wished I knew about events that had brought some of the characters to this stage of their lives, but no knowing did not spoil my enjoyment of the book.
In places this was a very harrowing read. There was so much sadness on both sides of the divide. It was a riveting story with solid interesting characters, Paula Maguire in particular was a very engaging character.
Thanks to Netgallery for the chance to read this excellent book- a good five star read.
June 20, 2017
Not too sure what to say about this one. Firstly, I jumped right into the series with this book - which very quickly made me realize that it's definitely not a stand-alone. You pretty much have to read the previous novels to get into all the Drama this book offers in matters of Relationship woes. Secondly, I really did love the Crime Solving mystery itself. It was great. Lots of little twists. That said, the storyline kept getting interrupted by the main character complaining or stating facts about her pregnancy: how big she is, can't sit, can't get up, wah wah wah. Every two pages or so, a remark about it, for pretty much the entire book... It just kept breaking the momentum for me. So, 3 stars it is. Will skip the rest of the series.
March 9, 2016
I received this as an arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review.
The officers at the crime scene knows exactly who the victim is. Doyle was one of five suspected bombers who caused the deaths of sixteen people.
Wow. Absolutely fantastic read.
CNPID. Read in one sitting.
I loved the story and the characters.
my favourite character was Paula and Corry and Guy.
Paula and Guy made a good team.
I liked Aiiden too.
And wow I didn't see that coming.
It wasn't who I thought it would be.
I loved the ending too.
This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book.
Definitely worth more than 5 *.
The officers at the crime scene knows exactly who the victim is. Doyle was one of five suspected bombers who caused the deaths of sixteen people.
Wow. Absolutely fantastic read.
CNPID. Read in one sitting.
I loved the story and the characters.
my favourite character was Paula and Corry and Guy.
Paula and Guy made a good team.
I liked Aiiden too.
And wow I didn't see that coming.
It wasn't who I thought it would be.
I loved the ending too.
This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book.
Definitely worth more than 5 *.
October 7, 2016
This series is excellent on post-Troubles Ireland and there are some interesting relationships being played out - but gosh Paula is irritating! Everytime she insinuated herself into a boggy crime scene despite being 8 months pregnant I wanted to reach into the book and slap her. The book works despite the main character rather than because of her. Recommended with reservations.
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