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Peter McGarr #12
The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf
In a remote community off the west coast of Ireland, residents inclined to gossip speculate why reclusive Clement Ford, the "Sea Wolf," has become such a generous benefactor to his neighbors. then one night, a mysterious figure from Ford's past arrives on the island, and by morning three people are murdered and Ford has disappeared. In the wake of the tragedy, Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr, and his intuitive wife, Noreen, along with his trusted staff from the Murder Squad, must piece together the deadly evening's events and answer the questions: Who really is the enigmatic Sea Wolf? And what does he have that is worth killing so many people for?
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Bartholomew Gill
31 books29 followersBartholomew Gill is the pen name of Mark McGarrity.
Mr. McGarrity was born in Holyoke, Mass., and graduated from Brown University in 1966. He studied for his master's degree at Trinity College, Dublin, and never tired of mining the country for material.
''One of the things they gave me,'' he once said of his books, ''is a chance to go back to Ireland time and time again to do research.''
He was also an avid outdoorsman, and since 1996 worked at The Star-Ledger of Newark as a features writer and columnist under the McGarrity name, specializing in nature and outdoor recreation. While continuing to produce McGarr novels, sometimes at the rate of one a year, Mr. McGarrity produced several articles a week for the newspaper. He wrote about a variety of topics ranging from environmental issues to the odd characters he encountered in his travels, like an Eastern European immigrant who grew up watching cowboy movies and found his dream job playing Wyatt Earp in an amusement park in rural New Jersey.
Mr. McGarrity also published five novels under his own name.
Series:
* Peter McGarr Mystery
Mr. McGarrity was born in Holyoke, Mass., and graduated from Brown University in 1966. He studied for his master's degree at Trinity College, Dublin, and never tired of mining the country for material.
''One of the things they gave me,'' he once said of his books, ''is a chance to go back to Ireland time and time again to do research.''
He was also an avid outdoorsman, and since 1996 worked at The Star-Ledger of Newark as a features writer and columnist under the McGarrity name, specializing in nature and outdoor recreation. While continuing to produce McGarr novels, sometimes at the rate of one a year, Mr. McGarrity produced several articles a week for the newspaper. He wrote about a variety of topics ranging from environmental issues to the odd characters he encountered in his travels, like an Eastern European immigrant who grew up watching cowboy movies and found his dream job playing Wyatt Earp in an amusement park in rural New Jersey.
Mr. McGarrity also published five novels under his own name.
Series:
* Peter McGarr Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 10, 2020
I think this makes six out of sixteen of the McGarr books I have now read. The price was reasonable for the kindle and I do enjoy the series. This one was written about 25 years ago.
The setting is great for marvelous natural descriptions of the island, the views and the weather and is also central to the plot. The action takes place at Clare Island, guardian of Clew Bay in County Mayo and home of a pirate queen.
One of the residents of the island arrived at the end of WWII, washing up to shore where a woman named Peig O'Malley took him in and cared for him, also introducing him to the woman who would become his second wife. His first wife was killed in the war. He was a giant of a man and chose to speak English since he had that option and the gift of a British mother. His identity through the years was not really questioned as he would grant financial help to those in need from what he called the Clare Island Trust.
The source of the wealth, hidden in a cave on a very steep mountain, was sometimes liquidated and banked/invested in Dublin. Of course there is a former SS man on the hunt for the sea wolf to find the treasure. This results in murder and mayhem and brings Chief Superintendent McGarr of the Serious Crimes Unit to the island. Of course his wife Noreen and daughter Maddie grace us with their presence as well.
The tale is full of high adventure and Irish attitude, supplemented with history lessons from Noreen on land formations, ancient stones, etc. It is very richly endowed with Irish lore.
The setting is great for marvelous natural descriptions of the island, the views and the weather and is also central to the plot. The action takes place at Clare Island, guardian of Clew Bay in County Mayo and home of a pirate queen.
One of the residents of the island arrived at the end of WWII, washing up to shore where a woman named Peig O'Malley took him in and cared for him, also introducing him to the woman who would become his second wife. His first wife was killed in the war. He was a giant of a man and chose to speak English since he had that option and the gift of a British mother. His identity through the years was not really questioned as he would grant financial help to those in need from what he called the Clare Island Trust.
The source of the wealth, hidden in a cave on a very steep mountain, was sometimes liquidated and banked/invested in Dublin. Of course there is a former SS man on the hunt for the sea wolf to find the treasure. This results in murder and mayhem and brings Chief Superintendent McGarr of the Serious Crimes Unit to the island. Of course his wife Noreen and daughter Maddie grace us with their presence as well.
The tale is full of high adventure and Irish attitude, supplemented with history lessons from Noreen on land formations, ancient stones, etc. It is very richly endowed with Irish lore.
May 20, 2012
I am really liking Bartholomew Gill. The Peter McGarr series so far have all been excellent and this one is no exception.
Clement Ford, the man who controls a trust very beneficial to the inhabitants of an island off the Irish coast, but who lives very modestly, has been watching the sea for a quarter century, fearing that Angus Rehm and his past might have caught up to him. When Rehm does turn up, he secrets the information about the trust with a neighbor and plans to flee. Before he can, Rehm and his children arrive seeking vengeance, leaving several dead in his wake. Ford escapes and Rehm must now ferret out the secret even though the police are swarming over the island, especially given that one of the dead was a retired cop.
Gill does a wonderful job portraying the distrust of the old Irish for newcomers and those from the mainland, especially after the EU loan to Ireland that resulted, so the old-timers say, in the GUBU (Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre, Unprecedented) corruption and scandals that resulted. “The likes of foreigners and scuts, like you. Yeh’ve ruined this country, this island, and now my son [the father of the dead cop is speaking to McGarr]. Frauds and gobshites [love that word] all of yiz. Mots, bowsies, and gurriers.” Lovely.
Clement Ford, the man who controls a trust very beneficial to the inhabitants of an island off the Irish coast, but who lives very modestly, has been watching the sea for a quarter century, fearing that Angus Rehm and his past might have caught up to him. When Rehm does turn up, he secrets the information about the trust with a neighbor and plans to flee. Before he can, Rehm and his children arrive seeking vengeance, leaving several dead in his wake. Ford escapes and Rehm must now ferret out the secret even though the police are swarming over the island, especially given that one of the dead was a retired cop.
Gill does a wonderful job portraying the distrust of the old Irish for newcomers and those from the mainland, especially after the EU loan to Ireland that resulted, so the old-timers say, in the GUBU (Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre, Unprecedented) corruption and scandals that resulted. “The likes of foreigners and scuts, like you. Yeh’ve ruined this country, this island, and now my son [the father of the dead cop is speaking to McGarr]. Frauds and gobshites [love that word] all of yiz. Mots, bowsies, and gurriers.” Lovely.
August 14, 2015
I found this book in the back of my bookcase and I'm really sorry I did not find it sooner. Wonderful setting on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. It is a mystery within a mystery, part police procedural with Insp McGarr investigating a number of murders and missing persons and the big question - Who really is/was Clement Ford?
March 13, 2021
I'm tempted to reread this after a dozen or more years, thanks to an unexpected email from a retired professor living on Clare Island. He and I met in the summer of 1981 when we both visited a fascinating resident of the island, Michael Joe O'Malley.
On stumbling upon "The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf" -- and enjoying a quick first-read -- I immediately wondered whether "Bartholomew Gill" had also visited the island and met O'Malley. Michael Joe was known for welcoming writers and photographers. He died in 1988 and his "Macalla Farm" is now a yoga and mindfulness retreat center. I wonder if they read Gill's book there? Not exactly a mindfulness-retreat tale, being a murder mystery, but I do remember that it caught some of the sense of the place and, like the island, I think the novel might be fun to visit again.
:-)
On stumbling upon "The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf" -- and enjoying a quick first-read -- I immediately wondered whether "Bartholomew Gill" had also visited the island and met O'Malley. Michael Joe was known for welcoming writers and photographers. He died in 1988 and his "Macalla Farm" is now a yoga and mindfulness retreat center. I wonder if they read Gill's book there? Not exactly a mindfulness-retreat tale, being a murder mystery, but I do remember that it caught some of the sense of the place and, like the island, I think the novel might be fun to visit again.
:-)
May 31, 2019
The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf felt overly busy without enough focus on making interesting characters and plot lines. With the number of characters, it felt like a take at a novelized NCIS. Additionally, the prose was jarring at times, as if entire paragraphs had been cut out, leaving the reader wondering how they had suddenly gotten from one scene to another. Hard to recommend this one even as a murder mystery beach read.
July 16, 2025
I liked the Sea Wolf better than the Superintendent. He seemed like a minor character. This story is about how the Irish perceive others. Not in a good light. After reading the memoir, it is clear that WWII played a big part.
The memoir went on for 30 pages and was technical and extremely boring. I skimmed the whole of it.
I do not need to read further Peter McGarr stories, nor would I recommend this one unless you have a keen interest about Clare Island.
The memoir went on for 30 pages and was technical and extremely boring. I skimmed the whole of it.
I do not need to read further Peter McGarr stories, nor would I recommend this one unless you have a keen interest about Clare Island.
July 14, 2023
Bartholomew Gill is a new author for me and I really enjoyed this book. The scenery descriptions were great and I really enjoyed the mystery of the book and what the guy did with the wealth. Will look for more of his books.
October 15, 2018
Curl up with this mystery. Isolated Irish Island, murder, treasure, a bit of a stretch but if saved for that cold rainy night it will work for you.
April 2, 2008
Suppossedly the best of Mcgarr's work but I prefer others which stick closer to the police procedureal than this which is too close to Ken Follet, Tom Clancy & George Higgens. A good, quick read with good characters, a decent plot, an interesting twist in the personal life of one of the team that will develop into an on-going storyline & provide some tension within the team in a later book, I'm sure & some weak areas which would have taken too much time & focus from the main story to correct.
September 2, 2009
A brutal murder on an Irish island with equally brutal weather brings some of Gill's recurring characters to investigate. Because of the insular culture of the island, their work has to be done with a light touch despite the danger. The intriguing characters, the suspense and the island held my interest despite the brutality.
February 1, 2011
Not bad; a decent mystery with a fast pace. Not my usual fare but you've got to go outside of your comfort zone every so often. I can't compare this to Gill's other novels because this is the only one I have read. I noticed some of the other reviewers thought this book was weak compared to his others.
October 2, 2016
20 years old and a good book is still a good book.
This was more of a character study than it was a mystery. It began slowly. What little action sequences existed were just as well described and written as the historical information.
It was a good story filled with good characters. I liked it.
This was more of a character study than it was a mystery. It began slowly. What little action sequences existed were just as well described and written as the historical information.
It was a good story filled with good characters. I liked it.
December 14, 2010
exciting, action packed mystery...one of those you already know who dunnit...but you watch the detectives work it out...plus you get the backround as why....now staying in Ireland we move on to a Christmas gift...Tana French's....Faithful Place
June 15, 2013
Decent mystery set on Clare Island, Ireland. Bonus points for historical intrigue, and getting me attached to characters early on in the story. Minus points for what felt like an abrupt ending.
July 7, 2013
A great mystery set on and island off the west coast of Ireland. A great read.
August 13, 2015
Gill was a great writer. I love this series of Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr. He and his Garda squad leave Dublin to solve crime on Clare Island.
January 11, 2016
I had such high hopes for this book, a real page turner at first and then I'm not sure what happened. I had to slog through until the last 50 or so pages.
March 26, 2008
Reminded me a lot of The Usual Suspects.
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November 6, 2017fun read. Liked the historical and geographical notes.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews