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Now That You've Gone
“I’ve witnessed many sordid things in my life. As a stenographer at the Criminal Courts of Justice, I thought I’d seen how low a human being might stoop. But one week into O’Malley v O’Malley and I’d decided there was nothing uglier than a bitter break-up.”
Stenographer Beatrice Barrington is back and working in the family law courts in Dublin when a friend seeks her help. Georgina O’Donnell’s husband, Andrew Dalton, has been murdered and the gardaí are keeping her in the dark. Georgina thinks Beatrice might be able to find some answers through her friend, retired detective Gabriel Ingram.
There has been a rift between Beatrice and Gabriel, but she agrees to do what she can. She contacts him and discovers he now has a lodger in Number 9, Oxmantown Road – a young woman with her own secrets.
Together Beatrice and Gabriel begin to uncover Andrew Dalton’s past. Then a stranger who says he is an old friend of Andrew’s appears and claims that the dead man owed him money. The pressure becomes too much for Georgina, and Beatrice finds herself trying to protect her friend and her family.
But who is she protecting them from?
Stenographer Beatrice Barrington is back and working in the family law courts in Dublin when a friend seeks her help. Georgina O’Donnell’s husband, Andrew Dalton, has been murdered and the gardaí are keeping her in the dark. Georgina thinks Beatrice might be able to find some answers through her friend, retired detective Gabriel Ingram.
There has been a rift between Beatrice and Gabriel, but she agrees to do what she can. She contacts him and discovers he now has a lodger in Number 9, Oxmantown Road – a young woman with her own secrets.
Together Beatrice and Gabriel begin to uncover Andrew Dalton’s past. Then a stranger who says he is an old friend of Andrew’s appears and claims that the dead man owed him money. The pressure becomes too much for Georgina, and Beatrice finds herself trying to protect her friend and her family.
But who is she protecting them from?
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 18, 2020
Beatrice Barrington is a courtroom stenographer who finds herself entangled in the murder of a friend's husband.
Georgina O'Donell's husband, Andrew Dalton, has been murdered and the garda are keeping her in the dark. She feels that Beatrice might be able to find some answers through her friend, retired detective Gabriel Ingram.
As Beatrice and Gabriel start their investigation, they find a connection between the dead man and a young woman who is lodging with Gabriel.
Who is the man who shows up telling the widow his husband owed him money? Why was her husband killed in an area he never visited? Who would have wanted him dead?
The pressure becomes too much for Georgina, and Beatrice finds herself trying to protect her friend and her family. But ... from whom?
This is a well written crime fiction featuring a unique 'investigator' in the form of a stenographer. It stretches credibility at times, but the story itself retains the suspense of a who-dun-it until the very unexpected ending.
Many thanks to the author / Booksirens for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Georgina O'Donell's husband, Andrew Dalton, has been murdered and the garda are keeping her in the dark. She feels that Beatrice might be able to find some answers through her friend, retired detective Gabriel Ingram.
As Beatrice and Gabriel start their investigation, they find a connection between the dead man and a young woman who is lodging with Gabriel.
Who is the man who shows up telling the widow his husband owed him money? Why was her husband killed in an area he never visited? Who would have wanted him dead?
The pressure becomes too much for Georgina, and Beatrice finds herself trying to protect her friend and her family. But ... from whom?
This is a well written crime fiction featuring a unique 'investigator' in the form of a stenographer. It stretches credibility at times, but the story itself retains the suspense of a who-dun-it until the very unexpected ending.
Many thanks to the author / Booksirens for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
October 30, 2019
This was an enjoyable book full of interesting characters and atmosphere. Set in and around Dublin, Ireland, the language seemed to me a non-Dublinite to ring true. Referring to police as gardai, makes the story seem a little more exotic and who orders tea in a bar? We meet Beatrice in a Dublin courtroom. She is the court stenographer in the Criminal Courts of Justice for the divorce case of O’Malley V. O’Malley. Beatrice tells us she prefers criminal law because it’s easier to tell right and wrong, good from the bad. However, there is more work in the Family Court Division.
Beatrice is feeling bad for an old friend, Georgina, whose husband was brutally attacked and murdered. Georgina asks Beatrice for help to find out more information. And that is really where the story begins.
Beatrice contacts and old friend Gabriel, retired from the police. There is definitely a history between Gabriel and Beatrice. I didn’t research but I guess there is a previous book with some of the characters from this book. There were connections and storylines that were a bit disjointed and I couldn’t quite figure out. That is not to say not having all the backstories took away from this story, but the knowledge could have helped.
As we go along we find out some information about Georgina’s husband we didn’t know and have a glimpse into her current life. We are also watching Gabriel and Beatrice figure out their friendship.
I found the book fun, and it kept my interest. I wanted to see what happened to Georgin’es husband, what happens with Beatrice and Gabriel. The twists and turns were reliable, they didn’t come from out of the blue, but they were smart enough to not guess them all.
A quick, fun, and uncomplicated book I would recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Beatrice is feeling bad for an old friend, Georgina, whose husband was brutally attacked and murdered. Georgina asks Beatrice for help to find out more information. And that is really where the story begins.
Beatrice contacts and old friend Gabriel, retired from the police. There is definitely a history between Gabriel and Beatrice. I didn’t research but I guess there is a previous book with some of the characters from this book. There were connections and storylines that were a bit disjointed and I couldn’t quite figure out. That is not to say not having all the backstories took away from this story, but the knowledge could have helped.
As we go along we find out some information about Georgina’s husband we didn’t know and have a glimpse into her current life. We are also watching Gabriel and Beatrice figure out their friendship.
I found the book fun, and it kept my interest. I wanted to see what happened to Georgin’es husband, what happens with Beatrice and Gabriel. The twists and turns were reliable, they didn’t come from out of the blue, but they were smart enough to not guess them all.
A quick, fun, and uncomplicated book I would recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 3, 2019
Of course I was enamored with Fiona Gartland’s novel “Now That You’ve Gone”, being that it is a story based in Dublin, Ireland. My favorite place on earth! She truly took me on a trip while I read her story and that was glorious.
Only this story was much more the beautiful city of Dublin, it was a story wrapped up in a dead man, court room drama, and two girlfriends trying to sort it all out.
It was intriguing, inviting and; dare I say, even a bit fun to read! They’re were twists I did not expect!
This is the second book in the series, but could definitely be read as a stand alone. I know I would thoroughly enjoy Book 1. Fiona Gartland is a gifted story teller!
I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
December 4, 2019
This is a very good murder mystery. Ms. Gartland had me completely stumped as to who the 'bad guy' was and the "reveal" was definitely surprise. The characters are fully fleshed-out and three dimensional and the dialogue was smooth and natural. If not for a couple of things, this book would have been a solid 5-stars for me. Two things that bothered me a little bit, but not enough to affect my rating were Irish phraseology and minor typos and wrong character names. The phraseology wasn't an irritation so much as it slowed down my reading to a certain extent because I was having to check the meaning of words with my dictionary or rereading to try to determine the meaning via context. Like I said, not enough to affect my rating, but enough to be noticeable. The other, wrong character names, used to be a very big pet-peeve. I couldn't understand how an author, who created these characters, could mix up character names. Then one day I was looking at my oldest son and clearly called him by his brother's name. So this little error no longer bothers me. Any mother who says she's never called her child by the wrong name is lying, so why should I point fingers at an author who makes the same error sometimes.
The one issue I had with this book that did affect my rating was descriptions. Every time someone went somewhere Ms. Gartland would describe the route to the nth degree, the food was described in detail, etc. I felt that the book would have been a much tighter, cohesive story with a little less description and more story.
The other issue I had was with the court case Bea was working on as a stenographer. I'm not 100% sure I know what purpose the case had. I guess I can justify it a little bit as it seemed to help her make a decision toward the end of the book (any more detail and it might become a spoiler), but I don't feel like all the minute details were really needed. Another example of too much filler, in my opinion. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out other books by Ms. Gartland.
I received an advance review copy from Book Sirens and would like to thank them and the author for the opportunity to read it. This is my honest opinion.
The one issue I had with this book that did affect my rating was descriptions. Every time someone went somewhere Ms. Gartland would describe the route to the nth degree, the food was described in detail, etc. I felt that the book would have been a much tighter, cohesive story with a little less description and more story.
The other issue I had was with the court case Bea was working on as a stenographer. I'm not 100% sure I know what purpose the case had. I guess I can justify it a little bit as it seemed to help her make a decision toward the end of the book (any more detail and it might become a spoiler), but I don't feel like all the minute details were really needed. Another example of too much filler, in my opinion. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out other books by Ms. Gartland.
I received an advance review copy from Book Sirens and would like to thank them and the author for the opportunity to read it. This is my honest opinion.
December 31, 2019
A solid mystery that is well written.
Now That You’ve gone by Fiona Gartland is about a court stenographer, who tries to help her friend deal with the murder of her husband. This book actually has three stories happening. 1. In her job as a stenographer in family law court, Bea watches a family fall apart. 2. The mystery surrounding the death of her friend’s husband. 3. Re-connecting with her friend, retired detective, Gabriel, and the issues between them.
What I really loved about this book was the fact that it was all story. There was very little filler, and the subplots grabbed your attention just as much as the main mystery. About half way through, I thought I knew where the story was going. However, the author had other ideas. I was partially right, and loved that moment of “wow” that happens as the solution to the mystery unfolds.
I honestly can’t complain about anything in regards to this book. It held my attention, it had great writing, and a nice kicker for the end.
Thank you to Library Thing, Fiona Gartland, and Poolbeg Press, LTD for the opportunity to read and review this 4 star book.
Now That You’ve gone by Fiona Gartland is about a court stenographer, who tries to help her friend deal with the murder of her husband. This book actually has three stories happening. 1. In her job as a stenographer in family law court, Bea watches a family fall apart. 2. The mystery surrounding the death of her friend’s husband. 3. Re-connecting with her friend, retired detective, Gabriel, and the issues between them.
What I really loved about this book was the fact that it was all story. There was very little filler, and the subplots grabbed your attention just as much as the main mystery. About half way through, I thought I knew where the story was going. However, the author had other ideas. I was partially right, and loved that moment of “wow” that happens as the solution to the mystery unfolds.
I honestly can’t complain about anything in regards to this book. It held my attention, it had great writing, and a nice kicker for the end.
Thank you to Library Thing, Fiona Gartland, and Poolbeg Press, LTD for the opportunity to read and review this 4 star book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews