The Death of an Irish Lass

Peter McGarr #3

by Bartholomew Gill

The dead woman is an enigma –– a local lass who emigrated to America some years back, now perched atop a seven–hundred–foot cliff high above the pounding Irish surf . . . with two passports, a pistol, and $27,000 U.S. dollars in her coat pocket. The brutality of May Quirk's murder –– along with the accompanying death of her unborn child –– haunts Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr of the Special Crimes Unit. What was it that brought her home to County Clare to die? McGarr is determined to find out, as his investigation carries him into the twisted core of a deadly conspiracy centered around money, madness, and lethal politics . . . and leads him far from his own home to a dark place where a dedicated Irish policeman is easy prey.

Genres: Mystery, Ireland, Fiction, Procedural, Mystery Thriller, Irish Literature

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Bartholomew 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

Reviews

[Bobby Underwood]

Bartholomew Gill created a most Irish detective in Peter McGarr, imbuing both McGarr and the setting with the charm of an Irish Bed and Breakfast. It leans a bit toward literary, but not so far that it ever becomes dull.

McGarr is Chief Inspector of Detectives, a position created solely to lure him away from Interpol. Before that McGarr had been with Criminal Justice in Paris and is somewhat revered in his home of Ireland. When a particularly young and beautiful Irish lass named May Quirk is found murdered with a pitchfork along the roadside, McGarr tackles a case involving the I.R.A. leading him to New York and back to Ireland to catch a killer.

Gill writes a complex mystery full of atmosphere for a beautiful country where some tawdry things take place. He shows the sympathetic nature of many in Ireland for the I.R.A. even though their methods are frowned upon. McGarr discovers that May Quirk only returned to her homeland to expose the organization's financial pipeline for her paper in New York, and might still be alive had she not.

The reader gets to know the detective a bit as the investigation unfolds. McGarr has a wife, Noreen, 21 years younger than him, for example, and a love for fine food and his country, Ireland. As he tries to get to the bottom of May Quirk's death an explosive attempt to remove him permanently from the investigation only serves to give the detective a steely resolve to find out whether it was love or politics at the bottom of May Quirk's death.

Gill subtly makes us feel Ireland throughout this entire mystery. Whether describing the lovely Irish countryside or coast, he perfectly captures the charm of a country where a friendly Irish pub is a social club, while at the same time showing us the political divide that exists. While I found this short series (due to the author's passing) varying in quality, Death of an Irish Lass is a good read with finely drawn characters, great atmosphere and just enough fun mixed in to make this an enjoyable read.

[Dave Berg]

A good Irish murder mystery. I have enjoyed the Peter McGarr series so far.

[Barbara]

Liked it. Sometimes it was confusing with regards to secondary police officials. Characters interesting and likable.

[Dan Terbush]

A fun murder mystery

[Sharron]

Good sense of time and place - Ireland in the 1970s.

[Jane]

Interesting with lovely depictions of the West Coast of Ireland.

[Julia]

This mystery, set in Ireland, had too many twists. It felt as though the author wanted to keep going so kept changing the story. First the victim was seen as a sex object, then a possible IRA sympathizer, then an IRA opponent. The suspects had enough differences to keep them straight (an older drunk, a doctor, a novelist, a German, and a farmer) but no real personalities.

The story kept being broken up by descriptions of what the main detective was eating and drinking, which might be interesting but did not contribute to the plot and made me wonder how he managed to keep going with all the liquor.

Rated two stars rather than one due to the descriptions of Ireland.

[Snap]

Bartholomew Gill could sure tell a good yarn. Unfortunately, he passed away in the summer of 2002. As I was cleaning out the book shelves, I found three Peter McGarr mysteries that I have not read. Lucky for me! This is one of my favorite mystery series. Each is set in Ireland. McGarr is a complex and engaging character. Lots of Irish history included and McGarr is surrounded by an interesting cast of characters, too.

[Jodi]

This is something that randomly showed up at my house. It's not bad if you enjoy mysteries and is a quick enjoyable read.

[Lawrence]

Good book on a murder in Ireland in the 1970's and the fights with the IRA.

[Larry]

The later Peter McGarr books became interesting; the early ones are like watching "The Quiet Man without the humor.

[Tony Rampling]

Peter McGarr is a great hero!! Unorthodox but gets results.
Gill is a great writer indeed!!

[Bonnie]

Another way to learn about Ireland, through the eyes of a mystery writer and a good protagonist.