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DI Cormac Reilly #2
The Scholar
From the author of The Ruin comes a compulsive new crime thriller set in the fiercely competitive, cutthroat world of research and academia, where the brightest minds will stop at nothing to succeed.
When Dr. Emma Sweeney stumbles across the victim of a hit-and-run outside Galway University early one morning, she calls her boyfriend, Detective Cormac Reilly, bringing him first to the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him. The dead girl is carrying an ID that will put this crime at the center of a scandal--her card identifies her as Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland's most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, from sponsoring university research facilities to funding political parties to philanthropy--it has even funded Emma's own ground-breaking research.
As the murder investigation twists in unexpected ways and Cormac's running of the case comes under scrutiny from the department and his colleagues, he is forced to question himself and the beliefs that he has long held as truths. Who really is Emma? And who is Carline Darcy?
A gripping and atmospheric follow-up to The Ruin, an "expertly plotted, complex web of secrets that refuse to stay hidden" (Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King's Daughter), The Scholar is perfect for fans of Tana French and Flynn Berry.
When Dr. Emma Sweeney stumbles across the victim of a hit-and-run outside Galway University early one morning, she calls her boyfriend, Detective Cormac Reilly, bringing him first to the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him. The dead girl is carrying an ID that will put this crime at the center of a scandal--her card identifies her as Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland's most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, from sponsoring university research facilities to funding political parties to philanthropy--it has even funded Emma's own ground-breaking research.
As the murder investigation twists in unexpected ways and Cormac's running of the case comes under scrutiny from the department and his colleagues, he is forced to question himself and the beliefs that he has long held as truths. Who really is Emma? And who is Carline Darcy?
A gripping and atmospheric follow-up to The Ruin, an "expertly plotted, complex web of secrets that refuse to stay hidden" (Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King's Daughter), The Scholar is perfect for fans of Tana French and Flynn Berry.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2019
1881 people are currently reading
10364 people want to read
About the author
Dervla McTiernan
15 books5,210 followersNumber one internationally bestselling author Dervla McTiernan is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of six novels, including the much-loved Cormac Reilly series and two number 1 bestselling standalone thrillers, The Murder Rule and What Happened to Nina?, both New York Times Best Thrillers of the Year and both currently in development for screen adaptation. Dervla is also the author of four novellas, and her audio novella, The Sisters, was a four-week number one bestseller in the United States. Before turning her hand to writing, Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer in her home country of Ireland. Following the global financial crisis, she relocated to Western Australia where she now lives with her husband, two children and too many pets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,294 reviews
May 21, 2025
The Scholar (Cormac Reilly #2)
by Dervla McTiernan, narrated by Aoife McMahon
Detective Cormac Reilly's live in girlfriend, Emma, calls him saying she's found a body near the lab where she works. The body is badly damaged but deep in one pocket is an ID for Carline Darcy, granddaughter of the man behind Darcy Therapeutics. Cormac is always a policeman first but this time he lets his feelings for Emma get in the way of his professional and better judgement. He takes the case when he shouldn't because of his connection to the person who found the body. And then he digs deeper and in ways he shouldn't because he wants to protect Emma. He knows he's on shaky ground and he even has moments when he he suspects Emma of knowing more than she is telling him and then he'll feel guilty for thinking such a thing. It's obvious there is a conflict of interest with him being on the case, a case that is about to blow up in so many ways.
I really like this series and the characters that belong to it. No one is perfect but not being perfect doesn't mean that some of these characters aren't good people who are trying to do the right thing. So many people are against Cormac and he still has to work with them and under them. But he's not as alone as he thinks he is and that's one of the things I like about this series. A lot of thinking goes into the actions of various people and we get to be in on the thoughts and right doesn't always mean that the other option is wrong. Sometimes there are other ways to get things done that aren't by the book. I've just started the series and now I'm almost finished with it. I sure wish it was longer.
Pub May 14 2019
by Dervla McTiernan, narrated by Aoife McMahon
Detective Cormac Reilly's live in girlfriend, Emma, calls him saying she's found a body near the lab where she works. The body is badly damaged but deep in one pocket is an ID for Carline Darcy, granddaughter of the man behind Darcy Therapeutics. Cormac is always a policeman first but this time he lets his feelings for Emma get in the way of his professional and better judgement. He takes the case when he shouldn't because of his connection to the person who found the body. And then he digs deeper and in ways he shouldn't because he wants to protect Emma. He knows he's on shaky ground and he even has moments when he he suspects Emma of knowing more than she is telling him and then he'll feel guilty for thinking such a thing. It's obvious there is a conflict of interest with him being on the case, a case that is about to blow up in so many ways.
I really like this series and the characters that belong to it. No one is perfect but not being perfect doesn't mean that some of these characters aren't good people who are trying to do the right thing. So many people are against Cormac and he still has to work with them and under them. But he's not as alone as he thinks he is and that's one of the things I like about this series. A lot of thinking goes into the actions of various people and we get to be in on the thoughts and right doesn't always mean that the other option is wrong. Sometimes there are other ways to get things done that aren't by the book. I've just started the series and now I'm almost finished with it. I sure wish it was longer.
Pub May 14 2019
February 7, 2019
Dervla McTiernan embeds her series featuring DS Cormac Reilly set in Galway, Ireland, with flair here. I loved The Ruin, and this is a brilliant sequel. Reilly is still being shunted into cold cases, but overworked DS Carrie O'Halloran fights his corner as at long last he is assigned current investigations, including the Henderson case, where Rob Henderson planned to wipe out his wife, Lucy and their children. It has been difficult to get Lucy to co-operate with the police inquiry, and Cormac just might be able to break the impasse. By sheer chance, Reilly lands a case which technically he should not have when his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, becomes a witness when she comes across a hit and run victim outside the Darcy research laboratories that she works at. It appears the dead young woman is Carline Darcy when they find ID on the body, but it turns out Carline, the granddaughter of John Darcy, CEO of Darcy Pharmaceuticals, is very much alive and she claims that she lost her ID some time ago.
Cormac is sceptical about Carline's claim, but he is unable to follow up when he is warned to leave the Darcy family alone, unless he has strong evidence, as the political clout of the Darcy family has the police treading extremely carefully. Determining the identity of the dead woman takes some time to verify until a desperately worried 15 year old boy, Paul Lambert, reports his 18 year old sister, Della, as missing. Della was an extremely bright student that had started university early at the age of 16 before dropping out and working as a waitress, why would anyone want to kill her? It soon becomes clear that the murder has connections to the Darcy Laboratories, and to Cormac's consternation Emma comes under police scrutiny, surely his beloved Emma is incapable of murder? As Cormac finds himself suspended from the case because of his relationship with Emma, another tragic murder takes place. This fires Cormac's determination to get to the truth no matter what and nail a killer, helped by a police team that includes his colleague, the loyal Peter Fisher.
McTiernan engages in some stellar character development with Cormac and the others in this hugely compelling addition to the series. I really adored the supporting characters of Peter Fisher and Carrie O'Halloran. It is wonderful to observe Cormac slowly being accepted and supported by his police team, with the exceptions of McCarthy, his boss, with his political manoevres, and Moira Hanley, who resents Cormac and not above causing him as much trouble as she can get away with. More insights are provided on Emma and Cormac's personal relationship and history with her. This is a gripping and entertaining read, full of suspense and tension, and an absolute thrill ride. Cannot wait for the next in the series! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
Cormac is sceptical about Carline's claim, but he is unable to follow up when he is warned to leave the Darcy family alone, unless he has strong evidence, as the political clout of the Darcy family has the police treading extremely carefully. Determining the identity of the dead woman takes some time to verify until a desperately worried 15 year old boy, Paul Lambert, reports his 18 year old sister, Della, as missing. Della was an extremely bright student that had started university early at the age of 16 before dropping out and working as a waitress, why would anyone want to kill her? It soon becomes clear that the murder has connections to the Darcy Laboratories, and to Cormac's consternation Emma comes under police scrutiny, surely his beloved Emma is incapable of murder? As Cormac finds himself suspended from the case because of his relationship with Emma, another tragic murder takes place. This fires Cormac's determination to get to the truth no matter what and nail a killer, helped by a police team that includes his colleague, the loyal Peter Fisher.
McTiernan engages in some stellar character development with Cormac and the others in this hugely compelling addition to the series. I really adored the supporting characters of Peter Fisher and Carrie O'Halloran. It is wonderful to observe Cormac slowly being accepted and supported by his police team, with the exceptions of McCarthy, his boss, with his political manoevres, and Moira Hanley, who resents Cormac and not above causing him as much trouble as she can get away with. More insights are provided on Emma and Cormac's personal relationship and history with her. This is a gripping and entertaining read, full of suspense and tension, and an absolute thrill ride. Cannot wait for the next in the series! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
February 20, 2019
A compelling follow up to The Ruin, The Scholar puts Dervla McTiernan into the upper echelon of crime writers. In this latest offering DS Cormac Reilly's girlfriend, Dr Emma Sweeney, stumbles across the body of a dead girl in the carpark after leaving her university lab late one night. Cormac is the first on the scene and the girl's security ID confirms her to be Carline Darcy, granddaughter of pharmaceutical billionaire John Darcy.
All is not as it seems, however, and Cormac's investigation hauls him in several different directions at once. The trouble is, having his girlfriend Emma as the one who discovers the body, and a key witness, Cormac soon finds himself compromised, and wondering if he is biased in his findings. As the evidence against the lab, and Emma, accumulates, Cormac is second guessing himself, and then racing against time to crack this case, a case he is probably too close to and invested in.
This gem of a book had me racing through it, ignoring all else, to solve the case. I did come up with some of the answers, but definitely not all of them, and some parts had me stumped! The characters continue to be fleshed out, and we find out the backstory between Cormac and Emma. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of the series. Recommended to all lovers of mysteries and crime fiction.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
All is not as it seems, however, and Cormac's investigation hauls him in several different directions at once. The trouble is, having his girlfriend Emma as the one who discovers the body, and a key witness, Cormac soon finds himself compromised, and wondering if he is biased in his findings. As the evidence against the lab, and Emma, accumulates, Cormac is second guessing himself, and then racing against time to crack this case, a case he is probably too close to and invested in.
This gem of a book had me racing through it, ignoring all else, to solve the case. I did come up with some of the answers, but definitely not all of them, and some parts had me stumped! The characters continue to be fleshed out, and we find out the backstory between Cormac and Emma. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of the series. Recommended to all lovers of mysteries and crime fiction.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2020
Perfidious
The Scholar is Dervla McTiernan’s second book with DS Cormac Reilly, and as a crime writer, she has reinforced her position as one of the best new talents around.
Cormac Reilly is an ex-antiterrorist officer who moved from Dublin to the Galway Gardaí to accommodate his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, with her new job working with Darcy Therapeutics in a BioTech lab, hosted at the University in Galway (NUIG). Emma previously suffered a horrific attack and moving from Dublin provided a new start that was important for her recovery. The incident details were not revealed in the first book, but Cormac is incredibly protective of her and worries what long term effect and mindset the trauma may have had.
Cormac’s relationships within the Galway police force has been anything but straightforward as he is viewed with caution, suspicion and mistrust. There are those members of the force that recognise his talents and those that are openly difficult. Inter-relationships play an important part without dominating the story. The careful management of the story threads add depth to the environment and are often the catalyst for the opportunities and skills proffered by Reilly, to become apparent. Cormac's boss, Superintendent Murphy, has had him working cold cases while the live workload has been falling mainly onto DS Carrie O’Halloran. It's now at breaking point and Murphy and Carrie agree to offload one to Cormac but he will be carefully monitored.
Late one evening, on her way to the Lab, Emma discovers the victim of a hit and run which has left the young woman, dead and badly disfigured. The initial identification comes from a staff ID card in her pocket and it is none other than Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of John Darcy the multi-billionaire owner of Darcy Therapeutics. Emma calls Cormac who arrives on the scene and manages to convince his bosses that he should take the case, which they agree. A decision that will have ramifications for Cormac, a potential conflict of interest and another cause for office misgivings. The victim is eventually confirmed as Della Lambert, but why was she carrying Carline’s ID and what is the connection. Cormac is, however, warned off talking to Carline Darcy, by his superiors.
The novel’s complex and insidious plot is brilliantly developed with misdirection wonderfully structured and believable. What I find extremely impressive with Dervla is not only her ability to imagine multiple diversions but give real life to them. Even when the reader sees threads that are hidden from certain people, the characters still feel totally committed to their version of the truth and it is given room to play out. All the characters are superbly drawn, unforgettable, and it’s impressive to follow the gradual uncovering of personalities and relationships. The background with Emma and the connection with Cormac is revealed in this story and completely adds to the suspicion and actions that may be at play.
The Scholar is a complex and captivating crime thriller that promises to fortify Dervla’s connection with a dedicated and rapidly growing fan-base.
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.
The Scholar is Dervla McTiernan’s second book with DS Cormac Reilly, and as a crime writer, she has reinforced her position as one of the best new talents around.
Cormac Reilly is an ex-antiterrorist officer who moved from Dublin to the Galway Gardaí to accommodate his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, with her new job working with Darcy Therapeutics in a BioTech lab, hosted at the University in Galway (NUIG). Emma previously suffered a horrific attack and moving from Dublin provided a new start that was important for her recovery. The incident details were not revealed in the first book, but Cormac is incredibly protective of her and worries what long term effect and mindset the trauma may have had.
Cormac’s relationships within the Galway police force has been anything but straightforward as he is viewed with caution, suspicion and mistrust. There are those members of the force that recognise his talents and those that are openly difficult. Inter-relationships play an important part without dominating the story. The careful management of the story threads add depth to the environment and are often the catalyst for the opportunities and skills proffered by Reilly, to become apparent. Cormac's boss, Superintendent Murphy, has had him working cold cases while the live workload has been falling mainly onto DS Carrie O’Halloran. It's now at breaking point and Murphy and Carrie agree to offload one to Cormac but he will be carefully monitored.
In Galway he had the constant sense that things were not exactly right, that everything was slightly off-kilter. A year had passed and he still didn’t know his team well enough to trust them. Murphy may finally have given him a live case but he’d given it reluctantly and he was looking over Cormac’s shoulder. It might be paranoia, but Cormac wondered if he was being set up to fail.
Late one evening, on her way to the Lab, Emma discovers the victim of a hit and run which has left the young woman, dead and badly disfigured. The initial identification comes from a staff ID card in her pocket and it is none other than Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of John Darcy the multi-billionaire owner of Darcy Therapeutics. Emma calls Cormac who arrives on the scene and manages to convince his bosses that he should take the case, which they agree. A decision that will have ramifications for Cormac, a potential conflict of interest and another cause for office misgivings. The victim is eventually confirmed as Della Lambert, but why was she carrying Carline’s ID and what is the connection. Cormac is, however, warned off talking to Carline Darcy, by his superiors.
The novel’s complex and insidious plot is brilliantly developed with misdirection wonderfully structured and believable. What I find extremely impressive with Dervla is not only her ability to imagine multiple diversions but give real life to them. Even when the reader sees threads that are hidden from certain people, the characters still feel totally committed to their version of the truth and it is given room to play out. All the characters are superbly drawn, unforgettable, and it’s impressive to follow the gradual uncovering of personalities and relationships. The background with Emma and the connection with Cormac is revealed in this story and completely adds to the suspicion and actions that may be at play.
The Scholar is a complex and captivating crime thriller that promises to fortify Dervla’s connection with a dedicated and rapidly growing fan-base.
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.
September 12, 2019
I have not read The Ruin yet, but the introduction to DS Reilly went rather smoothly with this second installment of the series. A solid police procedural that takes place in Ireland, and that tackles a case of a brutal murder of a young woman whose identity is unknown and whose body is found by Cormac's partner, Emma. There are so many books representing this genre that I cannot choose the best ever, and my rating refers to how invested I got in the reading process.
The plot is absorbing yet not engrossing, however, there is a plethora of characters that are dynamic and whose interactions are interesting to observe. I found the descriptions of the Irish police force in action and the police procedures especially noteworthy.
*Many thanks to Ms McTiernan, Little, Brown Books and Netgalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
The plot is absorbing yet not engrossing, however, there is a plethora of characters that are dynamic and whose interactions are interesting to observe. I found the descriptions of the Irish police force in action and the police procedures especially noteworthy.
*Many thanks to Ms McTiernan, Little, Brown Books and Netgalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
April 27, 2022
Book outlet read #3. The best one so far!!!!
Full disclosure: I have not read the first book in this series, but for the most part, I didn't find this impacted my ability to understand the overarching storylines. However, I do wonder how much of Dr. Emma's past was touched on in the first book... I'm not sure if it's being rehashed here, or if this is a first glimpse.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3.5/5 | Ending: 4/5
THE PLOT
DS Cormac Reilley is back and on the case of a disfigured girl seemingly killed in a hit and run. To make things more complex, his girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, was the one who called it in, and the girl was in possession of an ID that belonged to Carline Darcy, granddaughter to a pharmaceutical tycoon.
MY OPINION
WHEW. After b2b 2-star reads, this was a much needed breath of fresh air. I loved the writing so much, I preemptively added the rest of the series to my TBR. It was well-paced with multi-dimensional characters. Just a personal ting—but something about Cormac and Emma's relationship bothered me. I think I need to read book #1 to get a better sense of things, because it seemed very "Captain save a hoe" to me in some ways. Idk. This didn't impact my rating though... just some verbal diarrhea you're welcome.
Anyways. As you can see I gave 3.5/5 for plot. Why?
- I liked the Henderson case. I think this would make a good book on its own. I was disappointed that it had no connected to the "main" case, because it did take up some considerable "space" in the first 30% or so of the book. I'm not sure the purpose? Did this have something to do with book #1?
- The lack of communication between detectives was annoying. I know this was done to draw out the story and create suspense, but this negatively impacted the credibility of these supposedly incredible minds.
- I didn't really understand Murphy's angle, but I think this is a ME problem. Cormac alluded many times to the fact Murphy had set a trap/knew more than he was letting on etc... but we never really got an explanation for his behaviour. Same with Moira. So he lied in an interview to get pertinent info and Moira took that personally and decided to sick IA on him? For what? Was Moira in book #1? What is her purpose other than to make me hate her????
Other than my "gripes" above, I really enjoyed this read and was fully engaged. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of this series. BTW... ANOTHER bum ass husband of a female detective. LAWD!!!!
PROS AND CONS
Pros: wonderfully written, well-paced, unique and distinctive characters, juicy j cases
Cons: Henderson case seemed pointless (although I'd like to read a book all about it), Moria/Murphy behaviour was puzzling...
Book outlet reads
#1 - The Reunion
#2 - One Step Behind
#4 - Possession
Full disclosure: I have not read the first book in this series, but for the most part, I didn't find this impacted my ability to understand the overarching storylines. However, I do wonder how much of Dr. Emma's past was touched on in the first book... I'm not sure if it's being rehashed here, or if this is a first glimpse.
Writing: 4/5 | Plot: 3.5/5 | Ending: 4/5
THE PLOT
DS Cormac Reilley is back and on the case of a disfigured girl seemingly killed in a hit and run. To make things more complex, his girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, was the one who called it in, and the girl was in possession of an ID that belonged to Carline Darcy, granddaughter to a pharmaceutical tycoon.
MY OPINION
WHEW. After b2b 2-star reads, this was a much needed breath of fresh air. I loved the writing so much, I preemptively added the rest of the series to my TBR. It was well-paced with multi-dimensional characters. Just a personal ting—but something about Cormac and Emma's relationship bothered me. I think I need to read book #1 to get a better sense of things, because it seemed very "Captain save a hoe" to me in some ways. Idk. This didn't impact my rating though... just some verbal diarrhea you're welcome.
Anyways. As you can see I gave 3.5/5 for plot. Why?
- I liked the Henderson case. I think this would make a good book on its own. I was disappointed that it had no connected to the "main" case, because it did take up some considerable "space" in the first 30% or so of the book. I'm not sure the purpose? Did this have something to do with book #1?
- The lack of communication between detectives was annoying. I know this was done to draw out the story and create suspense, but this negatively impacted the credibility of these supposedly incredible minds.
- I didn't really understand Murphy's angle, but I think this is a ME problem. Cormac alluded many times to the fact Murphy had set a trap/knew more than he was letting on etc... but we never really got an explanation for his behaviour. Same with Moira. So he lied in an interview to get pertinent info and Moira took that personally and decided to sick IA on him? For what? Was Moira in book #1? What is her purpose other than to make me hate her????
Other than my "gripes" above, I really enjoyed this read and was fully engaged. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of this series. BTW... ANOTHER bum ass husband of a female detective. LAWD!!!!
PROS AND CONS
Pros: wonderfully written, well-paced, unique and distinctive characters, juicy j cases
Cons: Henderson case seemed pointless (although I'd like to read a book all about it), Moria/Murphy behaviour was puzzling...
Book outlet reads
#1 - The Reunion
#2 - One Step Behind
#4 - Possession
April 8, 2019
DS Cormac Reilly receives a phone call from his girlfriend, Emma who is clearly upset. Emma has discovered the body of a young woman in the street while driving home from work. The young woman is carrying the ID of Carline Darcy, who has ties to Darcy Therapeutics, one of Ireland's most successful pharmaceutical companies. This is going to be a high-profile case. No mistakes cannot be made. DS Cormac immediately takes action as he is the first officer on the scene.
As the investigation mounts it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems, and that the death is liked to Darcy Therapeutics where his girlfriend Emma works. Further complicating issues, another young woman is murdered. What is the connection? Who has secrets? Who is telling lies?
I did not read the first book in the series and felt this book worked very well as a stand-alone novel. I really enjoyed the complexities of this plot and the investigative work that went into solving this case. It felt realistic and believable. Nothing felt as if it came out of left field. The Author did have me questioning several characters guilt in a very subtle and clever way. When the big reveal came, it felt believable and I felt she set it up realistically. I have been reading a lot of "it-came-out-of-left-field-for-the-shock-value" reveals, and I am really annoyed with them. I thought the Author did a wonderful job building to the reveal and through the police work that it worked flawlessly. I also appreciated how Cormac wrestled with being protective of Emma while trying to solve the case. He mulled over whether his relationship with her could cause a bias in his investigation. Again, this felt real and believable.
An enjoyable book and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
As the investigation mounts it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems, and that the death is liked to Darcy Therapeutics where his girlfriend Emma works. Further complicating issues, another young woman is murdered. What is the connection? Who has secrets? Who is telling lies?
I did not read the first book in the series and felt this book worked very well as a stand-alone novel. I really enjoyed the complexities of this plot and the investigative work that went into solving this case. It felt realistic and believable. Nothing felt as if it came out of left field. The Author did have me questioning several characters guilt in a very subtle and clever way. When the big reveal came, it felt believable and I felt she set it up realistically. I have been reading a lot of "it-came-out-of-left-field-for-the-shock-value" reveals, and I am really annoyed with them. I thought the Author did a wonderful job building to the reveal and through the police work that it worked flawlessly. I also appreciated how Cormac wrestled with being protective of Emma while trying to solve the case. He mulled over whether his relationship with her could cause a bias in his investigation. Again, this felt real and believable.
An enjoyable book and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 24, 2022
I listened to “The Scholar” by Dervla McTiernan, narrated by the amazing Aoife McMahon. This is the second book in the Cormac Reilly series.
Detective Cormac Reilly has been stuck in cold cases for more time than he’d like. His superior has told him he’ll be starting in the rotations of active cases when the story begins. About the same time, Cormac’s girlfriend, Emma, calls him in a panic: she found a dead girl at the side of the road on her way to work at Darcy Therapeutics. The girl is wearing a high school uniform, but she’s been runover in such a way that renders facial recognition impossible. Since Cormac is the first on the scene, he takes control of the case.
The deceased girl has an ID that says she’s Carline Darcy, the heir apparent to the billion-dollar Darcy Therapeutics. Carline is reported to be a millionaire in her own right. As expected, the investigation takes some remarkable turns and twists.
McTiernan is noted for writing dark atmospheric stories. She’s the Irish Jane Harper. Narrator Aoife McMahon is one of the best out there.
Detective Cormac Reilly has been stuck in cold cases for more time than he’d like. His superior has told him he’ll be starting in the rotations of active cases when the story begins. About the same time, Cormac’s girlfriend, Emma, calls him in a panic: she found a dead girl at the side of the road on her way to work at Darcy Therapeutics. The girl is wearing a high school uniform, but she’s been runover in such a way that renders facial recognition impossible. Since Cormac is the first on the scene, he takes control of the case.
The deceased girl has an ID that says she’s Carline Darcy, the heir apparent to the billion-dollar Darcy Therapeutics. Carline is reported to be a millionaire in her own right. As expected, the investigation takes some remarkable turns and twists.
McTiernan is noted for writing dark atmospheric stories. She’s the Irish Jane Harper. Narrator Aoife McMahon is one of the best out there.
April 22, 2022
EXCERPT: He walked carefully onward, conscious that if this was a crime scene he risked contaminating evidence, but aware that he had little choice. He needed to confirm that the woman was dead. The light was so poor that he was nearly on the body before he could distinguish shape from shadow, and could make out the pool of blood, mahogany dark, spread out from a spill of long blonde hair. He took his phone from his pocket, shone the light on the scene. A woman, arms thrown back, a tyre print in cherry red painted across a white t-shirt, worn under a cardigan that had fallen open. Cormac took another step closer. The girl's chest was crushed, her pelvis twisted. And her face. Christ. There was nothing left but an open sore of blood and flesh. A gleam of white in the darkness that could be bone or tooth. Cormac swallowed, took a final careful step closer, and pressed two fingers to her neck. No pulse. Her skin was soft and held a hint of warmth.
'She's dead, isn't she?'
ABOUT 'THE SCHOLAR': When DS Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Emma stumbles across the victim of a hit and run early one morning, he is first on the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him. The dead girl is carrying an ID, that of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, from sponsoring university research facilities to funding political parties to philanthropy – it has funded Emma’s own ground-breaking research. The investigation into Carline’s death promises to be high profile and high pressure.
As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to a Darcy laboratory and, increasingly, to Emma herself. Cormac is sure she couldn’t be involved, but how well does he really know her? After all, this isn’t the first time Emma’s been accused of murder...
MY THOUGHTS: I didn't enjoy The Scholar, the second book in the Cormac Reilly series as much as the first, The Ruin, which I absolutely loved. The Scholar didn't quite resonate the same. I don't think that the writing is as taut or tense, nor as atmospheric, and is definitely not as suspenseful as in The Ruin.
The plotting is evenly paced, and while I thought quite early on that I had the mystery solved, I was merely scratching the surface. The aspect of The Scholar that I liked least was the big business angle. It inhumamised the story to quite a large degree, whereas I enjoy mysteries that are more personal.
I enjoyed the complexities of the alliances within the station, learning their motivations as members of the team are choosing sides: for Cormac, or against. The case also places some considerable stress on Emma and Cormac's relationship.
Having now read all of this series that is currently available, The Scholar is my least favourite. It's a good read, and I do recommend it, but I was disappointed that we don't see much development in Cormac's character.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#TheScholar
I: @dervlamctiernan @harpercollins
T: @DervlaMcTiernan @HarperCollins
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #irishfiction #murdermystery #policeprocedural
THE AUTHOR: Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer. Following the global financial crisis, she moved from Ireland to Australia and turned her hand to writing. Dervla is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers Association, and lives in Perth, Australia, with her husband and two children.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'She's dead, isn't she?'
ABOUT 'THE SCHOLAR': When DS Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Emma stumbles across the victim of a hit and run early one morning, he is first on the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him. The dead girl is carrying an ID, that of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, from sponsoring university research facilities to funding political parties to philanthropy – it has funded Emma’s own ground-breaking research. The investigation into Carline’s death promises to be high profile and high pressure.
As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to a Darcy laboratory and, increasingly, to Emma herself. Cormac is sure she couldn’t be involved, but how well does he really know her? After all, this isn’t the first time Emma’s been accused of murder...
MY THOUGHTS: I didn't enjoy The Scholar, the second book in the Cormac Reilly series as much as the first, The Ruin, which I absolutely loved. The Scholar didn't quite resonate the same. I don't think that the writing is as taut or tense, nor as atmospheric, and is definitely not as suspenseful as in The Ruin.
The plotting is evenly paced, and while I thought quite early on that I had the mystery solved, I was merely scratching the surface. The aspect of The Scholar that I liked least was the big business angle. It inhumamised the story to quite a large degree, whereas I enjoy mysteries that are more personal.
I enjoyed the complexities of the alliances within the station, learning their motivations as members of the team are choosing sides: for Cormac, or against. The case also places some considerable stress on Emma and Cormac's relationship.
Having now read all of this series that is currently available, The Scholar is my least favourite. It's a good read, and I do recommend it, but I was disappointed that we don't see much development in Cormac's character.
⭐⭐⭐.7
#TheScholar
I: @dervlamctiernan @harpercollins
T: @DervlaMcTiernan @HarperCollins
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #irishfiction #murdermystery #policeprocedural
THE AUTHOR: Dervla spent twelve years working as a lawyer. Following the global financial crisis, she moved from Ireland to Australia and turned her hand to writing. Dervla is a member of the Sisters in Crime and Crime Writers Association, and lives in Perth, Australia, with her husband and two children.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 10, 2019
This is an excellent follow up to the author's first book, The Ruin. Cormac is back as our brilliant but long suffering detective. Somehow he always seems to end up in the wrong despite doing everything right. I start to feel a bit sorry for him!
The Scholar begins with a hit and run death and the first person on the scene happens to be Emma, Cormac's partner. Cormac, who should know better, takes the case and it is all down hill for him from there. Luckily his team is becoming more supportive, as his boss is definitely not, and certain fellow workers are out to undermine him too. Emma causes many problems as well.
There is some great character development in this book which I hope indicates the author plans to continue with this series. The story is excellent, the identity of the murderer is hard to guess and the tension increases hugely in the last section which makes it very hard to put the book down at all. I enjoyed it enormously!
The Scholar begins with a hit and run death and the first person on the scene happens to be Emma, Cormac's partner. Cormac, who should know better, takes the case and it is all down hill for him from there. Luckily his team is becoming more supportive, as his boss is definitely not, and certain fellow workers are out to undermine him too. Emma causes many problems as well.
There is some great character development in this book which I hope indicates the author plans to continue with this series. The story is excellent, the identity of the murderer is hard to guess and the tension increases hugely in the last section which makes it very hard to put the book down at all. I enjoyed it enormously!
January 4, 2019
I'm happy to report that Dervla McTiernan's sequel to The Ruin is just as good! Cormac Reilly is back and this time, after a year in Galway, he's finally been moved off cold cases and allowed to investigate some live cases to take some of the pressure off his colleagues. When Cormac's partner, Emily finds the body of a young woman killed in a hit and run outside the pharmaceutical R&D labs where she works, Cormac finds himself investigating the people who work there, including Carline Darcy, the grand-daughter of the owner of the powerful multinational Pharmaceutical company, Darcy Therapeutics. Carline is a research student at the University, who has grown up an outcast from the Darcys after her father died and is desperately trying to get some recognition from her grandfather by trying to impress him with her work in the labs.
Cormac is dangerously close to overstepping the line in this case, remaining as lead investigator while Emily is a witness in the case. He is starting to get to know and respect the team at Galway, but still has to tread warily around his Superintendent and the politics involved in upsetting a very powerful, wealthy man. To eventually find the truth, Cormac must unravel a web of secrets and lies, even at the risk of putting his own relationship with Emily in danger.
Ms McTiernan has woven a very credible tale of intrigue and corruption in the race by pharmaceutical companies to design new drugs to sell for huge profits. The plot is well developed and gripping and the main characters are all developing well into engaging personalities - besides hoping Cormac and Emily continue to stay together, I really want Carrie O'Halloran to sort out her problems at home and for Peter Fisher to keep doing well enough to become a sergeant and for Moira Hanley to be called out for telling tales behind Cormac's back. Guess I'll just have to wait for the next book in this excellent series!
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Harper Collins Australia for a digital copy to read
Cormac is dangerously close to overstepping the line in this case, remaining as lead investigator while Emily is a witness in the case. He is starting to get to know and respect the team at Galway, but still has to tread warily around his Superintendent and the politics involved in upsetting a very powerful, wealthy man. To eventually find the truth, Cormac must unravel a web of secrets and lies, even at the risk of putting his own relationship with Emily in danger.
Ms McTiernan has woven a very credible tale of intrigue and corruption in the race by pharmaceutical companies to design new drugs to sell for huge profits. The plot is well developed and gripping and the main characters are all developing well into engaging personalities - besides hoping Cormac and Emily continue to stay together, I really want Carrie O'Halloran to sort out her problems at home and for Peter Fisher to keep doing well enough to become a sergeant and for Moira Hanley to be called out for telling tales behind Cormac's back. Guess I'll just have to wait for the next book in this excellent series!
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Harper Collins Australia for a digital copy to read
June 30, 2019
4 Stars
DS Cormac Reilly has been working on cold cases ever since arriving in Galway. It’s not the most stimulating work but it pays the bills.
He finally gets a chance to prove himself when another DS, Carrie O’Halloran, gets him put on an active domestic investigation, she has been working for a while. Then things get crazy when Reilly’s girlfriend Emma becomes a witness to a hit and run right outside of Darcy Labs at the University. Turns out the girl was murdered. Finding out who the girl is and how she relates to the lab is no easy feat. People are in danger and nothing is as it seems.
“The Scholar” by Dervla McTiernan is the second book in the DS Cormac Reilly series, “The Ruin” being the first. Lucky for me, the second book is just as good as the first! The writing is smooth and the suspense keeps you gripped to the edge of your seat. In addition, DS Cormac Reilly is a character you can’t help but care about simply because of how much he cares about others. If there is a series you are looking to pick up, let it be this one, you won’t regret it!
Thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Publishing Group and Dervla McTiernan for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and Edelweiss on 6.30.19.
DS Cormac Reilly has been working on cold cases ever since arriving in Galway. It’s not the most stimulating work but it pays the bills.
He finally gets a chance to prove himself when another DS, Carrie O’Halloran, gets him put on an active domestic investigation, she has been working for a while. Then things get crazy when Reilly’s girlfriend Emma becomes a witness to a hit and run right outside of Darcy Labs at the University. Turns out the girl was murdered. Finding out who the girl is and how she relates to the lab is no easy feat. People are in danger and nothing is as it seems.
“The Scholar” by Dervla McTiernan is the second book in the DS Cormac Reilly series, “The Ruin” being the first. Lucky for me, the second book is just as good as the first! The writing is smooth and the suspense keeps you gripped to the edge of your seat. In addition, DS Cormac Reilly is a character you can’t help but care about simply because of how much he cares about others. If there is a series you are looking to pick up, let it be this one, you won’t regret it!
Thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Publishing Group and Dervla McTiernan for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and Edelweiss on 6.30.19.
July 9, 2019
4.5 rounded up
I enjoyed The Ruin, the first book in this series, but I found this one even more engrossing. Here, Cormac O’Reilly has finally been taken off the cold cases he’s been forced to work and given some current ones. One of those is a hit and run accident, with the dead girl carrying the ID of the granddaughter of the local billionaire.
I was engaged from the first minute of listening. I could get an idea of the secrets being hidden, but for the life of me couldn’t figure out why they led to her murder. The characters continue to be fleshed out. I strongly recommend this to those who enjoy a straightforward police procedural.
The narrator, Aiofe McMahon, is very expressive. Her Irish accent lends flavor but wasn’t too intense.
I can only hope there will be a third book in the series.
I enjoyed The Ruin, the first book in this series, but I found this one even more engrossing. Here, Cormac O’Reilly has finally been taken off the cold cases he’s been forced to work and given some current ones. One of those is a hit and run accident, with the dead girl carrying the ID of the granddaughter of the local billionaire.
I was engaged from the first minute of listening. I could get an idea of the secrets being hidden, but for the life of me couldn’t figure out why they led to her murder. The characters continue to be fleshed out. I strongly recommend this to those who enjoy a straightforward police procedural.
The narrator, Aiofe McMahon, is very expressive. Her Irish accent lends flavor but wasn’t too intense.
I can only hope there will be a third book in the series.
April 10, 2019
4★
“Money didn’t keep you safe, she’d known that since she was a little girl. Without position, status, power, protection, what was she but just another pretty girl, floating around Cannes or Marbella?”
Carline was beautiful, rich, and smart. So smart she was working on her thesis at her grandfather’s renowned laboratory where our Emma was headhunted to work. Emma’s the girlfriend of our Cormac, handsome Detective Sergeant Cormac Reilly of the Irish Garda (police) who moved from Dublin to Galway with her when she was offered the great position at the lab. She’s another smart, beautiful girl (but not rich, no).
Reilly’s been stuck following up cold cases until now, and not allowed out on active investigations. He’s treated with suspicion as an outsider and misses his old job. But when Emma stumbles across a dead body outside her lab late one night, she calls him directly, and voilá! He’s right in the middle of a very active crime scene indeed. A crime, because the girl was obviously an intentional hit-and-run victim.
Ought he be involved? After all, it’s his girlfriend who discovered the body. He explains (rationalises) that Emma’s just an innocent bystander who happened to be the first on the scene. Nothing to see here. I’m not conflicted. Someone else can please interview her and then take her out of the picture. By the way, Emma had a terrible time with violence in the past and is still shaky, so be gentle with her. (Does he sound not conflicted?)
We learn more about her violent past and then – horror of horrors – it seems Emma may have been more connected to the victim than we thought. Maybe Cormac is conflicted after all.
I like McTiernan’s characters. Her stories are about people, connections, and behaviour more than they are about time and place. Of course it’s still cold and wet – this is Ireland, after all – but this shows how Cormac’s relationship develops with the other garda and with Emma.
That’s not to say McTiernan isn’t descriptive, because she certainly is. Here is a lacklustre witness and her sister.
“Lucy Henderson opened the door to them with a baby in her arms and milk stains on her shoulder. She was a bird-like little woman. Petite and fine-boned and with a definite air of abstraction . . . The second woman looked very like Lucy, but sharper somehow, more robust, as if Lucy was an artist’s rough pencil sketch, and the second woman was the finished picture.”
Part way through the story, I was disappointed that the lovely, personable Dervla McTiernan had written such a simple mystery that I had figured it out already and was just going to watch all the pieces fall into place. Ooops. I should have known better, of course. It was quite a satisfying result.
I enjoyed Carrie, another detective sergeant, who’s carrying a heavy workload of active cases and trying to balance that with a young family. She can see how wasted Cormac’s talents are on cold cases, successful though he may be, so why can’t he take some of hers over? And I liked Peter Fisher, whom Cormac calls away from his PlayStation to assist. He turns out to be more useful and astute than Cormac or we imagine.
Cormac is not hardened, but I’d say he’s seasoned. He’s dealt with bad stuff before. Interviewing someone, he hears:
“‘I hadn’t heard that she was young. I don’t know why but that somehow makes it worse, doesn’t it?’ Cormac thought about all the houses he’d visited where Mummy or Daddy, or on one awful occasion both, hadn’t come home, and felt he couldn’t agree.”
He also knows the personal toll that is taken by the job, by guilt, and by trauma. He wonders if he could have prevented something, Emma wonders if she could have prevented something, both worry about the price their relationship may take after all is said and done. Cormac gives her his view about feeling guilty.
“‘But here’s the thing, Em. That way lies madness. That way lies a drink problem, and early retirement, and me propping up a bar somewhere with the other men and women the job has chewed up and spat out, and then what the hell good am I to anyone? You have to let it go, right? You have to do the best you can, and let the rest go. And if you’re angry, if you’re guilty, you have to shove all that into the work, into your next case, so that next time you don’t make those mistakes.’ He let out a shaky, hard laugh. ‘Maybe you make new ones, but you try.’”
Now I’m waiting for next time and the inevitable new mistakes! :)
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.
If you’d like to hear the delightful Dervla herself, I can recommend this recent “Better Reading” podcast interview. By golly, she’s been through a lot, and we’re glad she’s enjoying a sunny life in Western Australia while writing about her homeland of cold, wet Ireland.
https://omny.fm/shows/better-reading-...
P.S. You can enjoy this as a stand-alone. There's no crucial information or even background story that you need to know to follow the plot or the relationship.
“Money didn’t keep you safe, she’d known that since she was a little girl. Without position, status, power, protection, what was she but just another pretty girl, floating around Cannes or Marbella?”
Carline was beautiful, rich, and smart. So smart she was working on her thesis at her grandfather’s renowned laboratory where our Emma was headhunted to work. Emma’s the girlfriend of our Cormac, handsome Detective Sergeant Cormac Reilly of the Irish Garda (police) who moved from Dublin to Galway with her when she was offered the great position at the lab. She’s another smart, beautiful girl (but not rich, no).
Reilly’s been stuck following up cold cases until now, and not allowed out on active investigations. He’s treated with suspicion as an outsider and misses his old job. But when Emma stumbles across a dead body outside her lab late one night, she calls him directly, and voilá! He’s right in the middle of a very active crime scene indeed. A crime, because the girl was obviously an intentional hit-and-run victim.
Ought he be involved? After all, it’s his girlfriend who discovered the body. He explains (rationalises) that Emma’s just an innocent bystander who happened to be the first on the scene. Nothing to see here. I’m not conflicted. Someone else can please interview her and then take her out of the picture. By the way, Emma had a terrible time with violence in the past and is still shaky, so be gentle with her. (Does he sound not conflicted?)
We learn more about her violent past and then – horror of horrors – it seems Emma may have been more connected to the victim than we thought. Maybe Cormac is conflicted after all.
I like McTiernan’s characters. Her stories are about people, connections, and behaviour more than they are about time and place. Of course it’s still cold and wet – this is Ireland, after all – but this shows how Cormac’s relationship develops with the other garda and with Emma.
That’s not to say McTiernan isn’t descriptive, because she certainly is. Here is a lacklustre witness and her sister.
“Lucy Henderson opened the door to them with a baby in her arms and milk stains on her shoulder. She was a bird-like little woman. Petite and fine-boned and with a definite air of abstraction . . . The second woman looked very like Lucy, but sharper somehow, more robust, as if Lucy was an artist’s rough pencil sketch, and the second woman was the finished picture.”
Part way through the story, I was disappointed that the lovely, personable Dervla McTiernan had written such a simple mystery that I had figured it out already and was just going to watch all the pieces fall into place. Ooops. I should have known better, of course. It was quite a satisfying result.
I enjoyed Carrie, another detective sergeant, who’s carrying a heavy workload of active cases and trying to balance that with a young family. She can see how wasted Cormac’s talents are on cold cases, successful though he may be, so why can’t he take some of hers over? And I liked Peter Fisher, whom Cormac calls away from his PlayStation to assist. He turns out to be more useful and astute than Cormac or we imagine.
Cormac is not hardened, but I’d say he’s seasoned. He’s dealt with bad stuff before. Interviewing someone, he hears:
“‘I hadn’t heard that she was young. I don’t know why but that somehow makes it worse, doesn’t it?’ Cormac thought about all the houses he’d visited where Mummy or Daddy, or on one awful occasion both, hadn’t come home, and felt he couldn’t agree.”
He also knows the personal toll that is taken by the job, by guilt, and by trauma. He wonders if he could have prevented something, Emma wonders if she could have prevented something, both worry about the price their relationship may take after all is said and done. Cormac gives her his view about feeling guilty.
“‘But here’s the thing, Em. That way lies madness. That way lies a drink problem, and early retirement, and me propping up a bar somewhere with the other men and women the job has chewed up and spat out, and then what the hell good am I to anyone? You have to let it go, right? You have to do the best you can, and let the rest go. And if you’re angry, if you’re guilty, you have to shove all that into the work, into your next case, so that next time you don’t make those mistakes.’ He let out a shaky, hard laugh. ‘Maybe you make new ones, but you try.’”
Now I’m waiting for next time and the inevitable new mistakes! :)
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.
If you’d like to hear the delightful Dervla herself, I can recommend this recent “Better Reading” podcast interview. By golly, she’s been through a lot, and we’re glad she’s enjoying a sunny life in Western Australia while writing about her homeland of cold, wet Ireland.
https://omny.fm/shows/better-reading-...
P.S. You can enjoy this as a stand-alone. There's no crucial information or even background story that you need to know to follow the plot or the relationship.
May 12, 2019
Second outing for my new favorite Irish series, and just as well done as the first. Cormac is now in Galway, still relegated to cold cases and cold shoulders. All that changes when his love Emily finds a young woman who has been run over and is obviously dead. Cormac will pick up this case, which will almost cost him everything he holds dear.
The writing and the storyline are both smooth, almost seem effortless. Cormac and his sense of rightness even when he knows things might be better left undone, unsaid. The entitlement of the wealthy, their ruthlessness to protect what they consider theirs, no matter what it takes, or whose life. Drugs, legal drugs, and the big money they can bring, the pressure to create the next wonder drug. An explosive situation that only gets bigger. Good stuff here.
ARC from Edelweiss.
The writing and the storyline are both smooth, almost seem effortless. Cormac and his sense of rightness even when he knows things might be better left undone, unsaid. The entitlement of the wealthy, their ruthlessness to protect what they consider theirs, no matter what it takes, or whose life. Drugs, legal drugs, and the big money they can bring, the pressure to create the next wonder drug. An explosive situation that only gets bigger. Good stuff here.
ARC from Edelweiss.
August 31, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed The Ruin and so had high expectations of this and was not disappointed. The book started in February 2006 when Carline Darcy’s father was killed in an avalanche and following this incident we were introduced to one of the coldest characters to ever grace a page of a book, the owner of Darcy Pharmaceuticals, John Darcy. Darcy sponsored the research laboratory where Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Emma worked in Galway.
Fast forward then to Galway in April and May 2014 and Cormac was working on cold cases, DS Carrie O’Halloran was grossly overworked on current ones and she asked for Cormac’s help. The novel centred around two cases the principal one that investigated a hit and run near Emma’s lab, in fact Emma discovered the body and the second that of Rob Henderson who tried to murder his family. Both cases were really interesting but the most fascinating one centred around the hit and run as it drew in Carline and John Darcy. The story was full of twists, packed with really good characters, the storyline flowed extremely well and it was an excellent, thrilling and compelling read. It was a complex book as it covered a number of areas but so well written that it was easy to follow the plot. I liked the way the book ended with some uncertainty too.
I think one of Dervla McTiernan’s greatest strengths is the ability to create such good characters. Cormac and Emma obviously but we had several other really good ones. Carrie was so likeable, trying to balance the needs of a demanding job with family life. She was prepared to stand up for herself which she did on several occasions but she developed trust in Cormac. I also liked Peter Fisher who though obviously ambitious was also perceptive, he listened and he had real initiative. Moira Hanley though not likeable at all was easy to picture as she glowered in the corner. Will we find out what Murphy’s game is in future books?
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Group.
Fast forward then to Galway in April and May 2014 and Cormac was working on cold cases, DS Carrie O’Halloran was grossly overworked on current ones and she asked for Cormac’s help. The novel centred around two cases the principal one that investigated a hit and run near Emma’s lab, in fact Emma discovered the body and the second that of Rob Henderson who tried to murder his family. Both cases were really interesting but the most fascinating one centred around the hit and run as it drew in Carline and John Darcy. The story was full of twists, packed with really good characters, the storyline flowed extremely well and it was an excellent, thrilling and compelling read. It was a complex book as it covered a number of areas but so well written that it was easy to follow the plot. I liked the way the book ended with some uncertainty too.
I think one of Dervla McTiernan’s greatest strengths is the ability to create such good characters. Cormac and Emma obviously but we had several other really good ones. Carrie was so likeable, trying to balance the needs of a demanding job with family life. She was prepared to stand up for herself which she did on several occasions but she developed trust in Cormac. I also liked Peter Fisher who though obviously ambitious was also perceptive, he listened and he had real initiative. Moira Hanley though not likeable at all was easy to picture as she glowered in the corner. Will we find out what Murphy’s game is in future books?
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Group.
April 1, 2022
I finally got to read this second book in the Cormac Reilly series. After a traumatic event a year ago (which is not covered in book 1) Cormac Reilly and his girlfriend Emma Sweeney move from Dublin to Galway. Emma, a biomechanics researcher has secured a contract position at Darcy Therapeutics, at its lab on the grounds of the Galway University campus. She is often there at odd hours checking up on various experiments.
One night as she is headed to the lab she comes across the body of a young woman who has been the victim of a horrific hit and run lying on the road. She calls Cormac who straightaway sees she has been murdered and gets the wheels in motion. He has only just been given a role in ‘live’ cases again after being stuck working cold cases since arriving in Galway. There is no bag, phone or laptop with the body but in a hidden pocket police find an ID swipe card for Carline Darcy - the granddaughter of John Darcy who owns Darcy Therapeutics! This is going to be tricky! And Cormac has to keep suspicion away from Emma, who did nothing more than find the body.
Soon enough Cormac learns the victim is not, in fact, Carline Darcy but, on questioning her, he has suspicions that she knows more than she is telling. She claims she lost her ID months ago but her story eventually starts to fall apart. The problem is working out what is really going on.
This story is about reputation and the lengths people will go to to protect it. Of course it’s also a bit about money. Carline, who is kind of the black sheep of the family being the product of a one night stand between her father (Darcy senior’s son) and a high class escort, is desperate to prove she is good enough to be a Darcy. And this sets the whole train wreck in motion.
There was an edgy feel throughout the story. We knew Carline was involved in something murky but didn’t know what. Cormac was still not fully accepted by all of the team at Galway. There was one particular officer who undermined him at every opportunity. This drew suspicion back towards Emma. The characters were all very well developed and I’m keen to see how they all work together (or not) in book 3. This was another e-book from my local library. I enjoyed it a lot and sped through it very quickly.
One night as she is headed to the lab she comes across the body of a young woman who has been the victim of a horrific hit and run lying on the road. She calls Cormac who straightaway sees she has been murdered and gets the wheels in motion. He has only just been given a role in ‘live’ cases again after being stuck working cold cases since arriving in Galway. There is no bag, phone or laptop with the body but in a hidden pocket police find an ID swipe card for Carline Darcy - the granddaughter of John Darcy who owns Darcy Therapeutics! This is going to be tricky! And Cormac has to keep suspicion away from Emma, who did nothing more than find the body.
Soon enough Cormac learns the victim is not, in fact, Carline Darcy but, on questioning her, he has suspicions that she knows more than she is telling. She claims she lost her ID months ago but her story eventually starts to fall apart. The problem is working out what is really going on.
This story is about reputation and the lengths people will go to to protect it. Of course it’s also a bit about money. Carline, who is kind of the black sheep of the family being the product of a one night stand between her father (Darcy senior’s son) and a high class escort, is desperate to prove she is good enough to be a Darcy. And this sets the whole train wreck in motion.
There was an edgy feel throughout the story. We knew Carline was involved in something murky but didn’t know what. Cormac was still not fully accepted by all of the team at Galway. There was one particular officer who undermined him at every opportunity. This drew suspicion back towards Emma. The characters were all very well developed and I’m keen to see how they all work together (or not) in book 3. This was another e-book from my local library. I enjoyed it a lot and sped through it very quickly.
February 26, 2022
The Scholar by Dervla.McTiernan was a well written crime thriller that I could not put down the. Hara tears were well written & it went at a cracking pace the plot line was fantastic it was a compelling gritty read.
Set in Galway Dublin Ireland’s murder took place at Salway u iversity Therapeutics lab owned by the billionaire John Darcy,DS Callie Ohalloran & DI Cormac Reilly are brought in by the Irish Guardi to investigate. The Body was run over then the perp run over her again, her face was horribly disfigured the victim had no phone or wallet but had ID from Darcy Therapeutical the victim they thought was Carline Darcy granddaughter of John Darcy, Cormac held off letting the media know as the shit would not the fan.
As we go on further Cormac & Callieturn up at Carlines house & find her very much alive, they interview her but Carline doesn’t know anything…but Cormac & Callie know different . WHAT IS SHE HIDING & WHY?
This was an exceptionally well written book with the plot line outstanding Dervla Mc Tiernan has a talent for getting the reader in & doesn’t let go I thought this was the first in this series as I got it from the library but silly me I looked on my kindle & had The Ruin which is the first, I will read that a bit later & find out how these two started they are a couple & both blend in well an amazing read enjoyed this so much McTiernan is an author to watch the writing was top notch, can’t believe this is only her second novel has amazing talent.
Set in Galway Dublin Ireland’s murder took place at Salway u iversity Therapeutics lab owned by the billionaire John Darcy,DS Callie Ohalloran & DI Cormac Reilly are brought in by the Irish Guardi to investigate. The Body was run over then the perp run over her again, her face was horribly disfigured the victim had no phone or wallet but had ID from Darcy Therapeutical the victim they thought was Carline Darcy granddaughter of John Darcy, Cormac held off letting the media know as the shit would not the fan.
As we go on further Cormac & Callieturn up at Carlines house & find her very much alive, they interview her but Carline doesn’t know anything…but Cormac & Callie know different . WHAT IS SHE HIDING & WHY?
This was an exceptionally well written book with the plot line outstanding Dervla Mc Tiernan has a talent for getting the reader in & doesn’t let go I thought this was the first in this series as I got it from the library but silly me I looked on my kindle & had The Ruin which is the first, I will read that a bit later & find out how these two started they are a couple & both blend in well an amazing read enjoyed this so much McTiernan is an author to watch the writing was top notch, can’t believe this is only her second novel has amazing talent.
November 23, 2019
Another excellent installment!
June 30, 2019
"Whatever else you could say about Cormac Reilly, and right now she felt like she could say plenty, he wasn't stupid. He knew she wasn't there for a social chat as soon as he saw her."
Brains, brawn, analytical prowess, and a smack alongside the head intuitive nature, Detective Cormac Reilly is back. Cormac's girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, has had a don't-even-think-of-turning-it-down job offer to work at Darcy Therapeutics in Galway. Leaping with both set of feet, the couple moves into a small apartment and Cormac takes a transfer to the Galway Police. While at first, things move swimmingly.......until a tidal wave will be on the horizon.
Cormac's phone rings late one night while on duty and a hysterical Emma is on the line. She was heading back to the lab near the university when she came upon the body of a dead girl. From all indications, it seems like said girl was a fatality of a hit and run. Cormac calls up the forensics team. The girl's face has been mutilated and identification will be difficult at best. While making all the right calls that night, Cormac crossed the line in protecting Emma from an onslaught of inquiries. Emma suffers from anxiety due to an event from her childhood.
And complicating all aspects of this case, the dead girl has an ID from the lab in her back pocket that states that she is Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of the owner and CEO of Darcy Pharmaceuticals. When Cormac visits Carline's apartment, he meets face to face with the actual Carline. Then who is the dead girl from the hit and run and why did she have a highly restrictive ID in her back pocket?
To add even more conflict, Cormac is eventually taken off the case because of his close relationship with Emma. How will he be able to work the crime scene without any authority as fingers begin to point in Emma's direction? As more evidence develops, doubt begins to rise to the surface in regard to Emma.
The Scholar reads as an outstanding standalone. I did read The Ruin which is the first book in this series. Dervla McTiernan has created a stellar character in the likes of Cormac Reilly. Make my mysteries smart and challenging. That's exactly what you get in both The Ruin and The Scholar. McTiernan adds the crucial ingredient of believability to her novels. No eye-rolling. No sighing in frustration. Just the facts, m'am.
I'm over the moon to have discovered such a straight forward new series in the makings. I don't know if Dervla McTiernan can write fast enough for the next one to get here. Long live Cormac Reilly.
Brains, brawn, analytical prowess, and a smack alongside the head intuitive nature, Detective Cormac Reilly is back. Cormac's girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, has had a don't-even-think-of-turning-it-down job offer to work at Darcy Therapeutics in Galway. Leaping with both set of feet, the couple moves into a small apartment and Cormac takes a transfer to the Galway Police. While at first, things move swimmingly.......until a tidal wave will be on the horizon.
Cormac's phone rings late one night while on duty and a hysterical Emma is on the line. She was heading back to the lab near the university when she came upon the body of a dead girl. From all indications, it seems like said girl was a fatality of a hit and run. Cormac calls up the forensics team. The girl's face has been mutilated and identification will be difficult at best. While making all the right calls that night, Cormac crossed the line in protecting Emma from an onslaught of inquiries. Emma suffers from anxiety due to an event from her childhood.
And complicating all aspects of this case, the dead girl has an ID from the lab in her back pocket that states that she is Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of the owner and CEO of Darcy Pharmaceuticals. When Cormac visits Carline's apartment, he meets face to face with the actual Carline. Then who is the dead girl from the hit and run and why did she have a highly restrictive ID in her back pocket?
To add even more conflict, Cormac is eventually taken off the case because of his close relationship with Emma. How will he be able to work the crime scene without any authority as fingers begin to point in Emma's direction? As more evidence develops, doubt begins to rise to the surface in regard to Emma.
The Scholar reads as an outstanding standalone. I did read The Ruin which is the first book in this series. Dervla McTiernan has created a stellar character in the likes of Cormac Reilly. Make my mysteries smart and challenging. That's exactly what you get in both The Ruin and The Scholar. McTiernan adds the crucial ingredient of believability to her novels. No eye-rolling. No sighing in frustration. Just the facts, m'am.
I'm over the moon to have discovered such a straight forward new series in the makings. I don't know if Dervla McTiernan can write fast enough for the next one to get here. Long live Cormac Reilly.
October 5, 2024
This is the second in the series, but I was able to read it as a stand-alone. Unfortunately, the first in the series was not available at my library.
So…I decided to go ahead and read this one, anyway.
I don’t fully recommend doing this (reading series out of order), especially here…
As there is too much about the main character, Cormac O’Reilly who is a DS of the Garda in Galway, that readers will have wanted to know…
Which…Was provided, (I could tell) in the first book, “The Ruin.” Some of it is hinted at, and integrated into the storyline in this book in a way that at least helped me feel like I knew something about him going into this novel.
Still…Best to begin at the beginning of any series.
This is a police procedural, one of my favorites of the mystery genre.
And…Its focus is not just on the police, but also the victims, families, witnesses and communities. Which makes this very compelling storytelling.
O’Reilly is working cold cases. His life partner is Dr. Emma Sweeney a research scientist at Darcy Therapeutics Laboratory. And the reason they are in Galway, is because of her job. This will become important to know.
An over-worked colleague, Carrie O’Halloran, asks him to look into one of her cases involving the body of a dead woman found near the Darcy Therapeutics Laboratories. Hmmm…
And…For reasons the reader will not discover until later in the novel, O’Reilly is instantly worried about the impact the discovery of this body will have on Emma. Hmmm…
There is a slow, methodical pacing to this plot. Tension-filled. The typical police procedural questions of: Who? What? and Why? will drive readers.
This is a story about lives.
And…Cases…And…People…Who…
Aren’t as straightforward as everybody or readers presume. Twists. Turns. Red herrings.
A story that will keep readers engaged to the very end.
So…I decided to go ahead and read this one, anyway.
I don’t fully recommend doing this (reading series out of order), especially here…
As there is too much about the main character, Cormac O’Reilly who is a DS of the Garda in Galway, that readers will have wanted to know…
Which…Was provided, (I could tell) in the first book, “The Ruin.” Some of it is hinted at, and integrated into the storyline in this book in a way that at least helped me feel like I knew something about him going into this novel.
Still…Best to begin at the beginning of any series.
This is a police procedural, one of my favorites of the mystery genre.
And…Its focus is not just on the police, but also the victims, families, witnesses and communities. Which makes this very compelling storytelling.
O’Reilly is working cold cases. His life partner is Dr. Emma Sweeney a research scientist at Darcy Therapeutics Laboratory. And the reason they are in Galway, is because of her job. This will become important to know.
An over-worked colleague, Carrie O’Halloran, asks him to look into one of her cases involving the body of a dead woman found near the Darcy Therapeutics Laboratories. Hmmm…
And…For reasons the reader will not discover until later in the novel, O’Reilly is instantly worried about the impact the discovery of this body will have on Emma. Hmmm…
There is a slow, methodical pacing to this plot. Tension-filled. The typical police procedural questions of: Who? What? and Why? will drive readers.
This is a story about lives.
And…Cases…And…People…Who…
Aren’t as straightforward as everybody or readers presume. Twists. Turns. Red herrings.
A story that will keep readers engaged to the very end.
April 17, 2019
The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan is the second book in a series featuring DS Cormac Reilly. As usual, I had not read the first book (I have now) before beginning this one and did not once feel lost or confused.
DS Reilly has been assigned to cold cases until the night his girlfriend frantically calls him. She has found a young woman in the street, the victim of an apparent hit and run. The dead girl is carrying an ID of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful pharmaceutical company and the company for whom Reilly’s girlfriend, Emma, is conducting research on the first successful artificial kidney. Reilly is certain that Emma cannot be involved so he takes the case, but as it continues to unfold, doubts into Emma’s innocence start to rise, complicating their relationship and eroding his reputation at work.
The Scholar is a multi-layered mystery with heaps of suspense and fabulous, complex characters. McTiernan is a marvelous writer who capably molds her characters into realistic people that often remind us of those we see every day. Never does she cross the line into hyperbole or drive Reilly into a farce of what a DS should be. He is flawed, but not the typical drunk, broken, woe-is-me copper who has become the stand-by for far too many police novels. Instead, he has real flaws like we all do. He makes mistakes like we all do and that creates a character who is far more relatable to the reader.
This is not a “fast paced thriller” but rather a well-done suspenseful mystery and when I say “well-done” I mean superb. I highly recommend both The Scholar which is due for publication in the US in May and The Ruin, which you can find at your local bookstore or library.
DS Reilly has been assigned to cold cases until the night his girlfriend frantically calls him. She has found a young woman in the street, the victim of an apparent hit and run. The dead girl is carrying an ID of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful pharmaceutical company and the company for whom Reilly’s girlfriend, Emma, is conducting research on the first successful artificial kidney. Reilly is certain that Emma cannot be involved so he takes the case, but as it continues to unfold, doubts into Emma’s innocence start to rise, complicating their relationship and eroding his reputation at work.
The Scholar is a multi-layered mystery with heaps of suspense and fabulous, complex characters. McTiernan is a marvelous writer who capably molds her characters into realistic people that often remind us of those we see every day. Never does she cross the line into hyperbole or drive Reilly into a farce of what a DS should be. He is flawed, but not the typical drunk, broken, woe-is-me copper who has become the stand-by for far too many police novels. Instead, he has real flaws like we all do. He makes mistakes like we all do and that creates a character who is far more relatable to the reader.
This is not a “fast paced thriller” but rather a well-done suspenseful mystery and when I say “well-done” I mean superb. I highly recommend both The Scholar which is due for publication in the US in May and The Ruin, which you can find at your local bookstore or library.
May 29, 2019
Dervla McTiernan's debut novel The Ruin was quite enjoyable, so I jumped at the opportunity to read the follow-up, as I was eager to reacquaint myself with Detective Cormac Reilly.
Detective Reilly moved to Galway, as his girlfriend, Emma, pursues a career as a scientist in the prestigious Darcy Therapeutics.
When Emma stumbles across a dead girl, while making her way to work, she calls Cormac, who takes on the case as the lead investigator, despite Emma being a witness. This was the first time I raised my critical eyebrow in disbelief, but I let it pass.
Quite early on, without trying, I was able to see one of the main subplots. It took Cormac and his team halfway through the novel, if not longer, to get to that point. Besides the red herrings that this genre employs in order to distract us from spotting the culprit, I found quite a few loose threads and incongruences. Also, without going into too many details for fear of spoilers, the motivations were unbelievable to me and there was too much made-up unnecessary drama and a bit too much padding, including the introduction of a character - Carrie O'Halloran - who basically gives the case to Reilly and then comes back to it in the end, but ends up getting Reilly to close it. I hope the introduction of O'Halloran was for the benefit of a third novel in the series. While I'm at it, the prologue was too long, and worse, unnecessary.
I am aware that there's pressure to ride the wave of success, before people's attention moves onto something else, but in my opinion, this novel suffers from a lack of credibility, lose plot points and too many fillers.
I'm afraid The Scholar hasn't overcome the curse of the second novel. In saying all that, I'm looking forward to reading McTiernan's third novel.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
This also goes towards my Aussie Authors Challenge on www.bookloverbookreviews.com
Detective Reilly moved to Galway, as his girlfriend, Emma, pursues a career as a scientist in the prestigious Darcy Therapeutics.
When Emma stumbles across a dead girl, while making her way to work, she calls Cormac, who takes on the case as the lead investigator, despite Emma being a witness. This was the first time I raised my critical eyebrow in disbelief, but I let it pass.
Quite early on, without trying, I was able to see one of the main subplots. It took Cormac and his team halfway through the novel, if not longer, to get to that point. Besides the red herrings that this genre employs in order to distract us from spotting the culprit, I found quite a few loose threads and incongruences. Also, without going into too many details for fear of spoilers, the motivations were unbelievable to me and there was too much made-up unnecessary drama and a bit too much padding, including the introduction of a character - Carrie O'Halloran - who basically gives the case to Reilly and then comes back to it in the end, but ends up getting Reilly to close it. I hope the introduction of O'Halloran was for the benefit of a third novel in the series. While I'm at it, the prologue was too long, and worse, unnecessary.
I am aware that there's pressure to ride the wave of success, before people's attention moves onto something else, but in my opinion, this novel suffers from a lack of credibility, lose plot points and too many fillers.
I'm afraid The Scholar hasn't overcome the curse of the second novel. In saying all that, I'm looking forward to reading McTiernan's third novel.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
This also goes towards my Aussie Authors Challenge on www.bookloverbookreviews.com
February 8, 2019
After responding to the call from his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, DS Cormac Reilly arrived at the scene of the young woman’s body that Emma had stumbled across. The deserted grounds of the university where Emma had been heading to the laboratory seemed a strange place for the unknown young woman to have been. But it was when a security ID was found in her pocket that the case took a sinister turn. Perhaps it wasn’t the simple hit-and-run that it had first seemed…
As head of the investigation Cormac felt frustrated. He was up against big money and dark secrets – plus word from the top had him feeling uneasy. And with Emma’s involvement, he knew he really should hand the case over to another detective. But he continued to follow his gut, and that was telling him that the Darcy Laboratory was linked to it all. What would be the outcome with Cormac’s superiors giving him orders which went against what he believed?
The Scholar is the 2nd in the Cormac Reilly series by Aussie author Dervla McTiernan, and just as well written as The Ruin. Fast paced, filled with twists, emotion, devious minds and heartache, this gritty thriller is everything I love in this genre. Cormac is an excellent character and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.
As head of the investigation Cormac felt frustrated. He was up against big money and dark secrets – plus word from the top had him feeling uneasy. And with Emma’s involvement, he knew he really should hand the case over to another detective. But he continued to follow his gut, and that was telling him that the Darcy Laboratory was linked to it all. What would be the outcome with Cormac’s superiors giving him orders which went against what he believed?
The Scholar is the 2nd in the Cormac Reilly series by Aussie author Dervla McTiernan, and just as well written as The Ruin. Fast paced, filled with twists, emotion, devious minds and heartache, this gritty thriller is everything I love in this genre. Cormac is an excellent character and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.
September 11, 2020
Another great addition to the Cormac Reilly series!
The Scholar begins when Cormac Reilly's girlfriend Emma finds a dead body in the middle of the road by the college and pharmaceutical labatory.
It appears someone has run over a young woman. Cormac has to investigate who this young woman is and why she was killed in such a brutal way. The case gets complicated though because Emma's company, Darcy Therapeutics is powerful and will not be helpful with the murder case.
Darcy Therapeutics is one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in Ireland. The granddaughter to the owner of Darcy Therapeutics might know who the dead girl is and complications arise.
The Scholar was a really solid crime detective mystery. I was never bored while listening to the audiobook and I really like the characters in this series. I think the overall mystery of the dead girl was well done. It was complex enough that you were constantly wondering who killed her and what is going on at Darcy Therapeutics.
The setting of Galway, Ireland also makes the book even better. Settings in a book can really bring it all together and it does in this series!
Recommended to crime detective fans and anyone that likes a good murder mystery set in Ireland!
The Scholar begins when Cormac Reilly's girlfriend Emma finds a dead body in the middle of the road by the college and pharmaceutical labatory.
It appears someone has run over a young woman. Cormac has to investigate who this young woman is and why she was killed in such a brutal way. The case gets complicated though because Emma's company, Darcy Therapeutics is powerful and will not be helpful with the murder case.
Darcy Therapeutics is one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in Ireland. The granddaughter to the owner of Darcy Therapeutics might know who the dead girl is and complications arise.
The Scholar was a really solid crime detective mystery. I was never bored while listening to the audiobook and I really like the characters in this series. I think the overall mystery of the dead girl was well done. It was complex enough that you were constantly wondering who killed her and what is going on at Darcy Therapeutics.
The setting of Galway, Ireland also makes the book even better. Settings in a book can really bring it all together and it does in this series!
Recommended to crime detective fans and anyone that likes a good murder mystery set in Ireland!
March 28, 2022
An excellent sequel with a brilliant cast of characters. Whilst not as gripping as book one I still thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. I enjoyed watching Peter Fisher and Carrie O'Halloran come in to their own in this novel. Moving on to book 3!
CW: Bloody crime scene descriptions
CW: Bloody crime scene descriptions
May 17, 2019
Irish-Australian author McTiernan’s 2nd offering featuring DS Cormac Reilly is even better than her first (The Ruin). It is a solid police procedural investigating the death of a hit-and-run. The condition of the body makes initial identification difficult, plus it is none other than Reilly’s partner, Dr. Emma Sweeney, that discovered the mangled woman’s corpse. Despite the possibility of a conflict of interest, Reilly is thrilled to have a real, live homicide to investigate rather than the cold cases he has been relegated for the past year.
Superintendent Murphy is cautiously supporting Reilly, but DC Moira Hanley certainly is not. She finds a way to impede Reilly through rumor, innuendo, and obstruction whenever possible. Fortunately, she is also lazy—so villainy requiring real effort is absent. On the other hand, Reilly has found a strong team player in DC Peter Fisher and enjoys mutual respect with DS Carrie O’Halloran.
The strong plot revolves around the research at a large pharmaceutical firm owned by the autocrat John Darcy, and the University students studying nearby. Strongly recommend.
Superintendent Murphy is cautiously supporting Reilly, but DC Moira Hanley certainly is not. She finds a way to impede Reilly through rumor, innuendo, and obstruction whenever possible. Fortunately, she is also lazy—so villainy requiring real effort is absent. On the other hand, Reilly has found a strong team player in DC Peter Fisher and enjoys mutual respect with DS Carrie O’Halloran.
The strong plot revolves around the research at a large pharmaceutical firm owned by the autocrat John Darcy, and the University students studying nearby. Strongly recommend.
![Profile Image for Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1712357414i%2F6658001._UY200_CR4%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 5, 2024
I read this both as an audiobook and an e-book, 5-Stars for each🤩🤩!
March 28, 2019
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The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. (2019).
(Cormac Reilly, #2).
When Dr Emma stumbles across a hit- and-run victim, she calls her partner Detective Cormac which in turn makes him in charge of the murder scene. An ID card identifies the victim as a gifted student and heir apparent to an Irish pharmaceutical giant. The murder investigation will be high profile and high pressure. But all is not what it seems. And evidence is increasing that it is all connected to Emma's workplace and Emma herself, which causes scrutiny of Cormac's running of the case...
I have been looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint at all. If you are a fan of crime detective books and haven't yet read this or it's predecessor then you really are missing out!
In this book we learn more about Cormac and Emma's backstory which was great and satisfied some of my lingering questions around the first book. We also get more of a feel of some of the other officers at the station which I feel their stories will be developed more in future books. The mystery in this book was enthralling and clever. I don't usually pick up a series as I don't want to commit but I hope to have a long relationship with this series haha. The sneak peek at the end of the book indicates the next novel in the series will be another gripping one which I look forward too already!
Overall opinion: another excellent crime novel from this author.
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The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. (2019).
(Cormac Reilly, #2).
When Dr Emma stumbles across a hit- and-run victim, she calls her partner Detective Cormac which in turn makes him in charge of the murder scene. An ID card identifies the victim as a gifted student and heir apparent to an Irish pharmaceutical giant. The murder investigation will be high profile and high pressure. But all is not what it seems. And evidence is increasing that it is all connected to Emma's workplace and Emma herself, which causes scrutiny of Cormac's running of the case...
I have been looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint at all. If you are a fan of crime detective books and haven't yet read this or it's predecessor then you really are missing out!
In this book we learn more about Cormac and Emma's backstory which was great and satisfied some of my lingering questions around the first book. We also get more of a feel of some of the other officers at the station which I feel their stories will be developed more in future books. The mystery in this book was enthralling and clever. I don't usually pick up a series as I don't want to commit but I hope to have a long relationship with this series haha. The sneak peek at the end of the book indicates the next novel in the series will be another gripping one which I look forward too already!
Overall opinion: another excellent crime novel from this author.
September 14, 2019
Cormac Reilly #2
In the prologue we learn that Carline Darcy is the granddaughter of John Darcy, the founder if the family business, Darcy Pharmaceuticals. Carline is only twelve when her father, Eoghan Darcy dies in a skiing accident. The story then starts eight years later. Carline is now twenty and she's studying and working in scientific research. A woman is found dead outside the university. It looks like its been a hit and run accident. The security ard found in her pocket identifies her as Carline. It was Cormac Reilly's girlfriend, Emma Sweeney who found the body. As Cormac's investigation progresses, the evidence is building and there's definitely a link to the Darcy Laboratory.
Cormac and Emma have moved to Galway. He's been assigned cold cases to work through. Emma has a new job in a Pharmaceutical company that's attached to the university. When Emma discovers the body, it sets in motion a trail of events that have devastating consequences for Carline's friends and family as well as for Cormac and Emma. I got caught up quickly in this story. A police procedural that covers deception, police politics, malpractice and gut instincts. This is a well written story that I though I knew where it was going, then it would change direction completely. A terrific read.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author Dervla McTiernan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the prologue we learn that Carline Darcy is the granddaughter of John Darcy, the founder if the family business, Darcy Pharmaceuticals. Carline is only twelve when her father, Eoghan Darcy dies in a skiing accident. The story then starts eight years later. Carline is now twenty and she's studying and working in scientific research. A woman is found dead outside the university. It looks like its been a hit and run accident. The security ard found in her pocket identifies her as Carline. It was Cormac Reilly's girlfriend, Emma Sweeney who found the body. As Cormac's investigation progresses, the evidence is building and there's definitely a link to the Darcy Laboratory.
Cormac and Emma have moved to Galway. He's been assigned cold cases to work through. Emma has a new job in a Pharmaceutical company that's attached to the university. When Emma discovers the body, it sets in motion a trail of events that have devastating consequences for Carline's friends and family as well as for Cormac and Emma. I got caught up quickly in this story. A police procedural that covers deception, police politics, malpractice and gut instincts. This is a well written story that I though I knew where it was going, then it would change direction completely. A terrific read.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author Dervla McTiernan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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