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Black Light
Black Light is in everyone. Biding its time. Waiting to strike.
Haunted by the murder of his sister, Detective Sergeant John Lazarus scours the streets of Dublin chasing down the men who have surrendered to the darkness inside them. The monsters who prey on the most vulnerable in society are in his sights and he hunts them relentlessly.
His specialist officers are fighting to protect a vulnerable young victim from vicious mobsters when they are brought in to investigate an attack on a student teacher that leaves her hovering between life and death. He has no witnesses and barely any clues – but knows he has to catch the attacker before he strikes again.
Abandoned by his bosses, tormented by his past, Lazarus goes to war with a crime gang and a high profile reporter, a man who has a knack of getting under the detective’s skin – and who appears to know even more than the cops.
Pretty soon, his career, reputation and marriage are all hanging by a thread as Lazarus finds himself in a desperate race against time to save a young girl from the mob and catch a monster – all the while fighting the most important battle of his life: the battle inside his own head.
Can he let go of his dark past, or will the Black Light hiding inside Lazarus destroy everything he holds dear?
Haunted by the murder of his sister, Detective Sergeant John Lazarus scours the streets of Dublin chasing down the men who have surrendered to the darkness inside them. The monsters who prey on the most vulnerable in society are in his sights and he hunts them relentlessly.
His specialist officers are fighting to protect a vulnerable young victim from vicious mobsters when they are brought in to investigate an attack on a student teacher that leaves her hovering between life and death. He has no witnesses and barely any clues – but knows he has to catch the attacker before he strikes again.
Abandoned by his bosses, tormented by his past, Lazarus goes to war with a crime gang and a high profile reporter, a man who has a knack of getting under the detective’s skin – and who appears to know even more than the cops.
Pretty soon, his career, reputation and marriage are all hanging by a thread as Lazarus finds himself in a desperate race against time to save a young girl from the mob and catch a monster – all the while fighting the most important battle of his life: the battle inside his own head.
Can he let go of his dark past, or will the Black Light hiding inside Lazarus destroy everything he holds dear?
435 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2022
7 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Michael O'Toole
4 books8 followersMichael O'Toole is a crime writer in Dublin, Ireland.
He was born in Belfast in 1970 and has been a crime reporter in Dublin for more than 20 years.
He specialises in covering organised crime.
He has written several non-fiction books, but has now published his first novel, Black Light. It is set in Dublin.
He studied Italian and French at university and also speaks Spanish and is learning Arabic.
He has won four national awards for his crime journalism.
He was voted crime journalist of the year in 2017 and 2021.
And he also won crime story of the year in 2017 and in 2018.
He is married with three children.
He was born in Belfast in 1970 and has been a crime reporter in Dublin for more than 20 years.
He specialises in covering organised crime.
He has written several non-fiction books, but has now published his first novel, Black Light. It is set in Dublin.
He studied Italian and French at university and also speaks Spanish and is learning Arabic.
He has won four national awards for his crime journalism.
He was voted crime journalist of the year in 2017 and 2021.
And he also won crime story of the year in 2017 and in 2018.
He is married with three children.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 9, 2022
Very enjoyable thriller. Fast moving throughout containing well-developed characters you feel like you get to know. You know you’re enjoying a book when you’re looking forward to getting back to it, and that was certainly the case for me. Knowing the workings of journalism and policing in Ireland allowed the author give an insider’s view of that world that I, as a reader, appreciated. And as a Dubliner, it was also nice to have a familiarity with the settings where the action takes place. This may be the first fiction book by the author, so I think it is a very promising debut. I presume this book is the first of a series based around the central character, ‘Lazarus’. He is a detective with a lot layers and life experience that I am sure will provide many opportunities to get to know him better in the future. I look forward to learning more about him through more action-packed criminal investigation work zipping around the streets of Dublin.
July 27, 2023
One of the best Irish crime thrillers in a long time. Written by an author with impeccable pedigree being a crime reporter of some repute. The characters are well drawn out and are intriguingly written. There's a whole sub story about the lead investigating Garda D/Sgt Lazarus and his family. But the main story is the investigation into the rape of a young woman in a park in Dublin and the relevant suspects including a drug gang and corrupt gardai. I tore through the book and heartily recommend it.
June 23, 2023
Tortured alcoholic detective could have felt like a trope but it felt so real I loved it
May 9, 2025
Terrifically paced thriller. A step above due to the real-life experiences of the author.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews