Death of an Irish Sea Wolf by Bartholomew Gill Review
Avon, Oct., 1997.Paperback, 293 pages.
ISBN: 0380725789.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Peace has reigned on Clare Island, a remote community off the west
coast of Ireland, for many years. Although the community is not
wealthy, the inhabitants seem to do quite well. Whenever anyone is
in dire straits - due to accident, illness or financial
hardship -- the mysterious Clare Island Trust quietly cuts a
check for the best medical care, an interest free loan or whatever
is necessary. Though never openly discussed, all the Island knows
that reclusive, kindly Clement Ford is the real owner of the Clare
Island Trust although no one knows where Ford would have gotten the
money to fund the philanthropic venture. One night, a mysterious
figure from Ford's shadowy past appears on the Island. By morning,
three people have been brutally murdered - including Ford's
beautiful, blind wife - and Ford has disappeared.
Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr, head of Ireland's Special Crimes
Unit, and his crack staff from the Murder Squad arrive on the Island
to determine what happened that night. They meet an Island full of
hostile people loyal to the generous Ford and a seemingly impenetrable mystery shrouding
Ford's past, involving violence, treachery and a missing Nazi treasure from World War II.
This is the 12th novel in this series starring Superintendent McGarr
and his staff.
Death of a Irish Sea Wolf is a fascinating, action-packed mystery that combines the excitement of an espionage thriller, lyrical descriptions of a wind-swept island in the North Sea and an intriguing slice of historical drama. The result is an extraordinary tale that transcends the ordinary police procedural which sometimes have a tendency to become a bit tedious as they bog down in the endless minutiae of routine investigation. There's no danger of that here, however. A rollicking good read.
Return to the January 1998 issue of The IWJ.
More from Writers Write