Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Black Irish by Stephan Talty

Black Irish: A Novel by Stephan Talty
Detective Absalom Kearney, along with her partner, Zangara, investigate the murder of Jimmy Ryan who was kidnapped, tied to a chair and killed in the unheated basement of an old abandoned Irish Catholic church in Buffalo, New York. Why someone would want to carve up a gas meter reader with a knife somehow makes the killing personal. Abby Kearney, comes home to take care of her father, John, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Retired from the Buffalo Police Department, John Kearney, adopted Abby as a toddler and provided her with an education and now a career in the same police department that made him a legend. When the next body is found, murdered and carved with a knife, Abby and her partner are able to tie the murders to the Clan, an old secret organization rumored to have connections with the IRA in Ireland.
Deeply immersed in the Clan culture growing up, Abby understands the wall of silence she faces when she goes to the victims’ families for information. Not sure if the killer is in the Clan or killing off the Clan, Abby and her partner have very few leads to follow when the killer makes it personal and comes after Abby and her father. Many twists and turns in the plot keep the suspense taut and the reader guessing who the killer is until the end. Another book about Absalom Kearney and the Irish community she came back to protect and serve would be a pleasure to read.

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