Gallows Lane: An Inspector Devlin Mystery

✍ Scribed by McGilloway, Brian

• Book ID: 107861543
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 131 KB
• Series: An Inspector Devlin Mystery
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN-13: 9780230744462

✦ Synopsis

The heart-stopping follow-up to Brian McGilloway’s thrilling debut, Gallows Lane continues the compelling series that captures modern Ireland and showcases a striking new voice in crime writing.

In his critically acclaimed debut, Borderlands , Brian McGilloway opened a window onto modern Ireland through the eyes of Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin, drawing comparisons to John Connolly and Ian Rankin for his tight, fast-paced plotting.

In Gallows Lane , the Donegal summer dawns unusually hot, and Inspector Devlin returns to the borderlands separating the North and South of Ireland, waiting for a notorious ex-con, James Kerr, to return home on early release. Kerr claims to have found God while in prison, but the superintendant of police wants him to stay on the other side of the border.

When a young woman is found beaten to death on a building site in what appears to be a sexually-motivated killing, Devlin is distracted from his assignment of keeping tabs on Kerr. Enquiries into the murder soon point to a local bodybuilder and steroid addict. But days later, the born-again ex-con Kerr is found nailed to a tree—crucified.

Increasingly torn between his young family and his job, Devlin is determined to apprehend those responsible for the murders before they strike again, even as the carnage begins to jeopardize those he cares about most.

Taking its title from the name of the road down which condemned Donegal criminals were once led, Gallows Lane is a sharp, modern thriller; a stunning second installment in what John Connolly says is “set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction."

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Old guilt and new sins create a tangled puzzle in McGilloway's outstanding second Inspector Devlin mystery (after 2008's Borderlands). When Garda Insp. Benedict Devlin discovers the crucified body of James Kerr, an ex-con who claimed he'd returned home to forgive the gang members who betrayed him after a robbery, Devlin sets out to solve that slaying as well as the original robbery, which have links to drug thefts, brutal attempted rapes and additional murders. Devlin, who also has to cope with backstabbing fellow policemen and can't help getting personally involved in his cases, suffers from attacks of panic and conscience that push him to work harder, even when his wife and boss suggest he ease off. This quietly compelling procedural contains much buried passion, especially in the never acknowledged mutual attraction between Devlin and his female partner. Readers will be gripped as they watch this driven Irish detective seek his place in the moral landscape. (Sept.)
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Review

Praise for *Gallows Lane

"McGilloway is a major force in crime writing, and Inspector Ben Devlin is that rare creature: a detective who is not violent or tortured, but who is intensely, movingly human, and it is his humanity and decency that grip the reader and give these novels a searing honesty. The Devlin books are set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction.” —John Connolly, author of The Unquiet

“This outstanding follow-up to McGilloway’s spectacular debut ( Borderlands , 2008) confirms the Irish writer’s place on the A-list of European procedural authors….This fast-paced novel effectively portrays life along the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The mystery element itself is satisfyingly complex, and McGilloway peoples the story with realistic and fully fleshed characters.” – Booklist *(starred review)

“Old guilt and new sins create a tangled puzzle in McGilloway's outstanding second Inspector Devlin mystery. Readers will be gripped as they watch this driven Irish detective seek his place in the moral landscape.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Refreshing in its outlook, this procedural showcases a rising star in full command of his craft. Strongly recommended, especially for readers of Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus mysteries.” –*Library Journal

“McGilloway has created a truly human and original police officer, flawed, maverick, and vulnerable, and a clever web of intrigue that deepens—and darkens—as it twists.” —Peter James, bestselling author of Dead Man’s Footsteps

“Devlin, best of fathers and least politic of coppers, is a helluva hero elbowing his way through a gritty plot.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Brian McGilloway's Borderlands was one of last year's most impressive debuts. Does Gallows Lane pass the feared 'second novel' test? Easily.” – The Times *(UK)

“McGilloway, with his lovingly rendered landscapes and all-to-fallible detective, continues to investigate invisible demarcations of power, ancient lines of conflict and the shadowlands of the human psyche.” – Guardian(UK)

“McGilloway's second Devlin mystery gathers pace and tension. Planted evidence, death threats and a bruising rivalry for promotion bring on panic attacks in Devlin as he struggles to bring his flawed police work to a just conclusion.” – Financial Times(UK)