The Death of an Irish Politician

A body is found shackled to the upper branches of the tallest tree in Ireland. The victim is a "Tinker," one of the mysterious class of itinerant travelers who have roamed Ireland for generations. The murder bears all the signs of being the work of Desmond Bacon, "the Toddler," brutal king of Ireland's heroin trade. But who was the deceased and why was he killed? The answer lies with a Tinker woman named Biddy Nevins, who may be the only person able to put Bacon away--that is, if Peter McGarr and his crew can get to her before the Toddler does.

The dead woman is an enigma –– a local lass who emigrated to America some years back, now perched atop a seven–hundred–foot cliff high above the pounding Irish surf . . . with two passports, a pistol, and $27,000 U.S. dollars in her coat pocket. The brutality of May Quirk's murder –– along with the accompanying death of her unborn child –– haunts Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr of the Special Crimes Unit. What was it that brought her home to County Clare to die? McGarr is determined to find out, as his investigation carries him into the twisted core of a deadly conspiracy centered around money, madness, and lethal politics . . . and leads him far from his own home to a dark place where a dedicated Irish policeman is easy prey.

In a remote community off the west coast of Ireland, residents inclined to gossip speculate why reclusive Clement Ford, the "Sea Wolf," has become such a generous benefactor to his neighbors. then one night, a mysterious figure from Ford's past arrives on the island, and by morning three people are murdered and Ford has disappeared. In the wake of the tragedy, Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr, and his intuitive wife, Noreen, along with his trusted staff from the Murder Squad, must piece together the deadly evening's events and answer the questions: Who really is the enigmatic Sea Wolf? And what does he have that is worth killing so many people for?

It's a rare occurrence when Chief Inspector of Detectives Peter McGarr leaves the shores of his beloved Ireland -- but this time he has little choice. The blood of two prominent British subjects -- both former S.I.S. chiefs, both brutally murdered -- is staining Irish soil. And Sir Colin Cummings, the current head of Britain's elite secret service -- and potential third victim -- en route to Italy, with McGarr coming along for the man's protection. A macabre conspiracy of murder and revenge is spreading its tentacles across several nations, and McGarr's time spent amidst the charm and rustic beauty of Siena promises to be anything but restful. Because there are many hidden players in this most deadly game -- from ex-spies to Communist rabble rousers to wealthy Italian industrialists. And a single misstep could place one dedicated and inquisitive Chief Inspector of the Garda Soichana directly in the line of killing fire.

The theft of the Book of Kells -- an exquisite ninth-century amalgam of Christian doctrine and Celtic legend -- from the Trinity College library is, in itself, a most shocking crime. But it is the brutal slaying of a night watchman that throws Peter McGarr of the Dublin Murder Squad into the mix. Forced to share investigative duties equally with a publicity-hungry co-Chief Superintendent, McGarr is soon entangled in a twisted web of murder, thievery, back-biting politics, and dark pagan rituals. And surely more blood will flow as secrets, deceptions, and well-guarded lies come to light -- forcing an intrepid detective to doubt the loyalties of even his closest compatriots -- in a chilling case that threatens to bring about nothing less than the destruction of contemporary Irish society.

Trinity professor and Joycean scholar Kevin Coyle was one of Dublin's most colorful -- and controversial -- characters, until someone stabbed him through the heart on Bloomsday, the annual citywide celebration honoring Ireland's most beloved literary light. The poetic irony is not lost on Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr: one of the foremost experts on the works of James Joyce was slain on the so-called "Murderers' Ground" made famous in the author's magnum opus Ulysses. But the connection does not end there. And the deeper the intrepid McGarr digs, the more startling truths he uncovers about a victim's dark, licentious history, a list of suspects as vast and varied as the characters in a great novel ... and a motive for murder that can hide as easily in the pages of a classic book as in the twisted passions of a human heart.

Local benefactress and celebrated biographer Mary-Jo Stanton is a supplicant to death -- left lifeless on her knees in a patch of daffodils, a barbaric religious implement wrapped tightly around her neck. A clergyman has approached Peter McGarr, requesting that the Chief Superintendent quietly investigate this outrage that occurred at Barbastro, the slain grand lady's compoundlike Dublin estate. Murder is McGarr's business, but this one might be his undoing, as it draws him ever-closer to Opus Dei. A secret order of religious zealots devoted to enforcing the Lord's edicts no matter what the cost in money -- or human life -- it has ensnared the dedicated policeman in its lethal web. And now its madness is reaching out across a century to touch the place Peter McGarr is most vulnerable: the precious heart of his own adored family.

The Dublin Horse Show is one of the city's proudest traditions -- a grand institution tarnished this year by the murder of elderly Margaret Caughey. Chief Inspector Peter McGarr is puzzled by the strange death of a seemingly harmless old woman whose apartment contains not a trace of her past life -- and by the heinous crime's apparent links to the upcoming equestrian event. Nearly everyone associated with the unfortunate victim has connections to the Horse show as well, from dowdy Margaret's racetrack gadfly brother, to her surprisingly elegant daughter who's scheduled to compete . . . to an ex-IRA contract killer. And with race day rapidly approaching, McGarr knows he must work quickly to untangle this knotted skein of deadly secrets. For if he falters, the tireless detective fears that more blood may be spilt -- perhaps even his own -- before the riders leave the gate.