The Scholar, by Dervla McTiernan

This sequel takes place immediately after the events of The Ruin, with Detective Cormac Reilly still trying to find his place in the Galway Garda. His partner Emma finds a hit and run victim outside the University lab where she works and calls Cormac to the scene. Station politics hamper the complicated murder investigation and blocking tactics by the wealthy family that funds the lab don’t help. A second murder brings Emma under suspicion and compromises Cormac. Can they clear her name and even if they do, will their relationship survive? McTiernan’s tight prose zips the story along, making it hard to put down. Her characters are fully rounded, complex and interesting and that goes for the victims and witnesses, as well as the police investigating the murders. This is the best kind of crime writing, so it’s good to know a third Cormac Reilly novel is on the way.

Ruin, by Dervla McTiernan

A seeming suicide leads to the reopening of a 20-year-old overdose case; were they both actually murder? Detective Cormac Reilly must investigate Maud Blake, the woman who links both cases. He was the officer on the scene of the overdose death, in his first months on the job. What did he miss? At the same time he has to navigate the complex politics of the Galway police department, as a recent transfer in from Dublin. He has learned a lot in the last 20 years of policing and he will need all his experience to get to the bottom of this mess. McTiernan weaves a dark tale of abuse, tragedy and treachery, deceit and corruption – and that’s just the cops. The slightly world-weary Reilly is believable and relateable, stepping down in his career to support his partner. His move back to the west country brings personal and professional challenges as he works out who he can trust. A sequel has been published in what looks likely to be a satisfying series.