Ruin: The gripping crime thriller you won't want to miss

The Ruin is a debut crime novel by Irish author Tana French, shortlisted for the Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year and the RTE Listeners' Choice Award. It follows Garda Cormac Reilly, who responds to a call at a decrepit country house to find two silent, neglected children waiting for him. Twenty years later, Maude and Jack return to haunt him, and Cormac must navigate the politics of a new police station to find out what ties a recent suicide to the woman's death so long ago. The novel is praised for its powerful debut, its dark heart of Ireland, and its exploration of corruption, clandestine cover-ups, and criminal conspiracy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 06 September 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Shortlisted for the Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year, the RTE Listeners' Choice Award, the Guardian Not the Booker Prize 2018, and the Sunday Times Not the Booker Prize 2018, The Ruin is a powerful debut that will draw readers into the dark heart of Ireland and ask who will protect them when the authorities can't or won't. Set in 1993, Garda Cormac Reilly responds to a call at a decrepit country house to find two silent, neglected children waiting for him: fifteen-year-old Maude and five-year-old Jack. Their mother lies dead upstairs.

Twenty years later, Cormac has left his high-flying career as a detective in Dublin and returned to Galway. As he struggles to navigate the politics of a new police station, Maude and Jack return to haunt him. What ties a recent suicide to the woman's death so long ago? And who among his new colleagues can Cormac really trust?

This powerful debut will draw you into the dark heart of Ireland and ask who will protect you when the authorities can't or won't. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Tana French, and Susie Steiner.

Praise for The Ruin: "Brilliantly crafted. . . an absolute treat!" - SUNDAY MIRROR "An exciting new voice in Irish noir" - SUNDAY TIMES "Corruption, clandestine cover-ups, and criminal conspiracy. . . as moving as it is fast-paced" - VAL McDERMID "Absolutely brilliant. Wonderful characters, authentic setting, and a sublime, twisted plot" - IRISH EXAMINER "A compelling story with beautifully drawn characters I really cared about" - LAURA MARSHALL "Heartbreaking and heart-stopping" - CAZ FREAR "As convincing as it is multi-layered, as compelling as it is complex" - CHRIS BROOKMYRE "Fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates will love this" - IRISH INDEPENDENT

Weight: 278g
Dimension: 192 x 160 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780751569315