The Branded

The Branded is a crime novel that follows DS Lucy Golden as she investigates the murders of two girls, who were both found in a submerged suitcase in Loch Acorrymore on Achill Island. The novel is praised for its breathless pace and sense of place, and DC Lucy Golden is praised for her ability to keep a clear emotional head and get to the truth before more girls end up dead.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 26 January 2023
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

During an unprecedented heatwave, the body of a young girl is found in a submerged suitcase in Loch Acorrymore on Achill Island. DS Lucy Golden is tasked with identifying her and returning her to her family. With the help of her team, they discover that the girl was a runaway who had spent some time in a homeless shelter. She has been murdered, and an investigation is launched. Despite some promising leads, Lucy's enquiries seem to be going nowhere until another body with connections to the homeless shelter is discovered in what initially appears to be a suicide. Lucy knows that there is no such thing as coincidence, but the race is on to find the link between the two victims before the trail goes cold. As Lucy is drawn deeper into the case, she realizes that these murders may be a whole lot more sinister than first thought. Can Lucy keep a clear emotional head and get to the truth before more girls end up dead?

Praise for The Branded:

Even better than her first book. . . a breathless crime novel, imbued with a sense of place.

Westmeath Examiner

Such a good, interesting read.

Belfast Telegraph

DC Lucy Golden returns in another nail-biting Irish thriller.

Peterborough Telegraph

Weight: 264g
Dimension: 126 x 198 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349134994