Crime novels set in Ireland

Reading lists

11 top crime novels set in Ireland

Catherine Kirwan

Darkest Truth tackles difficult issues with empathy and intelligence and still manages to be a gripping, twisting novel of mounting suspense. It couldn't be more relevant and the time to read this is right now.

Darkest Truth has an unforgettable heroine, a well plotted story and very moving honesty at its heart. Timely and highly evocative of its setting, it's a strikingly good debut. I can't wait to read more from Catherine Kirwan.

Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan series

A clever twist on the genre, asking us to look at male privilege and the reasons why these men have been able to get away with their crimes for so long...A very timely novel.

Araminta Hall, author of Our Kind of Cruelty

A fast-paced and twisty thriller, with a gutsy protagonist you can't help but root for.  It left me breathless.

Claire Askew, author of All The Hidden Truths

A strong, authentic and thoroughly likeable solicitor-protagonist, vivid setting and gripping storyline make for a terrific debut. I look forward to more from Catherine Kirwan!

Andrea Carter author of the Inishowen Mysteries (soon to be made into a TV series)

I really enjoyed it...A great female protagonist, a timely plot and the promise of much more to come from this debut author.

Catherine Ryan Howard author of Distress Signals (shortlisted for a CWA New Blood Dagger) and The Liar's Girl.

The story is told at a propulsive rate, the legal details are persuasive and the dialogue is excellent.

Her quest to expose Gill is dark and twisted, but the believability of the characters is undeniable. Powerful writing

A gripping and topical debut about chasing the truth and refusing to be silenced

Darkest Truth is a very entertaining, confident and impressive debut with a very convincing main protagonist… It’s really wonderful to see Cork play such an important role in Catherine Kirwan’s writing, capturing the city in a very unique fashion… Darkest Truth is a very topical book focusing in on the current Me Too movement, mental health, grooming and abuse. Catherine Kirwan handles all these areas with great sensitivity, while also bringing us a novel that will have you eager to turn the pages, as you race to the finish.

She refused to be silenced

Recommended by Graham Norton on The Graham Norton Show 
_________________________ 
He'll do anything to protect his secrets. She'll stop at nothing to expose the truth. 
 
It only takes one person to break the silence. 
 
When solicitor Finn Fitzpatrick is approached by a man to investigate the death of his daughter, her first instinct is to refuse. 
 
The father is grieving, and unable to accept that his daughter committed suicide. And yet something about the man’s story chimes with Finn. 
 
Why did a bright, confident, beautiful young girl suddenly drop out of school? Could the answer lie in her relationship with Ireland's most famous film director? 
 
The deeper Finn goes into the case, the more dark, twisted and dangerous the picture becomes. 
 
Because these are powerful people she is trying to expose. And they're willing to do anything to keep the truth hidden. 
_________________________ 
 
'Just finished Darkest Truth by Catherine Kirwan. It's brilliant! A heroine flawed but not in the normal whisky-soaked-my-wife-has-left me way - that takes you on an evocative crime journey through the cut-throughs and cobbles of Cork City. A fabulous sleep thief and great read.' OWEN McDONNELL, Killing Eve 
 
'A clever twist on the genre.' ARAMINTA HALL, author of Our Kind of Cruelty 
 
'A gripping, twisting novel of mounting suspense. It couldn't be more relevant.' AMY LLOYD, author of The Innocent Wife 
 
'A fast-paced and twisty thriller, with a gutsy protagonist you can't help but root for. It left me breathless.' CLAIRE ASKEW, author of All The Hidden Truths 
 
'The story is told at a propulsive rate, the legal details are persuasive and the dialogue is excellent.' IRISH TIMES 
 
'This is a wonderfully assured debut. While the plot of Darkest Truth may have been suggested by the recent worldwide #MeToo movement, there is little of the 'me too' in its writing because Kirwan delivers her cracking tale in her own distinctive voice. In Finn Fitzpatrick, she has created an immensely likeable, feisty and individual character, and the supporting cast in this intriguing mystery are equally well drawn.' IRISH INDEPENDENT 
 
'Her quest to expose Gill is dark and twisted, but the believability of the characters is undeniable. Powerful writing’ WOMAN

Catherine Kirwan

Series by Catherine Kirwan

Finn Fitzpatrick Series

Articles featuring Catherine Kirwan

11 top crime novels set in Ireland

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter