Crocodile Tears

Leo Woods is a memorable character ... A sympathetically flawed rogue ... Woods is elevated above the run-of-the- mill police detective by O’Sullivan’s sublime prose, which flashes with shards of poetry when least expected. Studded with dark humour, elegant in style and clever in its execution, Crocodile Tears is a remarkably assured first outing.

Well written, gritty, with dark humour and some striking metaphors… a good addition to the Irish crime-fiction corpus. It reminded me of Mankel's Wallander. A satisfying read.

This absorbing, dense crime novel … reveals a new and interesting talent. … Splendidly idiosyncratic and with a leading man who makes Inspector Morse look positively cheerful, this is fine crime writing.

Well written and filled with pathos, dark humour and lyrical description. An absorbing plot and an exceptional lead character combine to make Crocodile Tears a worthwhile summer read.

If there’s a better Irish crime fiction debut published this year, I’ll be very pleasantly surprised.

A very promising debut … skilfully plotted and populated with a fine cast of characters.

Mark O’Sullivan has published nine novels. His work has won several awards in Ireland and France and been translated into six languages. He has also published short stories and poetry in various magazines and journals. His first crime novel featuring Detective Inspector Leo Woods, Crocodile Tears, was published to critical acclaim. Mark is married with two daughters and lives in Thurles, County Tipperary.

In the freezing winter of 2010, with the Irish recession in full flow, property tycoon Dermot Brennan is found dead at his Dublin home. Leading the murder investigation is fifty-six-year-old Detective Inspector Leo Woods, an embittered former UN peacekeeper with a drug habit, a penchant for collecting masks and a face disfigured by Bell’s Palsy. DI Woods meets his match in Detective Sergeant Helen Troy, a bright and ambitious but impetuous young policewoman with a troubled family. 
 
A host of suspects quickly emerge – Brennan’s estranged son; two of the dead man’s former business associates with grudges against him; a young man whose life was ruined after his house, built by Brennan, was flooded; an arrogant sculptor who may or may not have been having an affair with Anna Brennan (and with their neighbour); and an ex-pat American gardener. Together, Woods and Troy weave their way through this tangled web to get to the shocking truth. 
 
Mark O’Sullivan is an exciting new voice in literary crime fiction. Already an acclaimed children’s fiction writer, he has produced in Crocodile Tears an excellent murder mystery, which has the depth of character of Kate Atkinson combined with the plotting and ambiguous moral codes of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse.

Mark O'Sullivan

Mark O'Sullivan has upped the ante . . . has to be a contender for Irish crime novel of the year.

One of the brightest new voices in Ireland's burgeoning crime-writing scene. His plots are pleasingly yet believably complex, his characters well observed with authentic back stories, and his storytelling is laced with mordant wit and sparkling dialogue. Highly recommended.

Gangland boss Harry Larkin has taken three bullets and lies dying in a Dublin hospital. Amongst his delusional ravings to Senior Ward Nurse Eveleen Morgan, one name stands out: Detective Inspector Leo Woods. Harry’s message for his old ‘friend’ Leo: find my daughter Whitney. 
Leo is drawn into the murky world of the Larkin family, a hell he thought he had escaped from thirty years earlier. With the help of Detective Sergeant Helen Troy, his search for Whitney turns up more questions than answers, more darkness than light. Who shot Harry Larkin? What secrets are the Larkins hiding? Is there a connection with the young hit-and-run victim lying beside Harry in the intensive care unit? Why is a Libyan intern at the hospital taking such an interest? And is Leo himself compromised by his past affair with Harry’s wife, Liz? 
While Woods and Troy struggle with the truth about a family built on deception, the search for Whitney becomes increasingly desperate. Leo is looking to the future, and a tentative relationship with Eveleen – but the past won’t let him go that easily.

Mark O'Sullivan

Praise for Sleeping Dogs

Mark O'Sullivan has upped the ante . . . has to be a contender for Irish crime novel of the year.

One of the brightest new voices in Ireland's burgeoning crime-writing scene. His plots are pleasingly yet believably complex, his characters well observed with authentic back stories, and his storytelling is laced w ...

Books by Mark O'Sullivan

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