Staff raves for Dervla McTiernan's new crime novel

Dervla McTiernan is one of our favourite crime novelists, enchanting us with her debut The Ruin and continuing the magic with The Scholar.

McTiernan’s third novel, The Good Turn, is her most complex yet, and our booksellers are raving about it.


‘Dervla McTiernan is three books into what I’m hoping will be a very, very long career because her books have been consistently excellent examples of the best that crime fiction can offer: multi-dimensional characters with rich inner lives, gorgeously rendered surroundings that transport the reader straight into the heart of the action, and baffling cases that unravel slowly with just enough clues that the climax never feels like it’s being plucked out of thin air.

In The Good Turn, McTiernan’s regular protagonist Detective Cormac Reilly takes a back seat after a disastrous kidnapping case results in his suspension. Instead readers follow Reilly’s young protégée, Peter Fisher, who has been banished to the small beachside town of Roundstone where the brutal murder of an old farmer and his son has surprisingly failed to raise eyebrows with the local Garda – Fisher’s estranged father.

Police corruption, small town politics, turf wars between competing drug cartels; The Good Turn has a bit of everything, but McTiernan is a deft writer who keeps the plates spinning, and as the book progresses the many disparate threads start to come together to reveal a tapestry of money, lies, and power that has been at the heart of the entire Cormac Reilly series. The conclusion, when it comes, it so satisfying that I couldn’t resist doing a little fist punch. Highly recommended.’

Lian Hingee, digital marketing manager


‘Derva McTiernan is back with another gripping crime thriller! From a traumatised child who refuses to speak, to a police shooting, to a tiny town where several elderly residents have mysteriously passed away, to large-scale corruption in the force, this book is full of moments that will keep you guessing. The Good Turn left me on the edge of my seat – the next book can’t come soon enough.’

Ellen Cregan, marketing and events coordinator


‘It’s early in the year, I know, but The Good Turn is already my favourite detective story of 2020. This is crime as it should be. McTiernan brings her characters to life with a perfect blend of suspense, intrigue and wit. She is also the queen of the atmospheric novel, as the snow starts to pile up around the inhabitants of County Galway you feel the icy fingers of mystery on the back of your neck, and when the weather clears and all is right again in the world of Cormac Reilly and his fellow Garda, you will be warmed down to your very toes.’

Kate McIntosh, bookseller at Readings Doncaster


‘By the time I was just a few pages into The Good Turn, I remembered all over again how safe I feel in Dervla McTiernan’s hands. She’s such a fantastic writer I know I can relax – and then be scared, stressed, entertained, creeped out, thrilled and intrigued. The Good Turn weaves together even more storylines than her previous two novels, and it also brings some long-running issues to a very satisfying head. As usual, I still adore DI Cormac Reilly, but I am very, very worried about the health of his long-term relationship with Emma…’

Leanne Hall, children’s book specialist


“If you haven’t read Dervla McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly crime novels yet then you are missing out. Cormac Reilly is one of the best fictional detectives in books today and the morally complex situations in which he finds himself just keep getting juicier and juicier. The Good Turn also gives fair play to his colleague Peter, who brings his own complicated history to the table, continuing to deepen the world of this series. Five stars!’

Bronte Coates, digital content manager


We have a limited number of signed copies of The Good Turn available for purchase. Signed copies are available online but only while stocks last. So hurry!

Cover image for The Good Turn

The Good Turn

Dervla McTiernan

Available to order, ships in 10-14 daysAvailable to order