Detective Cormac Reilly novels
Crime fiction set in Galway. Compelling. Unsettling. Impossible to put down.
New to the series? Here’s the best place to start
Each novel stands alone, but reading in order lets you follow Cormac’s journey as it unfolds — one case, one secret, one reckoning at a time.
About the Series
A gripping crime series set in the brooding streets of Galway. Detective Cormac Reilly is haunted by the past, driven by justice, and never afraid to ask the difficult questions.
Each novel blends intricate plotting with emotional depth, delivering unforgettable suspense.
All books in the series
Book 1
The Ruin
Galway 1993: Young Garda Cormac Reilly is called to a scene he will never forget. Two silent, neglected children - fifteen-year-old Maude and five-year-old Jack - are waiting for him at a crumbling country house. Their mother lies dead upstairs.
Book 2
The Scholar
When Detective Cormac Reilly's girlfriend Emma stumbles across the victim of a hit and run early one morning, he is first on the scene of a murder that would never have been assigned to him.
Book 3
The Good Turn
When police officer Peter Fisher is called to the scene of a supposed prank call, irritation turns to fear when he realises that there is no joke. A young boy says he witnessed a little girl being bundled into the boot of a car, and Peter believes him.
Book 4
The Unquiet Grave
For years the boglands of Northern Europe have given up bodies that are thousands of years old, uncannily preserved. Bodies with strange injuries that suggest ritual torture and human sacrifice.
Character Spotlight
Detective Cormac Reilly
A former anti-terrorism officer now working cold cases in Galway. Quiet, methodical, and driven by a deep sense of justice. Haunted by a case he worked two decades ago—one that still defines him.
Recurring characters:
Emma Sweeney: A brilliant research scientist working in groundbreaking medical research at Galway University. Cormac’s partner. Deeply committed to her work but still haunted by a traumatic attack she survived in Dublin.
Peter Fisher: A young Garda working under Cormac Reilly. Ambitious and perceptive, with real initiative but still learning the ropes. In The Good Turn, he faces an impossible choice that threatens his career.
Flawed, determined, and often caught between what’s right and what’s possible. Here are a few of the key voices at the heart of this series.
Setting the scene
McTiernan’s evocative descriptions transport readers to Ireland, adding another layer of depth to her engrossing mysteries. Explore key locations across the series — from quiet backstreets to coastal cliffs — and see where the mysteries unfold.
Awards & Critical Praise
The Ruin Downloads for Readers
For book clubs, media, and curious readers — here’s a resource you might find useful.
You’ll find a printable discussion guide for this book.
Frequently Asked Questions
While each book features its own central mystery that gets solved by the end, I’d recommend reading them in order if you can. Cormac’s personal life and relationships develop across the series, and there are ongoing threads that will make much more sense (and pack more of an emotional punch!) if you read from the beginning. That said, if you do pick up a later book first, you won’t be completely lost – I give enough context so that new readers can jump in.
Absolutely! I love writing Cormac and his world, and I have plans for more books in the series. There are still so many stories to tell set in Galway, and Cormac’s journey is far from over. I can’t give you specific dates just yet, but I don’t feel that I’m done with these characters.
I’m from Galway originally, and it’s a city that’s very close to my heart. It has everything I need for a crime series – beautiful scenery, a rich history, a vibrant city centre, and plenty of rain! Setting the books there also allows me to explore the tensions between old Ireland and new, between tradition and change, which I find endlessly fascinating.
Start with Tana French if you haven’t already – her Dublin Murder Squad series has that same combination of compelling Irish setting, complex police procedures, and deep psychological insight. I’m a huge admirer of her work. You might also enjoy Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk series for character-driven investigations, Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy novels for Irish crime fiction with a similar atmospheric quality, and Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series for beautifully drawn characters and rich sense of place. And I absolutely love Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves – both are masters at creating deeply human detectives and intricate plots that stay with you long after you’ve finished the book
Looking for more?
If you’ve finished the Cormac Reilly novels or want to explore more, take a look at the standalone thrillers or the Audio Novellas.
