Review: The Ruin

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a slower-paced Irish police procedural, and really focused on the characters. The way each character, their actions, and their thoughts unfolded along with the mystery kept the story flowing. Even though it was not fast-paced or a suspense-filled thriller, there were definitely some shocking moments. I must admit that I did not suspect the real "villain" until the big reveal, and I didn't expect the twist either. My one quibble is that a couple narrative points of view were introduced mid-way or even late in the book, and it's just a personal pet-peeve of mine that if we get to see "inside a character's head," we should have privy to their point-of-view all along. That being said, I was transported right to Galway, and am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. If you are looking for a character-driven mystery with great characterization, this is the book for you.

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