In thinking about putting together a March display on Irish mystery writers for the local library, I asked my good friend and reference librarian/researcher extraordinaire Brennan L. — also proud Irish descendant — for a starter list. Here’s what she provided:
Here is a handful of Irish/Northern Irish crime writers I have read. Sorry, but Tana French is the only woman.
– Brian McGilloway – Inspector Benedict Devlin series, on border of Ireland/Northern Ireland
– Ken Bruen – hard-boiled & noir crime fiction
– Declan Hughes – noir crime fiction
– Adrian McKinty – Sean Duffy Series, NI
– Benjamin Black – Quirke series, a 1950s Dublin pathologist (he has written other fiction under his real name, John Banville)
– Tana French – Dublin murder squad
– Peter Tremayne – Sister Fidelma series. A 7th century nun,under the Brehon code, was authorized to practice law. Lots of historic detail.
– Stuart Neville – NI crime thrillers.
The Neville book I read was way too gruesome for me (torture, Nazis, ripping off fingernails, etc) but I was delighted that it mentioned a relative. My dad’s first cousin, Noel Browne, was a controversial political figure in Ireland and he pops up in the book Ratlines.
Any additions to the list?
The aforementioned Brennan also suggested this:Look over this link.
If you (and your newsletter readers) don’t know about stopyourekillingme.com, it is an amazing place to search for mysteries by location, sub-genre, main character, award winners, etc.
This really is an excellent website that all mystery readers should be aware of.
✕
Get a FREE copy of Kill the Quarterback
Get a free digital copy of Jim Stovall's mystery novel, Kill the Quarterback. You will also get Jim's newsletter and advanced notice of publications, free downloads and a variety of information about what he is working on. Jim likes to stay in touch, so sign up today.