#ReadAroundTheWorld. #Ireland

Set in Galway, this is the second installment of the Cormac Reilly series. In this story DS Reilly has still been assigned cold-cases and is shunned by his boss until his colleague Carrie Ryan fights for him and he is assigned a case involving a gassing. Then his girlfriend, scientist Dr Emma Sweeney is first on the scene at a hit and run near the laboratory she works at and Cormac becomes involved in the case. The case soon becomes high profile as the victim is thought to be Carline Darcy, granddaughter of John Darcy who owns the Darcy Therapeutics pharmaceutical company. Things get more complicated when Carline Darcy is found to be alive and well, and Emma becomes a suspect. Given she has already been a murder suspect, how well does Cormac really know her?

A third case comes to light when teenager Paul reports his science-genius but uni-dropout sister Della missing. Cormac has to fight against the clock, the pressures from Darcy Therapeutics and their legal team, and the undermining from his own boss.

This was an engaging story and helped further our understanding of Cormac Reilly. I would be keen to read another. ( )

Another great book. This series is quickly rising to the top of my favorites list. I am going to get right on the third book. ( )

Another great book by Dervla McTiernan! This is book 2 of a Cormac Reilly mystery following The Ruin. We get to find out more of his partner, Emma's back story when she finds a murdered young woman outside her laboratory. Now, I need to check if there are any more books by this author! ( )

The Scholar is a cracking good read and excellent sequel to The Ruin.

There are enough red herrings and clues to keep the reader guessing until nearly the end. Emma and Cormac’s backstory makes an interesting and enjoyable subplot and the other “regular” characters are well-fleshed out.

It is great to see new crime writers such as Dervla McTiernan bringing a fresh perspective on crime stories. Minimal body count, realistic forensics and a tight and well-paced plot.

Whilst The Scholar can be read as a stand-alone novel, I recommend reading The Ruin first.
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Cormac Reilly's girlfriend Emma discovers a dead body caused by a hit-and-run outside the research lab where she works. There is serious damage to the remains, but Emma identifies the cardigan the girl is wearing as one owned by the daughter of the lab's billionaire founder. This sets off alarm bells at the station, although Reilly very soon establishes that the daughter is very much alive.

Cormac takes the case and, in doing so, has to deal with the potential conflict of interest when his girlfriend is a material witness in the case. This is not made any easier by the fact that he is under constant scrutiny from his boss and the subject of malicious gossip at the station. The involvement of the billionaire and his lawyers merely adds to the pressure being put on Reilly.

This is not a bad police procedural, but McTiernan's plot twists are much too easily predicted at quite an early point. It is also just a little bit hard to believe that Cormac would insist on taking this case despite knowing that all eyes at the station are on him, looking for a slip-up. This aspect of the novel is pretty much a repeat of events in The Ruin, and Cormac seems not to have learned anything from his previous experience. On the whole, the plot and characters lacked conviction and interest. ( )