The follow up to The Ruin, The Scholar does not disappoint. Yet again a brilliantly written complex tale which is both character and plot driven. Yet again Cormac Reilly finds himself involved in live cases rather than being side-lined as he is used to. The Prologue introduces Carline as a young girl in 2006 learning of her father's death in an avalanche. The main story then begins in 2014 with Emma, Cormac's partner, finding a young woman dead and the hunt for the perpetrator takes off from there.
The writing flows, when historical information is required it is introduced in a natural manner. The characters are well portrayed and the plot is well planned. A thoroughly good read.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Dervla McTiernan/Little, Brown Book Group UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved the Ruin and could not wait for the follow up. It was worth the wait!!!! An excellent read. Highly recommended. Five stars from me

Many thanks to Netgalley and Dervla McTiernan for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

The Scholar is Dervla McTiernan’s second book with DS Cormac Reilly, and as a crime writer, she has reinforced her position as one of the best new talents around.

Cormac Reilly is an ex-anti-terrorist officer who moved from Dublin to the Galway Gardaí to accommodate his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, with her new job working with Darcy Therapeutics in a BioTech lab hosted at the University in Galway (NUIG). There is a horrific past attack involving Emma, and moving from Dublin was important for her recovery and provides a new start. The incident details were not revealed in the first book, but Cormac is incredibly protective of her and worries what long term effect the trauma may have had.

Cormac’s relationships within the Galway police force has been anything but straightforward as he is viewed with caution, suspicion and mistrust. There are those members of the force that recognise his talents and those that are openly difficult. Inter-Relationships play an important part without dominating the story. The careful management of the story threads add depth to the environment and are often the catalyst for the opportunities and skills proffered by Reilly, to become apparent. His boss, Superintendent Murphy, has had Cormac working cold cases with the live workload falling onto DS Carrie O’Halloran, which is now at breaking point and he is eventually given a live case.

"In Galway, he had the constant sense that things were not exactly right, that everything was slightly off-kilter. A year had passed and he still didn’t know his team well enough to trust them. Murphy may finally have given him a live case but he’d given it reluctantly and he was looking over Cormac’s shoulder. It might be paranoia, but Cormac wondered if he was being set up to fail."

Late one evening, on her way to the Lab, Emma discovers the victim of a hit and run which has left the young woman, dead and badly disfigured. The initial identification comes from a staff ID card in her pocket and it is none other than Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of John Darcy the multi-billionaire owner of Darcy Therapeutics. Emma calls Cormac who arrives on the scene and manages to convince his bosses that he should take the case, which they agree. A decision that will have ramifications for Cormac, a potential conflict of interest and another cause for office misgivings. The victim is eventually confirmed as Della Lambert, but why was she carrying Carline’s ID and what is the connection. Cormac is, however, warned off talking to Carline Darcy, by his superiors.

The novel’s complex and insidious plot is brilliantly developed with misdirection wonderfully structured and believable. What I find extremely impressive with Dervla is not only her ability to imagine multiple diversions but give real life to them. Even when the reader sees threads that are hidden from certain people, the characters still feel totally committed to their version of the truth and it is given room to play out. All the characters are superbly drawn, unforgettable, and it’s impressive to follow the gradual uncovering of personalities and relationships. The background with Emma and the connection with Cormac is revealed in this story and completely adds to the suspicion and actions that may be at play.

The Scholar is a complex and totally captivating crime thriller that promises to fortify Dervla’s connection with a dedicated and rapidly growing fan-base.

I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

This was a great Irish detective story, was hooked from page one and it kept my attention all the way through and an excellent sequel to The Ruin.
#TheScholar #NetGalley

I find myself out of step with the majority of reviewers because I didn’t think The Scholar was all that good. I had expected something above the average for this very over-populated genre, but I’m afraid I didn’t really get it.

This is the second in Dervla McTiernan’s series; I hadn’t read the first, but it works fine as a stand-alone novel. Cormac Reilly is a Garda sergeant in Galway who investigates the death of a young woman near the university. The investigation soon becomes embroiled in dealing with a rich, powerful family and the political machinations which that involves...and it all seemed terribly familiar, somehow. I had worked out what was going on a very long time before the apparently brilliant Reilly did and the police’s sheer obtuseness was very frustrating, as were the clichés of the genre as they mounted up – the Personal Involvement of the investigating officer who, needless to say, is taken off the case...and so on, and so on.

I also found McTiernan’s writing style quite hard to get on with. There are far too many points of view in the narrative which meant that it lacked focus for me. I got very little sense of place, despite an interesting location in Galway. Dialogue was slightly stilted in that way that doesn’t quite ring true as real conversation and she will insist on telling us what she has already shown us; as a small example, having been told important new information, “Cormac nodded slowly, thinking it through.” I realised that he’s thinking it through, thanks – that’s why you’ve told us that he’s nodding slowly; I don’t need everything clumsily explained in case I haven’t got it. There’s a lot of unnecessary detail which bogs the story down, like when a character borrows a flatmate’s bike without permission; she finds his keys “where he had left them, as always on the kitchen counter. He cycled to college sometimes. That way he could have a drink or three in the afternoon and cycle home. He stored the bike in the basement of the apartment building, but he was obsessive about locking the thing up, so she would need his keys.” We really don’t need all that extraneous stuff to tell us that she takes his keys to unlock the bike in the basement. This happens a lot; I felt like I was being treated like a slightly slow-witted eight-year-old much of the time.

So, I rather trudged through The Scholar and found it a bit of a chore in the end. Plenty of others have enjoyed it very much, but personally I can’t recommend it.

(My thanks to Sphere for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I read and enjoyed Dervla McTiernan’s first novel, The Ruin, which was about Irish Detective Cormac Reilly so I was excited to receive The Scholar to review via NetGalley.
Cormac and his scientist partner, Emma are living in Galway where Emma is working for Darcy Pharmaceuticals and Cormac is reviewing cold cases for the Gardai. His boss, Murphy, will not give him any live investigations as he doesn’t trust him and it is only when Carrie, one of Cormac’s colleagues complains about her own workload that Cormac is finally given some proper cases to investigate.
However just as things start to improve for Cormac, Emma finds a dead body on her way into work one evening; she calls Cormac who begins to investigate who the person is and why she has been murdered.
There is some difficulty identifying the victim and wealthy Carline Darcy, granddaughter of the owner of Darcy pharmaceuticals becomes involved.
I liked the way the other detectives within the Gardai gradually start to trust Cormac and his keen investigative skills. Detectives Pete Fisher and Carrie O’Halloran certainly come alive in this book and become real people as the novel progresses and they really help Cormac with the investigation.
Dysfunctional families seems to be a major theme in this book. Cormac’s other case is about a controlling husband trying to kill his family. Carline’s family is completely estranged- her mother cares little for her and her Grandfather despises her.
The murder victim’s family is not a happy one and it becomes clear that she does not have a good relationship with her mother who comes across as cold and self serving.
Characterisations are great in this novel- the author is wonderful at bringing her characters to life.
A great book, thoroughly enjoyable and completely gripping. I just had to keep reading to see how it would all pan out.
I’m now looking forward to the next book in the series to find out more about Cormac, Emma, Carrie and Fisher.

Having read The Ruin I was delighted to receive an e-arc of The Scholar. We are revisiting Cormac Reilly in Galway City for another case.

Emma, Cormac's girlfriend, is working for Darcy Laboratories, who have a lab on the campus of NUIG (Galway University) with top security as the work they are researching is highly secretive and potentially very lucrative. On her way to the lab one evening, she calls Cormac to say she has come across a body in the grass verge, that of a young woman who appears to be the victim of a particularly callous and horrific hit and run. Cormac, now a fully accepted and liked member of the Garda team, speeds to the scene of the crime with his colleague and superior, Carrie. From here, Cormac and his team unravel a series of leads, dead ends and connections that raise further questions along the way as to the identity of the dead girl, her connection with Darcy Laboratories, why she was carrying the security swipe belonging to the grand-daughter of the head of the company when clearly she didn't work there, and why someone would want her dead.

This is another fantastic police procedural and crime thriller from Derval McTiernan. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is even better than The Ruin. The story in itself is believable and current. The characters are so well drawn out that I felt particularly fond of the team the second time around, Cormac, still grappling with being accepted in the police station by his colleagues, Carrie dealing with the day to day juggles and guilt ridden anxieties of balancing work and family life, Moira - bitter, jealous and resentful but still a good cop, and Fisher, who rises to the challenges put to him and shows his true colours as a detective with excellent instincts. I felt like I knew them all! I particularly loved the writer's use of a few "Irish-ism's" - giving someone the "bums rush" and he's a "gouger" - all little phrases that made me smile throughout the book! I absolutely cannot wait for Book 3. 5/5*

Dervla McTiernan embeds her series featuring DS Cormac Reilly set in Galway, Ireland, with flair here. I loved The Ruin, and this is a brilliant sequel. Reilly is still being shunted into cold cases, but overworked DS Carrie O'Halloran fights his corner as at long last he is assigned current investigations, including the Henderson case, where Rob Henderson planned to wipe out his wife, Lucy and their children. It has been difficult to get Lucy to co-operate with the police inquiry, and Cormac just might be able to break the impasse. By sheer chance, Reilly lands a case which technically he should not have when his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, becomes a witness when she comes across a hit and run victim outside the Darcy research laboratories that she works at. It appears the dead young woman is Carline Darcy when they find ID on the body, but it turns out Carline, the granddaughter of John Darcy, CEO of Darcy Pharmaceuticals, is very much alive and she claims that she lost her ID some time ago.

Cormac is sceptical about Carline's claim, but he is unable to follow up when he is warned to leave the Darcy family alone, unless he has strong evidence, as the political clout of the Darcy family has the police treading extremely carefully. Determining the identity of the dead woman takes some time to verify until a desperately worried 15 year old boy, Paul Lambert, reports his 18 year old sister, Della, as missing. Della was an extremely bright student that had started university early at the age of 16 before dropping out and working as a waitress, why would anyone want to kill her? It soon becomes clear that the murder has connections to the Darcy Laboratories, and to Cormac's consternation Emma comes under police scrutiny, surely his beloved Emma is incapable of murder? As Cormac finds himself suspended from the case because of his relationship with Emma, another tragic murder takes place. This fires Cormac's determination to get to the truth no matter what and nail a killer, helped by a police team that includes his colleague, the loyal Peter Fisher.

McTiernan engages in some stellar character development with Cormac and the others in this hugely compelling addition to the series. I really adored the supporting characters of Peter Fisher and Carrie O'Halloran. It is wonderful to observe Cormac slowly being accepted and supported by his police team, with the exceptions of McCarthy, his boss, with his political manoevres, and Moira Hanley, who resents Cormac and not above causing him as much trouble as she can get away with. More insights are provided on Emma and Cormac's personal relationship and history with her. This is a gripping and entertaining read, full of suspense and tension, and an absolute thrill ride. Cannot wait for the next in the series! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

4.5 stars
I loved Cormac Reilly's first outing - The Ruin - when I read it last year so I was quite excited to see what he would be faced with in this follow up book. I was also hoping that the "thing" with him and girlfriend Emma would be resolved, rather than dragged out through the series, and I am pleased to note that it was indeed, not really where I thought it'd go but, there you are!
Emma is on her way to work when she comes across the body of a girl. She calls Cormac and he is first on scene, along with his partner. The dead girl is carrying id and Emma agrees that she looks to match it. One Caroline Darcy, heir to Darcy Theraputics, the company who funds Emma's work. But, when Cormac goes to inform her flatmates they laugh and, out of her bedroom, comes the girl herself. But they fail to recognise the dead girl and Caroline admits that she lost her id months ago.
Obviously with Emma's involvement and also Cormac's reputation, the powers that be are reluctant to allow him to investigate further but he manages to wheedle his way back in, after doing a whole load of investigation off his own back, and it is him that puts the final piece of the puzzle in place.
Yes, it's a bit implausible in places, yes there were things that they took far too long to cotton on to things that I found blatantly obvious, but apart from that, it all flowed along pretty nicely and the ends were nicely wrapped up at the conclusion of the book. That definitely can't be said for Emma and Cormac's relationship which takes a bit of a strained direction when certain things are exposed.
Unlike most police procedural series I read, the team don't seem as tight knit. There isn't much fun and frivolity between them, no banter or mickey taking. But this in itself make a pleasant change. After all, not everyone is all pally pally with the people they work with so why should we expect all characters in a team in a book to be so?
All in all, apart from the already mentioned niggles, this was a good solid read for me. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for book three. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Having read the previous book in this series my expectations were high and I was not disappointed.
The descriptive writing style brought the mist and rain of Ireland to life. It flowed beautifully from beginning to end.
The plot was deliciously convoluted and kept me guessing almost to the end. Twists and turns and intrigue aplenty kept me hooked from the beginning.
The characters were well thought out and cleverly drawn. They fit well with the plot and interacted with each other in an easy and believable way.
Definitely one to add to your bookshelf! I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book.

I was very much looking forward to reading The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. It's a classic police procedural with complex characters, including the police officers themselves. McTiernan is often compared to Tana French as they both write in a similar domain, personality driven mystey, and in a similar goeggraphic region, Ireland. I've very much enjoyed Tana French and so was very optimistic about this work.
The premise too was one that interested me in that it is set in a researcg/academic context and involves researchers and students working together on innovations. I too as a researcher and academic feel I know this world and on the whole the book does it justice, without becoming boringly recondite about academia. Certainly McTiernan captures that sense of the research lab, where everyone is focused on highly specialist knowledge creation. However, I'm not sure that the book achieves this quite as well as P.D. James' Death of an Expert Witness for example, where you get a real sense of the closeted and obsessive atmosphere and vicious internal politics of such an establishment.
This is the second book in McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series and it follows on from The Ruin. I rather wish that I had read The Ruin first as with this second outing Reilly is back on active duty and reference is made to the earlier story which the reader can struggle with if they've not read the first book. I shall certainly go and read Book 1 now.
Cormac Reilly is an interesting and symathetic character, although some of his decisions seem unprofessional in a police context - but where would we be in mystery fiction if the hero always followed procedure? Some of the secondary characters are just as interesting - Carrie O'Halloran has an engaging backstory and certainly could take the lead in a future title and Peter Fisher comes across well. The team as a whole is evolving nicely here - though Moira is a bit of a textbook hate object and it would be nice to moderate this a little in future.
The plot is fast moving and keeps the reader (pretty much) guessing. The descriptions of Galway are well done and overall this is a thoroughly good read and a very welcome new addition to the crime and mystery series pantheon.

I loved Dervla McTiernan’s first book featuring detective Cormac Reilly, The Ruin, so I was delighted to get my hands on the second, and I’m glad to say it was just as good.

When Cormac’s partner Emma, a scientist working on a major medical breakthrough, finds the body of a young woman killed in a hit and run near her lab, Cormac’s work and personal lives become far too close for comfort. As the police strive to identify the dead girl, links emerge with the huge pharmaceutical company Emma works for, its founder John Darcy, and Darcy’s granddaughter Carline, a gifted student hoping to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps.

An excellent police procedural featuring the likeable Cormac and his colleagues, particularly Carrie O’Halloran who I was pleased to see more of following her fairly brief appearance in the previous book. Great read and I look forward to more in this series.

I loved every single minute of this. Read in one day this is a total unputdownable read. Number 2 in the series and Cormac is still trying to fit in in Galway. Emma his partner comes across a dead girl, the victim of a hit and run and suddenly they are both swept up in a twisting turning plot that keeps you rivited. Brilliant characterisations and great character development. The subplot has so much more to give, and we start to get a glimpse of how interesting the rest of the team could be too, I Ican’t wait to catch up with them all again in number 3.

#TheScholar #NetGalley Having thoroughly enjoyed The Ruin, I eagerly awaited the second in the series starring Cormac Reilly. Sometimes the second book does not live up to the first book but not in this case and I raced through it in just over a day! I love the character of Cormac and it was great to see his relationship with Emma and with his colleagues at his new station in Galway. This book is so fast paced with plenty going on there is not a moment to be bored or impatient and I found that I couldn't put it down. I liked the fact that Cormac was working two cases as it keeps my interest level high when it switched between the two. I am really looking forward to reading further books in this series. A cracker of a five star read!!

Overall, an enjoyable book. I didn't find it as fast paced or as much of a page turner as other books I have read recently but it was a solid mystery with some interesting characters who I would be intrigued to read more about in future books (I am assuming it will become a series). The storyline was not my preference as I don't particularly enjoy books with a corporate edge but that is a personal preference rather than anything about the style of writing.

I really enjoyed "The Ruin" and eagerly anticipated the next book featuring Cormac Reilly. It did not disappoint as The Scholar is a thoroughly engrossing read from beginning to end. Set in Ireland, the plot centres around the pharmaceutical industry, it is well written and full of corruption and intrigue. A very enjoyable read with a great ending. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviewed on Goodreads and Facebook.

3.5 stars


I found this quite slow to get into.... a hit and run that seemed to have no motive.
There were lots of characters to get my head around and hints at Emma's past that I don't remember from the first book.
Then something clicked,and suddenly pieces fell into place,and it was all working on overdrive.
Cormac named his killer and had him in his sights in minutes.
I was speeding through it by the end.
For me,I loved the first book,and look forward to the third... I've got my head around the character who is who now.
Would have liked some resolution on the Henderson case (or did I just miss it?)

It was a very gripping book with a very good pace. I couldn't turn the pages faster. I liked the story and characters too. The plot was not perfect, but I'd read from this writer again.
Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of of The Scholar, the second novel to feature Galway based DS Cormac Reilly.

When Cormac’s girlfriend, Emma, finds the victim of a hit and run she phones him and edged out of current investigations over the past year, he immediately takes charge because it looks more like murder than accident to him. The pressure mounts when the dead girl appears to have links to a Darcy Pharmaceuticals lab where Emma works.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Scholar which has a bit of everything, including some good twists, and makes for a great read. I was hooked from start to finish. Essentially the novel is a police procedural charting the investigation into the hit and run with minor detours into other cases but with Cormac taking on a lone wolf role at times procedure falls by the wayside. It’s maybe not realistic but it’s very readable. Equally the plot, in parts, requires a certain suspension of disbelief but it doesn’t get in the way of good storytelling and I really like the cynical eye Ms McTiernan casts on the self interest and sense of entitlement the rich have. I also enjoyed the petty jealousies, slights and gossiping that surround Cormac at the station as they bring a sense of the everyday to the novel. I also think the subplot of a would be family annihilator with its Swirl of misunderstandings is well done. All this disparate threads are woven together seamlessly into a clever whole.

Characterisation is another strong point in the novel, especially in the minor characters where a couple of sentences are enough to expose a whole personality. Many aren’t particularly attractive but they are human. I really liked the portrayal of Cormac’s ally DS Carrie O’Halloran. She’s smart and dedicated but inexperienced and the grind of the job is not just wearing on her but on her marriage too. It’s so realistic and lifelike. Cormac is supposed to be the smart, experienced detective but his worry over Emma sees him make some less than smart decisions. Nevertheless it is he who drives the investigation on and makes the relevant connections.

The Scholar is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A wonderfully engrossing read, fluent writing and appealing characters - there are some minor plot holes that jar... It would be nice if the characters had a bit more personality or individual voices: I mean, no-one cracks a joke or makes snarky comments - they all sound the same, whether they're 20-something students, seasoned detectives or top-level pharma billionaires. These are niggles, though, not deal-breakers. A hard book to put down.