Cover Image: The Good Turn

The Good Turn

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Member Reviews

A solid and gripping police procedural set in Galway and Dublin, with at least two very strong characters investigating, want to read more in the series.

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Another great solid read by this author. Cormac has a target on his back. This one kept me up late! Great writing, solid characters. Great story. Loved it.

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I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Many people do not get along with their boss. Detective Cormac Reilly in Dervla McTiernan's Cormac Reilly police procedural series is no exception. After his move to Galway, Cormac is seen as an outsider, unwelcome in the Garda station by many. Because of his newness to the area, he can see things differently from others. He begins to believe some of the detectives are corrupt.

In The Good Turn, the third novel in the series, a young girl is snatched in broad daylight, Cormac is left to find her with a woefully small team. When tragedy struck, Cormac and his team are set up to be scapegoats. Cormac is determined to save his team and follows the evidence wherever it may take him.

While I did not enjoy this novel as much as the second one, it is worth reading. McTiernan continues to expand on the well-built world she has created. The characters are well-developed, and the setting is picture-perfect.

Although this is part of a series, it could be read as a standalone novel. The background would be missing, but the story stands on its own. McTiernan is currently writing the fourth novel. No name has been announced yet.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.

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I soon learned that The Good Turn is the third book in a series by Dervla McTiernan. Set in Ireland, this is a very fast paced police mystery deserving of an Acorn Television series. Our main character is DI Cormac Reilly a detective and at odds with some members of the police force. He has the help of Peter Fisher. Lots going on in this book—a missing girl, a task force involved in a drug bust, Anna and daughter Tilly plot. As this is my first book by McTiernan, I found her writing to capture this reader and hold my attention. I do wish I had read the first two books of the series, and I have ordered the first two books to find out more about Cormac then reread The Good Turn. My thanks to Blackstone and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

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This was a tad harder to sink into than the previous two - the first 20% seems disjointed for McTiernan - but once the major plotlines were established it was an easier go.

Love this series and these characters. I was happy to get more into Fisher this go around. Will absolutely keep reading.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I’ve been anxiously awaiting this third book in the series, and it didn’t disappoint me. Detectives Cormac Reilly and Peter Fisher find themselves in danger of losing their jobs, and potentially more after a kidnapping case comes to a bad end. As they both go their own way to clear their names, the book follows their different stories, as well as Anna’s story, which is introduced at the beginning of the book. I enjoyed the way the various threads are tied together, the way the characters are written, and the sense of place. Roundhouse especially describes small town life in Ireland, where everyone knows everyone.
I understand Ms, McTiernan’s next book won’t feature Cormac, but I’m looking forward to it because she’s a wonderful writer, I was also happy to read a quote by her saying she doesn’t think she’s ready to say farewell to Cormac altogether yet, I’m not either.

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A fast moving procedural novel set in Ireland looks into the corruption of the police, heroin ,small time life and the effects of greed. Perfect for fans of Tana French and Camilla Lacksburg, this series will have you shouting GIVE ME MORE once finished.

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Rounded this one up to five stars because truly, this series is just ridiculously underrated. This one, with a focus on police corruption, was completely engrossing. This has the incredible sense of place that I've loved in the previous two books, even with some additional locales incorporated, and the author keeps the tension and intrigue going straight through to the last page.

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Loved this book! Irish police procedurals / detective novels are my jam. This is the third in the series and I think it was the best. I loved the characters (Cormac rocks) and the seemingly unrelated plots. Twisty and fun!

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Excellent! Our relatable heroes battle police corruption and small-town greed. I've enjoyed this whole series, exceedingly compelling. Usually I like to listen to mysteries - especially Irish ones for the accents - but McTiernan's writing is so good I snapped this one up in text form as soon as I could.

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The worst part of this book is that this is the end of the Cormac Reilly series. At least, for now.

Don't read this book if you haven't read the other books. This ends a lot of plots that have been building up through the series. Start reading the first book, The Ruin, to get the correct start to this series.

It is a great ending to an excellent series. The pacing is perfect. The characters are constructed perfectly. Several mysteries are going on at the same time that are interesting and twisty. My only problem is that this is the last book. I was in denial and searched the internet. Dervla McTiernan said that she might revisit this character, so there is hope.

Looking forward to reading more mysteries written by her.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

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Dervla McTiernan does it again with The Good Turn. I am once again transported from my reading spot to Ireland.

Cormac Reilly and Peter Fisher, who has come to respect Reilly very much and has learned much from him, are both facing some serious work troubles after an investigation ends badly. Reilly also happens to be facing some personal struggles. Whenever Reilly works a case, he follows the threads until they end. Reading this book was like that, as there are a few threads being woven through the story. Reilly travels a lot in this novel. He's finally attempting to fight back against the work enemies and the police corruption he's encountered in the past. Peter, finally getting some more spotlight time, has been sent to Roundstone to work with his father, is beginning to come into his own as a garda and showing some promise for detective work as well. Peter meets Anna and Tilly in Roundstone, living with his grandmother after they've fled Dublin to escape some evil men. Cormac, Peter, and Anna's separate stories all end up intertwining in that tiny seaside town.

Peter and Reilly, of course, are quite well-rounded and becoming more so, as we've been acquainted with them for some time. Anna shows some promise as a character. Perhaps we'll see more of her in future installments; Tilly too. It doesn't matter where we are with whoever is narrating. I always can feel myself in the picture of the scene in these books. McTiernan, in my opinion, writes with a real sense of place.

Peter, in being transferred to Roundstone, learns of another gruesome case, which he begins to investigate. I found myself as caught up in what he was investigating as I was in Reilly's attempts to bring the corrupt gardai to justice. This installment grabbed my interest and held it much more tightly than The Scholar did. I believe the author's including more involvement of Peter and this investigation was wise. Reilly's personal life is facing changes. Although these changes may make some unhappy, I really think he'll be better off in the long run because of them. I anticipate seeing him heal or witnessing some of the process in future books.

I would recommend this to all fans of mysteries, and police procedurals, in particular. I would recommend reading the books in order as the reader's sense of familiarity with the charactes is noticeably more for doing so. However, you can read and understand this book without having read the others.

I'd like to thank Dervla McTiernan, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for making this book available to me to read and share my opinions on.

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I love the Cormac Reilly series. It has Harry Hole kind of feeling. This one introduced some new characters who I hope to see more of, namely Anna and Tilly.

Dervla weaves several mysteries in and out of each other like the master storyteller she is in this third installment.

Highly recommend any and all of her books.

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Lies spread quicker than the truth.

Dervla McTiernan gifts us with another exceptional read in the Cormac Reilly Series. Not to worry. The Good Turn reads as a standalone with all the necessary details intact. Now back to those lies.......

The twisted part of a lie is that it sometimes drips from the very mouth of those we hold in high regard. The sting of it has the grip of a scorpion's venom. DS Cormac Reilly will be faced with sifting through a trail of its aftermath knowing full well that someone in the ranks is determined to end his long career with the slam of untruths. And how do you untangle yourself from the web of deceit?

It's October of 2015 in Galway when a call comes in reporting the abduction of a young girl. What makes this one most unusual is that an eleven year old is on the line. Fred Fletcher was home sick in bed with fever when he saw a young girl being shoved into an auto that drives away. With IPad in hand, young Fred records what he sees. Understaffed with not many options, Detective Peter Fisher has no other choice but to check out the situation. Fisher could never imagine the consequences of this action. It will lead to a formal reassignment to work under the jurisdiction of his father, Des, in charge of the Garda in Roundstone. That movement will require a locked-in seatbelt for a rough, rough ride.

And Reilly will have his hands full protecting his good name while the forces around him do highkicks slinging mud in his direction. What he suspects in the upper ranks may just seal his fate.

The Good Turn circles around the games that people play and the innocent that are swept up in the turmoil. McTiernan does a fine job of surrounding her storyline with deeply carved characters of all backgrounds who are either submerged or rise to the surface in the midst of it all. It's a worthy read that should get your attention from the onset. Hope that McTiernan is shuffling the cards for the next one. Can't wait.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Blackstone Publishing and to Dervla McTiernan for the opportunity.

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In this third installment in the series, Detective Sergeant Cormac Reilly's strained relationship with his boss lands him - and one of his officers - in hot water. During an investigation into the death of a suspect, the two officers go their separate ways, one to a small village to work for his father, and the other at loose ends. Each man finds himself on the brink of career disaster when they go rogue on separate investigations. Twisty, suspenseful, and satisfying. Fans of moody procedurals will enjoy it.

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Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC.
This was my first Dervla McTiernan book and what a great read. I wish I had read the first two, but it was still a fabulous standalone for me.
The book starts with Anna and her daughter Tilly who flee an impossible situation to a small seaside town hoping for a better life.
DS Cormac O'Reilly and his protege Peter Fisher are both in deep trouble for doing their jobs to the best of their abilities, fighting for said jobs and the obvious dislike and probable corruption of their superiors. Their story starts with the abduction of a young girl and the lack of support the two detectives get from their superintendent. This results in disaster for both Cormac and Peter.
Great characters, both good and bad, terrific writing and a wonderful sense of place make this police procedural one heck of a read. It was impossible to put down and highly recommended!

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The Good Turn is the third book in Dervla McTiernan's excellent series featuring Detective Cormac Reilly and well deserving of my five star review. In this Irish Garda procedural the police corruption Cormac has been fighting in the last two books comes to a head. Several of the members of his Galway based team are drawn into the resulting carnage and I found myself as invested in their stories as the main character. The characters are well developed, the plotting crisp and intelligent. Although I tried to slow down and savor this book as I know it will be at least a year before the next book in the series is published I found myself turning the pages as fast as possible. I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers.

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An well constructed engaging mystery. I was sorry to enter this series so late however I was impressed with the well drawn characters, great descriptions, and engrossing plot. A well crafted book.

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The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan
Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Cormac Reilly returns to lead a somewhat inexperienced team on a chase to find a missing girl and his supervisor refuses to help with man power because he’s interested in a much bigger case and dislikes Cormac immensely. When the suspected is located and shot dead by is underling detective treats of firings and prosecution split the young team up and Cormac on suspension.

Comments: A very complex plot. Many plot lines must come together to create a fine crime novel and charter driven novel. If you enjoy Tana French and other fine Irish crime novels this series is right for you. Do not hesitate to buy and enjoy. Highly recommended. McTiernan can craft a great suspense novel.

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Detective Cormac Reilly returns in this mystery about a lovely seaside town plagued by drugs, corruption and child abduction. Smart, sharp and no holds barred

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