No one is innocent in this story. First Rule: Make them like you. Second Rule: Make them need you. Third Rule: Make them pay. They think I'm a young, idealistic law student, that I'm passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system. They think I'm working hard to impress them. They think I'm here to save an innocent man on death row. They're wrong. I'm going to bury him. 'Ingenious' SUNDAY TIMES 'Gripping and full of tension, with twist after unexpected twist. You won't just read The Murder Rule, you'll devour it.' - Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her

No one is innocent in this story.

First Rule: Make them like you.
Second Rule: Make them need you.
Third Rule: Make them pay.

They think I'm a young, idealistic law student, that I'm passionate about reforming a corrupt and brutal system. They think I'm working hard to impress them. They think I'm here to save an innocent man on death row. They're wrong. I'm going to bury him.

Shortlisted for the Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year Shortlisted for the RTE Listeners' Choice Award Shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize 2018 'As moving as it is fast-paced' VAL McDERMID 'Spectacularly good' MARIAN KEYES 'Beautifully drawn characters' LAURA MARSHALL ***** February 1993 On his first week on the job, Garda Cormac Reilly responds to a call at a decrepit country house to find two silent, neglected children waiting for him - fifteen-year-old Maude and five-year-old Jack. Their mother lies dead upstairs. March 2013 Twenty years later, Cormac has left his high-flying career as a detective in Dublin and returned to Galway. As he struggles to navigate the politics of a new police station, Maude and Jack return to haunt him. What ties a recent suicide to the woman's death so long ago? And who among his new colleagues can Cormac really trust? This powerful debut will draw you into the dark heart of Ireland and ask who will protect you when the authorities can't - or won't. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Tana French and Susie Steiner. ***** Praise for THE RUIN: 'Brilliantly crafted . . . an absolute treat!' SUNDAY MIRROR 'An exciting new voice in Irish noir' SUNDAY TIMES 'Corruption, clandestine cover-ups and criminal conspiracy . . . as moving as it is fast-paced' VAL McDERMID 'Absolutely brilliant. Wonderful characters, authentic setting, and a sublime, twisty plot' IRISH EXAMINER 'A compelling story with beautifully drawn characters I really cared about' LAURA MARSHALL 'Heartbreaking and heart-stopping' CAZ FREAR 'As convincing as it is multi-layered, as compelling as it is complex . . . Dervla is a future star of the genre' CHRIS BROOKMYRE 'Fans of Tana French will love McTiernan's expertly plotted, complex web of secrets that refuse to stay hidden' KAREN DIONNE 'There are not many books that will keep me reading from start to finish but THE RUIN did just that . . . An excellent story, very well written . . . this one was a winner for me!' ALEX GRAY 'Loved every page . . . Cormac Reilly is a brilliant new character, so real you can hear his footsteps on the stairs. Utterly gripping, brilliantly executed story' SAM BLAKE 'Intelligent, compassionate and believable' SINEAD CROWLEY

'A truly fine police procedural' IRISH INDEPENDENT 'Utterly compelling' JANE CASEY 'A superbly paced, engaging read' WOMAN'S WAY BRILLIANCE CAN BE DEADLY . . . When Detective Cormac Reilly's girlfriend Emma stumbles across the victim of a hit and run early one morning, he is first on the scene of a murder that would never have been assigned to him. The investigation promises to be high profile and high pressure: the dead girl is carrying an ID, that of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Ireland's most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, including the laboratory where Emma works. As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to the lab and, increasingly, to Emma herself. Cormac is sure she couldn't be involved, but how well does he really know her? After all, this isn't the first time Emma's been accused of murder . . . ****** Praise for Dervla McTiernan: 'Excellently written and, at times, heartcatchingly sad' MARIAN KEYES 'Dervla McTiernan is a future star of the genre' CHRIS BROOKMYRE 'Brilliantly crafted' SUNDAY MIRROR 'An exciting new voice in Irish noir' SUNDAY TIMES 'As moving as it is fast-paced' VAL McDERMID 'Absolutely brilliant. Wonderful characters, authentic setting, and a sublime, twisty plot' IRISH EXAMINER 'Fans of Tana French will love McTiernan's expertly plotted, complex web of secrets' KAREN DIONNE 'Excellent . . . this one was a winner for me!' ALEX GRAY 'Loved every page . . . Cormac Reilly is a brilliant new character' SAM BLAKE 'Intelligent, compassionate and believable' SINEAD CROWLEY