McGarr on the Cliffs of Moher

Rating:
Summary: "To Irish Cops. Two shoes, two fists, hard head, big heart."
Review: With this toast Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr of the Garda Soichana salutes his New York counterparts for helping him investigate IRA fund-raising in the U.S. to finance terrorism abroad. A seemingly straightforward investigation of the murder of a young Irish woman, stabbed to death with a wooden pitchfork on the Cliffs of Moher, has quickly turned into an international conspiracy involving secret cells of the IRA, money-laundering, and plans for a major terror attack in the Emerald Isle.

McGarr's investigation of the murder of May Quirk, a reporter for a New York newspaper, reveals the wide variety of people affected by her death and their interactions--educated young Irish emigres now living in New York, sad and frustrated old folks tending small farms in County Clare, owners of local dance halls and pubs in Lahinch, misguided supporters of the IRA, crooks threatened by May's investigations, and even her German boyfriend with his Irish roots.

McGarr, his wife Noreen, and his officers--Hugh Ward, Bernie McKeon, and Liam O'Shaughnessy--whom we know from two previous novels, continue to develop their personal relationships in parallel with the ongoing IRA investigation. McGarr, who is not averse to having a jar with the lads, even the bad lads, is an honest investigator who shows his emotions and is willing to get "down and dirty," if necessary. He himself admits to interpreting the law on terms that are "somehow fairer than the cold print on the pages of the law books," in order to effect a just outcome. The action is fast, the plot is exciting, and the characters, with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies, are unforgettable.

Author Gill's eye for revealing detail, his colorful dialogue with all its colloquialisms, his perceptive recreation of unique settings and atmosphere, and the loving humor of his observations make this novel a lively and memorable evocation of characters and places we have come to know as part of this sixteen-book series. This novel has been recently reprinted under the title Death of an Irish Lass. Mary Whipple