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The Death of an Irish Politician (Peter McGarr Mysteries)

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McGarr and the Politician's Wife, Gill's first Peter McGarr mystery, was originally published in 1977. It's now been re-named and re-released as The Death of an Irish Politician. I strongly suspect that it's not only been renamed, but "modernized" a little as well. No matter. It's still a wonderful Gill mystery, full of detailed characters, intense description of Irish locales, and a plot that keeps you turning pages until you and McGarr solve the mystery. This plot, though a little more entangled with Irish politics than some readers might find comfortable, is especially interesting when read with recent Irish history and daily changes in Irish politics in mind. Again, it's the mystery and the characters that keep Gill's writing fresh, even two decades after the writing was done. My one concern is that no Irish politician dies here; I know we want to maintain the "Death of an Irish..." series now that we've got it going, but... Never mind. Overlook it and read it anyway.

Bartholomew Gill's The Death of an Irish Politician is the first of a series of mysteries featuring Peter McGarr. McGarr is a small man with a large reputation. He is known for his capacity for solving seemingly unsolvable crimes. It is important to note, however, that he rarely is called upon to work without the benefit of his eager partner, his tiny young wife who has a capacity for identifying smells that might be compared with that of a bloodhound.
In this tale McGarr is enlisted to solve a mystery that is originally believed to be a tragic accident. It quickly becomes clear, however, that this case is much more than an unfortunate mistake at sea. Instead, he realizes that the very mystery he hopes will remove him, if only briefly, from all political pressure is going to do quite the opposite, immersing him in the one thing he hopes to avoid. It becomes clear that in order to close the case he must find connections between IRA schemes, gun running, and a soured love story. He must bring all this together before he is able to piece together the puzzle he desperately hopes to solve.
This is a quick paced tale that appealed to me as lover of mystery and one who wishes to learn more about Irish culture and society. It offers a glimpse of Ireland not often afforded in literature of this period. It presents a somewhat modern view that allows one to contemplate where Irish culture and society have been and where they seem to headed.

Bartholomew Gill's Death of An Irish Politician is a perfectly serviceable, if occasionally cliched mystery novel. Indeed, long time mystery fans will recognize many generic conventions at once, from the idiosyncratic but doggedly loveable protagonist Peter McGarr, to the unctuous villains that occasionally seem straight out of central casting. That aside, Gill writes quite well and keeps the pace a-hoppin; even the most discerning reader will find it difficult not to get lost in this emerald inflected caper.
For the American reader, much of the novel's enjoyment stems from the portrait of Ireland, a country alternately portrayed as both Romantically violent and violently Romantic. Indeed, aside from the inescapable political overtones, much of this book concerns itself with the Ireland of postcards, a place full of single malt whiskeys, gray mists, and kindly, salty sea-folk. The very first paragraph of the book, for instance, sets the scene as twilight falls and the "gorse of Bray Head ten miles South caught the last of the sun and bristled green." Never mind what the heck the "gorse of Bray Head might be," the important thing for the average American reader is that this book feels very Irish.
Of course, there's a mystery, albeit a relatively conventional one, at work here, too. The details don't so much matter, suffice it to the plot includes includes weapons smuggling, the Irish Republican Army, beautiful, treacherous women, and a wide variety of old sots who both help and hinder the investigation. This is a fun book. You will enjoy it. It certainly won't change your life, but now you weren't expecting it to were you?

Originally published in 1977, Gill's first novel (originally entitled McGarr and the Politician's Wife) may be particularly interesting to those who are already familiar with the series about Peter McGarr, Chief Superintendent of Detectives of the Garda Soichana, and his staff. Although Gill writes a competent mystery and introduces all the characters who become so familiar to fans of his later McGarr mysteries, he is clearly feeling his way here as he decides how to develop them and his plots. The character quirks and foibles we take for granted in the later novels are just hinted at here, the character of McGarr is outlined but not fully developed, and the role of Noreen, McGarr's wife, and her involvement in his career are much stronger here.

The mystery is straightforward. When a battered, unconscious, and nearly drowned boat captain is pulled from shallow water at the Killiney Bay Yacht Club, McGarr and his staff--Hugh Ward, Liam O'Shaughnessy, Bernie McKeon, and others who become regulars in the series--find themselves involved in a mystery involving a politician, his promiscuous wife, the influence of the IRA on local politics, gun-smuggling from the U.S., and plots to discredit McGarr. The mystery is not very complex, and some readers may find that their primary interest is in seeing how Gill develops and presents his plot here, as opposed to his later, more fully developed novels.

Unlike the much smoother and subtler style in the later novels, Gill's foreshadowing here is still a bit clumsy. ("Very shortly, McGarr would need every friend inside the Castle he could muster.") He sometimes states the obvious: "The stakes [McGarr] was gambling with were his reputation, career and spotless criminal record." He tells the reader what is important, rather than letting the reader discover for himself: "Little could Hubbard have known how important the play was to McGarr."

The wry and sometimes dark humor which we take for granted in the later novels are not much in evidence here, while the wild flights of Irish good spirits and camaraderie, and the fine description which gives color and depth to the Irish settings, while present in a few scenes, are not yet fully incorporated. The novel may fascinate long-time fans of the series who want see how the series started, while newcomers may prefer to start with one of the later novels, such as Death of a Joyce Scholar. Mary Whipple

Gill's novel ostensibly confronts the Irish 'Troubles' and the dynamic between the Irish government and Republican elements quite deftly. Chief Inspector of Detectives Peter McGarr maneuvers between radical and non-radical elements in modern Ireland, realizing that in a country as politically charged as modern Ireland, alienating any party today could result in difficulties in the future.

As far as traditional detective novel structures go, Gill constructs McGarr as the traditional analytical detective, with his sensible wife as his loyal assistant. The plot is fairly compelling, although the ending seems unnecessarily drawn out. The most intriguing aspect of the novel is the position of McGarr with respect to Ireland itself. McGarr has established himself as a renowned international detective, but his reputation - or at least the level to which he is accepted - has yet to be established in his native country. As Gill notes, "he had spent far too long as an exile in other people's countries, enforcing other people's laws, and waiting for the right vacancy back home." While the plot was not especially engaging, I found McGarr's attempts to gain acceptance indicative of the struggles faced by many Irish expatriates who returned to their home country in the late twentieth century. Indeed, I actually wished that Gill had focused even more attention on this point, although I do appreciate his subtlety. I liked this novel as a quick read that deals with social undercurrents with a great deal of sophistication. I imagine that, if I read further McGarr novels, the character would be developed to a degree that would provide greater satisfaction.

This is the first in a long series of books with Chief Inspector McGarr, based in Dublin after a long career with Interpol. This book focuses on Ireland's relationship with the IRA, and is quite interesting. The capabilities of master cop McGarr are also impressive. The story was well crafted, although there isn't much of a mystery involved. I am looking forward to see if that improves in later books in the series.

Bartholomew Gill's Death of an Irish Politician follows Chief Inspector Peter McGarr as he tries to solve a seemingly simple assault case. Yet, in the developing complexity of the crime, a social commentary of the political instability of Ireland develops rather vividly. The novel infuses Ireland's political, social and religious issues prevalent in society into a seemingly everyday account of people's private lives, which in turn leads to an understanding for an American reader of how deeply ingrained in everyday life these problems are. McGarr himself tries to be a non-political figure who just wants to perform his duties as Chief Investigator fairly and professionally; yet, he finds himself unavoidably entwined with the IRA and the Minister for Justice, a prominent political official, who threatens his future. Instead of yielding to the power that threatens him, McGarr plays the "game" in return. Gill, through McGarr, is trying to illustrate a successful pattern of dealing with the potentially destructive power structures in the Irish society, especially considering that "The Death" in the novel is not a traditional reference to murder typical of a mystery plot, but rather a metaphor for man's destructive nature of holding on to high ideals, especially when flexibility is needed. While initially the plot development is a bit slow, once it gains momentum Gill does write an engaging, and in the end, dramatic mystery novel.

Bartholomew Gill's first Peter McGarr mystery, The Death of An Irish Politician, stands as a groundbreaking work in the way that Irish culture and politics is incorporated into the framework of a first rate police procedural. Chief Inspector of Detectives McGarr has worked abroad as a detective before returning to his homeland to take the head job at Dublin Castle. In his first case, he is called to Killiney Bay to investigate the bludgeoning of an American boatman at an exclusive yacht club. What at first appears to be a straightforward case, quickly becomes an imbroglio involving slippery politics and questionable tactics which are played out by a cast of surprisingly diverse characters. McGarr is challenged throughout to maintain his pride as a model policeman in the face of the exasperating and volatile political climate of Northern Ireland. Enmeshed in the political confusion, McGarr must also maneuver within a world of established cultural conventions when he wants, above all, to experience the kind of freedom as an Irishman that sets aside the narrow-minded and stereotypical. With his spirited, sharp wife Noreen and his motley crew of policemen, McGarr struggles to get hold of a case that seems almost certain to blow up in his face. It is from a sense of duty that he does this, but there is also a component of his wanting to sculpt himself, through his work, as an Irishman free

In a society of political turmoil and constant instability, one can never be too careful even if on the right side of the law. Gill's intellectual mystery The Death of an Irish Politician challenges every expectation that a reader might have, from inspector ethics to victim behavior and even to the appropriateness of the novel's title. Do not expect death in this detective tale. Nor should one plan for a detective who neatly manages to place all of the clues together to solve the mystery. What the reader should expect is lie after lie after lie. Dishonesty is the theme of the day, as everything that a character speaks must be thrown into doubt less than twenty pages later. Main character Chief Inspector McGarr exists as a capable, hard-working official with a natural sense of intuition and a natural tendency to let his wife in on the action. Through a series of events that starts with an attempted murder and leads to an elaborate bomb threat set-up, we are exposed to the inner insecurities of the IRA movement as well as the stubbornness of men when it comes to defending the women they love. In this case, the woman is the stunningly gorgeous Leana Horrigan, wife of a powerful respected minister and lover to a man on whose assault the entire story revolves. Concluding Gill's work will leave one feeling satisfied yet skeptical. Even the most inexperienced detective novel reader will be able to locate instances where the story is forced into working for the sake of the plot. What The Death of an Irish Politician tells us by the end is that, if all else fails, whether one is good or bad, just lie and all else will fall into place.