The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf: A Peter McGarr Mystery [Hardcover]

Bartholomew Gill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

Fifty years after a foreigner appeared on a remote island off the Irish Coast and began bestowing money and gifts to the townspeople, the island is being ravaged, and Peter McGarr, head of Ireland's Special Crimes Unit, must find out why.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mystery writers often seek foreboding locales as the settings for their tales, and Bartholomew Gill has certainly found such a spot in a wind-swept, desolate island in the North Sea. You can almost see the fog rolling through the crusty seascape towns as investigators come from Dublin come to look into the disappearance of an old man. Gill mines Irish folklore to provide depth to the tale, which is equal parts mystery, adventure, description and history all combined to craft an intriguing book.

From Library Journal

Chief Superintendent Peter McGarr of Ireland's Special Crimes Unit, and wife Noreen, investigate murder and mayhem on a remote island off the Irish coast. One more skilled procedural.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688141838
• ISBN-13: 978-0688141837
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great Irish escape to Clare Island, County Mayo., May 7, 2002

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf (A Peter McGarr mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Though some of his settings feel a bit reminiscent of Agatha Christie, Gill writes for a totally different audience--readers who do not shy away from realistically depicted (and sometimes gratuitous) violence, who do not expect the police to be models of probity, and who want their mysteries to be more than simple whodunits. In this 1996 combination of modern mystery and World War II thriller, set off the coast of County Mayo, Gill tells the tale of Clement Ford, a mystery man with a hoard of hidden treasure. Ford has just been tracked down by his old enemy, Angus Rehm, and the result is three deaths, three disappearances, two missing boats, and the arrival of Chief Inspector Peter McGarr from the Garda Siochana and his detectives, each of whom is also dealing with personal problems--alcohol, illicit affairs, and the demands of family--while trying to solve the mystery.

Local beliefs and superstitions, ancient history and pagan monuments, the geological record, and family history are interwoven with the more modern attitudes toward religion, the British, and authority in general, as Gill creates a lively "personality" for Clare Island. The mystery develops a global scope as Clement Ford's true identity and his World War II connections to Angus Rehm emerge in the final pages.

One of a long series of engaging Peter McGarr mysteries with a cast of well-developed repeating characters, Gill focuses on some intriguing aspect of Irish history and culture in each (e.g. eel-fishing, secret religious societies, literary history). The novels written prior to the recent Death of an Irish Sinner can be read in any order, but events in the latter are so explosive that it is difficult to go back if you read Irish Sinner too soon. The series is a fascinating look at Ireland and its characters--great fun and great escape reading. Mary Whipple

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story full of Irish mysticism!, July 8, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Morton, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf (A Peter McGarr mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is my third Gill novel and I can't wait to read the next one! As one reviewer said, The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf is so much more than a mystery story - it's poetry, history, adventure, and description- such marvelous description that I wish I could take off tomorrow for Ireland! Gill's characters are so alive that I feel after three McGarr stories that I know them personally!Any lover of the written word will love Gill's works!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Clever Tale of Greed, Betrayal, and Sacrifice, August 25, 2000

By 

Christine Lynn Jones - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of an Irish Sea Wolf (A Peter McGarr mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This intelligently written mystery takes place off the coast of Ireland on Clare Island. The story centers on Clement Ford, a well-liked 80 year old Sea Man. Clem and his wife Breege live a modest lifestyle in their cottage on the island. They are personable and well respected by the remote communities citizens, however, they hold a deep dark secret.

One night after a violent storm, three people on the island turn up murdered and Clem and Breege mysteriously disappear. Detective Peter McGarr and his colleagues are assigned to the case. Police are baffled as to why anyone would commit these murders and how they could be tied to the quiet elderly Ford's.

Bartholomew Gill's story is unique in that you know who the killers are right from the beginning. However, the mystery lies in why did they kill? What do they want? Will they strike again?

The prose in this book is wonderfully descriptive. You will smell the salty air, see the rolling green hills, and watch the colorful Irish sunsets. The characters are refreshing and believable, and Gill provides the reader with accurate historical facts about the land and its people. This was my first Bartholomew Gill book, but it certainly won't be my last. What a terrific discovery!