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The Dying Breed

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The latest in the Ed Loy series has the Irish PI looking for a jockey who disappeared years before after holding back a favorite horse so it would lose. It brings him into the midst of deep dark secrets of a prominent horse-breeding and -racing family. Although there isn't enough information to even begin an investigation, such a lack doesn't seem to deter Loy.

Discovery of the first of several bodies opens the inquiry into the many mysteries of the Tyrell family. All this takes place beginning on Christmas Eve and leads up to the four-day Leopardstown Racecourse Christmas Festival. The story is set among the current and past Irish economic and social conditions, with observations on the people and the Catholic Church playing an important role. The plot involves, as usual, the sins of the fathers cast upon the children.

The drama is high, the writing solid. This third in the series is as gripping as its predecessors, and is highly recommended.

In Dublin, Father Vincent Tyrrell hires private investigator Ed Loy to find missing jockey Patrick Hutton. The case is made complex by the fact that his client offers only a name and that Hutton disappeared about a decade ago. Loy wants to say forget it as he figures he has little chance of finding the man, but the fee is too good to ignore.

Loy knows he must tread the streets very carefully as the Halligan family plan to rough him and more because they hold him culpable for one of them residing behind bars. As he makes inquiries on another case involving a homicide that leads back to Father Vincent's brother affluent business mogul F.X. Tyrell, Loy soon finds himself investigating two other related homicides connected to the Tyrell family. Beaten severely and told to back off or else, Loy keeps digging until the trail takes him to the four-day Leopardstown Race-course Christmas Festival.

In his third appearance (see THE COLOR OF BLOOD and THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD) Loy does what he does best: gets tattered and threatened but keeps on ticking. The story line is fast-paced from the opening request and though filled with neat twists never slows down until the final altercation. Bruised, battered and beaten, Loy still conducts intelligent inquires whose link is F.X. Private investigative fans will enjoy Declan Hughes' strong Irish mystery.

Harriet Klausner

In a recent interview, Irish author Declan Hughes talks about his Ed Loy mystery series. The books, he says, are family gothic. "Despite the impression Irish people give that we're open and friendly and candid, there's a lot we don't want to tell you -- a lot of skeletons in our closets."

In this third Ed Loy P. I. novel, Hughes relates a family saga full of family blood, betrayal, and secrets. Keeping the secrets is THE PRICE OF BLOOD.

Ed Loy, a private investigator, is asked to solve the disappearance of a jockey who worked for the prominent racehorse trainer, F. X. Tyrell. The Tyrells are well known in the region around north Wicklow and the Dublin Border. They, two brothers and a sister, are the usual rich Irish Catholic family: elder brother inherits the farm, younger becomes a priest, and unmarried sister comes home and keeps house for her older brother. Along the way Ed works closely with boyhood friend Dave Connelly, a detective sergeant with the Garda, as they try to solve three murders by the Omega Man, a vicious killer who cuts out the tongues of his victims. (Dave and Ed's trip to the morgue in Chapter Seven explains their camaraderie with a bit of humor.)

This powerful tale takes the reader into the midst of contemporary Irish life in Dublin and features one of Ireland's most anticipated sports events, the four-day Leopardstown Racecourse Christmas Festival.

And reveals the secrets of the industrial schools of yesterday. It seems F. X. Tyrell recruited his jockeys from the lads at the not-quite-an orphanage for wayward boys. After a chilling contemporary visit to the remains of one such school, Hughes comments:

...The basic components were all in place: half-educated Christian Brothers, some of whom had themselves been physically and sexually abused, inflicting that abuse on others; abuse among the boys themselves as the old turned on the young; a collective disbelief among the wider community, including priests, teachers, the Guards, a justice of the peace, and even journalists on the local paper, that amounted to denial...

Hughes has indeed written another Irish tale of suspense. You'll want to rush out to read his previous Ed Loy books.

The Price of Blood is Declan Hughes' third thriller set in Dublin, Ireland. Hughes previous novels are The Wrong Kind of Blood, which won the Shamus Award for Best First PI novel, and The Color of Blood.

Private Investigator Ed Loy is hired by Father Vincent Tyrrell to find a missing jockey, Patrick Hutton. Taking the case is easy, but the clues are few. The only thing that Father Tyrrell can offer to Loy is a name-and that the jockey disappeared years ago. Not a good start for solving a missing person's case, and Loy would prefer to let it go. The problem is the money is just too good, and since Loy's bank account is depleted, he really must take the case.

During the investigation of another case, Loy discovers the body of a man who is linked to Father Tyrrell's brother F.X. Tyrell. That mystery leads to other clues, and as Loy usually does, he gets battered and bruised, but doesn't give up digging into the mystery. The trail finally leads to the four-day Leopardstown Racecourse Christmas Festival where Loy finds dangerous people and activities afoot.

I love that Loy is "everyman." and yet he has something that sets him apart from most. He's tenacious, thorough and oh so likeable. Hughes' The Price of Blood is fascinating. It's fast-paced, gives the readers some wonderful twists and speeds on to the conclusion.

If you like PI novels, check out The Price of Blood. I guarantee that you will go out and buy the first two. Hughes is a habit-a good habit.

Armchair Interviews says: Hughes' novels just keep getting better

Ed Loy is called in to see the dying priest Father Vincent and given a name and a large check, not much else to go on. As soon as Ed starts investigating, bodies turn up. One of them may be Pat Hutton, the man who's name Ed was given, a man who has been missing for ten years. Pat, a jockey, disappeared in the wake of a horse racing scandal, and the investigation leads Ed back to the horse trainer, Frank, gangster "gone legit" George Haligan, and a variety of other vivid characters. Frank is father Vincents estranged brother, and from all the lies and death come a tangled mess of family secrets only Ed can get to the root of. By the end I saw most of the revelations coming, but with observations like "he said possibly the worst thing Tommy could say about a person, 'i know her Ed" making me laugh out loud, I loved the ride. Hughes unique descriptions really shine in this one, but read them in order to get a feel for the primary characters, and some back history on the Haligan clan (major players in the first book).

Ed Loy is suffering for the lack of cases. The lack of business has something to do with the fact that he's been too successful and well advertised! Would he do better if he was a failure with low recognition? In this story, he's looking for someone that likes to litter the private property of his 1st client, while taking up a missing person case from client #2. He feels honor bound to service client #1 first, thus he follows a probable litter bug suspect that leads him to a body that's tied to client #2 missing person. If Dublin had fewer than 100 people, this coincident might be overlooked in order to continue the story.

The story continues with more and more improbabilities, leading to a nonsensical climax. Contemplate this: Do you think you could cut someone's tongue out, someone probably twice your size, in a none premeditated moment of anger? Or better yet - could you cut your own tongue out? The book left me speechless.

Irish playwright Declan Hughes's third private detective Ed Loy novel, THE PRICE OF BLOOD peers into the gritty sides of Dublin and families as Loy investigates the case of a missing jockey and a case of vandalism. In a suspense thriller with echoes of Greek tragedy set in modern life, Declan Hughes creates an innovative look into the darker sides of his characters and the underside of Irish horse racing. THE PRICE OF BLOOD is a suspense read full of local color from an Irish author who looks beyond the surface into societal changes and customs as well as into the shocking secrets hidden from plain view, secrets that when spoken can often lead to tragic consequences.

Father Vincent Tyrrell asks PI Ed Loy to look into a name, Patrick Hutton. The Catholic priest and horse racing devotee gives Ed Loy just the name without any other details, refusing to break the seal of confession. Now dying of cancer, the priest's conscience troubles him. Meanwhile, Ed Loy takes on a case, assisting Joe Leonard in catching vandals. As Ed Loy pursues the Leonard case, he discovers a body dumped, a body with some shocking details and a piece of paper that might just relate to his jockey case. When Ed looks closer into the history of Patrick Hutton, the body count increases. Each victim has 2 cryptic tattoos roughly engraved into their skin and certain other details in common which Ed discovers when he comes across a dumped body. While the papers claim the murders are the work of a serial killer, The Omega Man, Ed Loy knows that the clues and relationships just do not fit the serial killer scenario. His investigation of jockey Patrick Hutton takes him into the tumultuous world of Irish horse racing and the Tyrell family where passions run deep and secrets are hidden even deeper.

From the very beginning of THE PRICE OF BLOOD, Declan Hughes takes the reader into an intimate vision of Ireland. Declan Hughes sections the book by date into Advent, Christmas, and St. Stephen's Day, thereby creating a temporal structure that relies on the Catholic calendar and focuses on Father Vincent Tyrell`s world. His moral dilemma introduces this work of suspense, allowing the reader to catch both a glimpse at the depth of this character, as a man tortured by a secret he must keep and also as a compassionate man willing to stand out as he brings Tommy Owens into the fold of his church and protection despite the congregation's displeasure. From the very beginning, the reader feels Ed Loy's ties to his youth and his independence from the Dublin of his past through the interchanges with Father Tyrell. Through the descriptions of the Joe Leonard case, Declan Hughes, takes the reader into Ireland's past and present as characters once isolated from one another by economics, now live in close proximity. Those who once thought of semi-detached housing as low class now are limited to council housing. Now, downcast, Joe Leonard is determined to protect his corner. To Joe Leonard, Declan Hughes juxtaposes F.X. Tyrell, a man for whom horse racing has improved his status and station in life.

As suspense, THE PRICE OF BLOOD delves into the dark side of horse racing, purebreds, and relationships as passions and past histories collide. The closer Ed Loy gets to answering the puzzles, the more surprising twists he uncovers. As St. Stephen's Day approaches with the exciting climactic horse race, even the best laid plans cannot prepare the characters for the shocking conclusions still to come. As with a previous past case, when the culprit is finally revealed, the revelations elicit unexpected actions. Secrets haunt but brought to light, do they bring comfort? Declan Hughes' suspense stands out precisely because answers are not easy or simplistic. Through the depth of the character of Father Vincent Tyrell, Declan Hughes creates a magnificent sense of pathos in his suspense that makes THE PRICE OF BLOOD a unique suspense read.

Declan Hughes is a must read for drama enthusiasts (particularly tragedy lovers) and literature enthusiasts. Father Vincent Tyrell recalls to mind Graham Green's memorable characters while simultaneously upping the ante several notches. While reading THE PRICE OF BLOOD, literature lovers might call to mind OEDIPUS REX and Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN, not so much in terms of plot or characterization where there are both some similarities and differences, but more so for the brilliant way Declan Hughes deviates from these classics. Declan Hughes creates an innovative work of fiction that pays tribute to previous literary classics while all the while transforming them, adding new twists as he places his tale in the suspense genre. The author invigorates the suspense genre with a new vision that will delight, indeed haunt lovers of both suspense and drama.

If you are looking for a light happy suspense read or a quick serial killer whodunit that you can easily put aside with disinterest shortly after finishing it, this book may not be the best choice. If you want a suspense read that glosses over the ramifications of actions or the pain endured by characters, search elsewhere. If you are looking for a unique read and one that stands out from all the books out there, in either suspense or literature, THE PRICE OF BLOOD is brilliant! Although tragic, THE PRICE OF BLOOD is hauntingly innovative --- the kind of book one remembers for its uniqueness.