The heart-stopping follow-up to Brian McGilloway’s thrilling debut, Gallows Lane continues the compelling series that captures modern Ireland and showcases a striking new voice in crime writing.
In his critically acclaimed debut, Borderlands, Brian McGilloway opened a window onto modern Ireland through the eyes of Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin, drawing comparisons to John Connolly and Ian Rankin for his tight, fast-paced plotting.
In Gallows Lane, the Donegal summer dawns unusually hot, and Inspector Devlin returns to the borderlands separating the North and South of Ireland, waiting for a notorious ex-con, James Kerr, to return home on early release. Kerr claims to have found God while in prison, but the superintendant of police wants him to stay on the other side of the border.
When a young woman is found beaten to death on a building site in what appears to be a sexually-motivated killing, Devlin is distracted from his assignment of keeping tabs on Kerr. Enquiries into the murder soon point to a local bodybuilder and steroid addict. But days later, the born-again ex-con Kerr is found nailed to a tree—crucified.
Increasingly torn between his young family and his job, Devlin is determined to apprehend those responsible for the murders before they strike again, even as the carnage begins to jeopardize those he cares about most.
Taking its title from the name of the road down which condemned Donegal criminals were once led, Gallows Lane is a sharp, modern thriller; a stunning second installment in what John Connolly says is “set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction."
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Old guilt and new sins create a tangled puzzle in McGilloway's outstanding second Inspector Devlin mystery (after 2008's Borderlands). When Garda Insp. Benedict Devlin discovers the crucified body of James Kerr, an ex-con who claimed he'd returned home to forgive the gang members who betrayed him after a robbery, Devlin sets out to solve that slaying as well as the original robbery, which have links to drug thefts, brutal attempted rapes and additional murders. Devlin, who also has to cope with backstabbing fellow policemen and can't help getting personally involved in his cases, suffers from attacks of panic and conscience that push him to work harder, even when his wife and boss suggest he ease off. This quietly compelling procedural contains much buried passion, especially in the never acknowledged mutual attraction between Devlin and his female partner. Readers will be gripped as they watch this driven Irish detective seek his place in the moral landscape. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Praise for Gallows Lane
"McGilloway is a major force in crime writing, and Inspector Ben Devlin is that rare creature: a detective who is not violent or tortured, but who is intensely, movingly human, and it is his humanity and decency that grip the reader and give these novels a searing honesty. The Devlin books are set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction.” —John Connolly, author of The Unquiet
“This outstanding follow-up to McGilloway’s spectacular debut (Borderlands, 2008) confirms the Irish writer’s place on the A-list of European procedural authors….This fast-paced novel effectively portrays life along the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The mystery element itself is satisfyingly complex, and McGilloway peoples the story with realistic and fully fleshed characters.” –Booklist (starred review)
“Old guilt and new sins create a tangled puzzle in McGilloway's outstanding second Inspector Devlin mystery. Readers will be gripped as they watch this driven Irish detective seek his place in the moral landscape.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Refreshing in its outlook, this procedural showcases a rising star in full command of his craft. Strongly recommended, especially for readers of Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus mysteries.” –Library Journal
“McGilloway has created a truly human and original police officer, flawed, maverick, and vulnerable, and a clever web of intrigue that deepens—and darkens—as it twists.” —Peter James, bestselling author of Dead Man’s Footsteps
“Devlin, best of fathers and least politic of coppers, is a helluva hero elbowing his way through a gritty plot.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Brian McGilloway's Borderlands was one of last year's most impressive debuts. Does Gallows Lane pass the feared 'second novel' test? Easily.” –The Times (UK)
“McGilloway, with his lovingly rendered landscapes and all-to-fallible detective, continues to investigate invisible demarcations of power, ancient lines of conflict and the shadowlands of the human psyche.” –Guardian (UK)
“McGilloway's second Devlin mystery gathers pace and tension. Planted evidence, death threats and a bruising rivalry for promotion bring on panic attacks in Devlin as he struggles to bring his flawed police work to a just conclusion.” –Financial Times (UK)
"McGilloway is a major force in crime writing, and Inspector Ben Devlin is that rare creature: a detective who is not violent or tortured, but who is intensely, movingly human, and it is his humanity and decency that grip the reader and give these novels a searing honesty. The Devlin books are set to become one of the great series in modern crime fiction.” —John Connolly, author of The Unquiet
“This outstanding follow-up to McGilloway’s spectacular debut (Borderlands, 2008) confirms the Irish writer’s place on the A-list of European procedural authors….This fast-paced novel effectively portrays life along the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The mystery element itself is satisfyingly complex, and McGilloway peoples the story with realistic and fully fleshed characters.” –Booklist (starred review)
“Old guilt and new sins create a tangled puzzle in McGilloway's outstanding second Inspector Devlin mystery. Readers will be gripped as they watch this driven Irish detective seek his place in the moral landscape.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Refreshing in its outlook, this procedural showcases a rising star in full command of his craft. Strongly recommended, especially for readers of Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus mysteries.” –Library Journal
“McGilloway has created a truly human and original police officer, flawed, maverick, and vulnerable, and a clever web of intrigue that deepens—and darkens—as it twists.” —Peter James, bestselling author of Dead Man’s Footsteps
“Devlin, best of fathers and least politic of coppers, is a helluva hero elbowing his way through a gritty plot.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Brian McGilloway's Borderlands was one of last year's most impressive debuts. Does Gallows Lane pass the feared 'second novel' test? Easily.” –The Times (UK)
“McGilloway, with his lovingly rendered landscapes and all-to-fallible detective, continues to investigate invisible demarcations of power, ancient lines of conflict and the shadowlands of the human psyche.” –Guardian (UK)
“McGilloway's second Devlin mystery gathers pace and tension. Planted evidence, death threats and a bruising rivalry for promotion bring on panic attacks in Devlin as he struggles to bring his flawed police work to a just conclusion.” –Financial Times (UK)
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More About the Author
Brian McGilloway was born in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. After studying English at Queen's University, Belfast, he took up a teaching position in St Columb's College in Derry, where he is currently Head of English.
His first novel, Borderlands, published by Macmillan New Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2007 and was hailed by The Times as 'one of (2007's) most impressive debuts.' The second novel in the series, Gallows Lane, was shortlisted for the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year. The new Devlin novel, The Rising, will be published this Spring in hardback in the UK, alongside the paperback of the third novel, Bleed A River Deep. The US edition of Bleed A River Deep will be available in Sept. 2010, published by Minotaur.
Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife and their three sons
His first novel, Borderlands, published by Macmillan New Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2007 and was hailed by The Times as 'one of (2007's) most impressive debuts.' The second novel in the series, Gallows Lane, was shortlisted for the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year. The new Devlin novel, The Rising, will be published this Spring in hardback in the UK, alongside the paperback of the third novel, Bleed A River Deep. The US edition of Bleed A River Deep will be available in Sept. 2010, published by Minotaur.
Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife and their three sons
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, bad, north, south,
By
This review is from: Gallows Lane: An Inspector Devlin Mystery (Inspector Devlin Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Ben Devlin is a good copper, in the best sense. He's also a devoted husband and father, and, in Gallows Lane, he struggles to reconcile his two chief roles in life. To complicate matters, he lives in the "borderlands", where Northern Ireland and the Republic bump right into each other.
Ben's trying to be fair to a newly released ex-con, whom he's been assigned to shoo up to the north, when a murder occurs on his turf, at a housing development that's being raised on land that's seen its fair share of history. It doesn't take long for things to get very messy indeed, and before he knows which end is up, Ben's family's being threatened by some very tough characters. Gallows Lane is an intelligent mystery that bumps right into the complications of modern life and modern policing. Devlin is one of the good guys, and reading his cases is a real treat. Well done, author McGilloway.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
super Irish police procedural,
This review is from: Gallows Lane: An Inspector Devlin Mystery (Inspector Devlin Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Superintendent Costello directs Garda Detective Inspector Benedict Devlin to warn convict James Kerr as he leaves Maghaberry Prison to not settle in Lifford. Kerr refuses to speak with Devlin insisting he only is coming to town to forgive his former partner Peter Webb, who with others betrayed him during the Castlederg robbery that sent James to prison.
Soon afterward, someone kills Webb whose wife was with her lover Decko O'Kane at the time of the homicide. Kerr was allegedly seen nearby, but Devlin thinks the case is too obvious. He is proven right when Kerri is crucified followed by the murder of Decko. Devlin believes the robbery is the link between the deaths; if he can solve that he can solve the serial killing of those who were involved. The DI has other cases to work too that prove pressure laden to resolve. Inspector Devlin in his second whodunit (see BORDERLANDS) makes this Irish police procedural so good even when he struggles with anxiety and panic attacks while his spouse and his long time partner Carline Williams beg him to back away from this case that is mentally crippling him. However, the DI cannot; instead he feels compelled to work even harder at this and other cases. Readers will feel root for the hero as he tries to keep his ethical compass steady in spite of the trouble he faces doing it. Harriet Klausner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another good crime novel,
By Paul Rooney "Paul Rooney" (Opotiki,New Zealand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gallows Lane: An Inspector Devlin Mystery (Inspector Devlin Mysteries) (Hardcover)
The second Inspector Benedict Devlin Mystery, again set on the border of Ireland and the North.A series of nasty murders occur, including a Crucifixion done with twelve inch nails, not a common way for authors to dispatch their characters. At the same time a number of young women are being sexually assaulted and killed - all this and a dollop of police corruption thrown in. This is another good read with lots of nasty characters just like McGilloway's first effort 'Borderlands'. The crimes are all solved in a logical and sensible way, no superhero antics involved, but then you could never accuse Devlin of being the sharpest knife in the drawer by any stretch of the imagination. He is no Sherlock Holmes when it comes to lateral thinking but I suppose this makes the character more human. A good crime novel and I will follow this series.
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