Paul Charles was born in Magherafelt, Ireland and is one of Europe’s best known music promoters and agents. He is the author of seven previous Inspector Christy Kennedy novels: I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass, Last Boat To Camden Town, Fountain Of Sorrow, The Ballad Of Sean And Wilko, The Hissing Of The Silent Lonely Room, I’ve Heard The Banshee Sing and The Justice Factory.
Christy Kennedy is an Ulsterman living in leafy Primrose Hill and working in vibrant Camden Town. He loves the art of detection, he's addicted to the puzzle of the crime.
“A writer who treads in the classic footsteps of Morse and Maigret.” Guardian
“A mystery that's as smooth as a good single malt and none the less satisfying." John Harvey
The bloodied body of a crucified man is discovered in the Second Federation Church in an Irish Heritage Town on the first Friday of summer. The investigations by Inspector Starrett of the Serious Crime Unit and his young team soon reveal a County Donegal that is not nearly as righteous as its many churches might suggest.
The body is that of local master carpenter James Moore, whom Starrett discovers was having a relationship with the wife of the pastor of the same Second Federation Church, and she has mysteriously disappeared. Meanwhile, it transpires that Moore’s own wife had started to get close to her childhood sweetheart. While investigating Moore’s past Starrett learns that the carpenter might have witnessed a local professional villain in action.
Starrett is in his mid forties, dresses well, likes a pint of Guinness and is a decade into his third career. The locals say he may have a sixth sense: he’s not so sure but has been eternally grateful when that special something or other has kept him out of trouble and come to his aid while on a few of his cases. As Starrett conducts his meticulous investigation, recently widowed Maggie Keane calls and he has to accept that he still has the same feelings he had for her as a teenager.
The first of a major new crime series
From the acclaimed author of the DI Christy Kennedy Mysteries
“Agatha Christie for people who inhale.” Nigel Williamson The Times
“This series deserves recognition on a par with those of Inspectors Jury, Morse and Tennyson.“ Publishers Weekly
“Kennedy is not the clichéd cop of so much crime fiction. He is a well rounded laconic hero who takes a philosophical approach to crime solving and life in general. Likewise the novels are cliché-free as well and tend to be cleverly plotted stories with the emphasis on character and atmosphere rather than gimmicky twists and turns. Books Ireland
“A writer who treads in the classic footsteps of Morse and Maigret.” Guardian
“One of the strongest in an impressive series... Veterans and newcomers alike will appreciate the smart writing and ingenious planting of clues.” Publishers Weekly
“What’s most impressive about [these] novels is how he’s managed to carve out a niche in what has become a very crowded market place, creating in DI Christy Kennedy, a laconic, sweetly philosophical hero without a cop cliché in sight.” Camden New Journal
In ones and twos the Sweeney clan and their partners, wives and children gather at Liam Sweeney’s farm on the outskirts of Ramelton, County Donegal to celebrate Liam’s birthday. The banter and storytelling is great as they await the arrival of the single missing family member. But when Inspector Starrett arrives unexpectedly at the farm it becomes clear that all is not well. The body of a Sweeney family member has just been discovered in the courtyard of a waterfront warehouse in the nearby town and the circumstances are suspicious to say the least.
In the course of the investigation Starrett begins to realise how weird and wonderful the politics of a family are as he discovers that of the several suspects he and his team throw up, two or even three of them are family members. On top of which, it appears to Starrett’s team that every family member has a secret or two they’d like to keep hidden. But while working on this investigating Starrett discovers some drastic news which concerns his own family.
