The Good Turn

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Yet again, McTiernan gives the reader a terrific dose of fast-paced crime fiction: an excellent plot, twists and red herrings to keep the reader guessing, an exciting climax and a very satisfying resolution. With each instalment, she develops her regular characters a little further and adds new ones. More of Cormac and co will definitely be welcome. Or anything else this talented author might like to turn her hand to. This is Irish crime fiction at its best. Cormac Reilly #3 is the best so far, in what has been a must-read series right from the start. Dervla McTiernan is a first class storyteller. Looking for more challenging tasks, Josie enlists her friends Wesley and Margot into her very own Scout troop, the Copseys, named after the street they all live on. Together they start their quest for their camping badge by sleeping out near to the abandoned factory behind their houses. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Australia for providing a digital ARC of The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. I think the main reason I was disappointed with this book was the gap between my expectations and what I read. I was expecting a book that was much more of a mystery than I got, more in line with her previous books and the blurb, Instead, this felt much more like a contemporary about friendship and the injustice of the past.

The dialogue within the story is beautifully composed, really showing the feelings of the characters as they explore their mysterious find in the abandoned factory. With the chapters being nice and short, the book lends itself really well to whole class reading activities; my group of children enjoyed the story and really felt for the characters as their stories unfolded. I’ll be curious to see where McTiernan goes with the next book in the series. And there better be a next book!I thought the crime/mystery plot was really well done. I had no idea just who Peter and Cormac should trust. Even when I thought I might guess some plot points, I still wondered if I might be incorrect with my assumptions. And, as I said, McTiernan really pulled all the plots together cleverly; it all made sense and was connected in the end with no unnecessary cliffhangers left to annoy the reader.

Maintaining a healthy community, that takes a bit of discretion. You have to leave room for people to be human. To make the odd mistake. You have to be able to tell the difference between someone destructive, or dangerous, and someone who’s generally a contributor, and who just wanted to let off a bit of steam. The story opens with Anna and her young daughter Tilly sitting in the doctor’s waiting room, Tilly hasn’t spoken in 3 months! What is the mystery of her little girls silence? McTiernan really makes Ireland another character too. From the talk of playing Camogie and rugby to the wild coastal views from the small village farms, I felt like I was in Ireland. (The only thing I do have trouble imagining is the snow and cold as I swelter in the 42 degree Celsius heat…) One is Peter Fisher, Reilly’s protege and subordinate detective at their Gallway station. Due to a series of misunderstandings and mismanagement, Fisher is forced to chase down a child kidnapper alone and, in the process, things go awry. Until an investigation can take place, he is sent away to basically eat humble pie and pound the beat at the small coastal village where he grew up and his father is still the police officer in charge.

For 9+ readers, this gripping, thoughtful update to the Blytonesque "secret society" genre engages squarely with racism and social injustice.' Guardian Delivery with Standard Australia Post usually happens within 2-10 business days from time of dispatch. Please be aware that the delivery time frame may vary according to the area of delivery and due to various reasons, the delivery may take longer than the original estimated timeframe. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...