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The Scholar

(Cormac Reilly #2)

Dervla McTiernan (Goodreads Author)

4.01 · Rating details · 5,972 ratings · 796 reviews

When DS Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Emma stumbles across the victim of a hit and run early one morning, he is first on the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him. The dead girl is carrying an ID, that of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in ...more

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Paperback, 377 pages

Published March 7th 2019 by Sphere (first published February 18th 2019)

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· 5,972 ratings · 796 reviews

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Feb 17, 2019 Kylie D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: annual-challenges, aussie-author, mystery-crime, netgalley-2019

A compelling follow up to The Ruin, The Scholar puts Dervla McTiernan into the upper echelon of crime writers. In this latest offering DS Cormac Reilly's girlfriend, Dr Emma Sweeney, stumbles across the body of a dead girl in the carpark after leaving her university lab late one night. Cormac is the first on the scene and the girl's security ID confirms her to be Carline Darcy, granddaughter of pharmaceutical billionaire John Darcy.

All is not as it seems, however, and Cormac's investigation ...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Paromjit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, crime-fiction, thriller, mystery

Dervla McTiernan embeds her series featuring DS Cormac Reilly set in Galway, Ireland, with flair here. I loved The Ruin, and this is a brilliant sequel. Reilly is still being shunted into cold cases, but overworked DS Carrie O'Halloran fights his corner as at long last he is assigned current investigations, including the Henderson case, where Rob Henderson planned to wipe out his wife, Lucy and their children. It has been difficult to get Lucy to co-operate with the police inquiry, and Cormac Dervla McTiernan embeds her series featuring DS Cormac Reilly set in Galway, Ireland, with flair here. I loved The Ruin, and this is a brilliant sequel. Reilly is still being shunted into cold cases, but overworked DS Carrie O'Halloran fights his corner as at long last he is assigned current investigations, including the Henderson case, where Rob Henderson planned to wipe out his wife, Lucy and their children. It has been difficult to get Lucy to co-operate with the police inquiry, and Cormac just might be able to break the impasse. By sheer chance, Reilly lands a case which technically he should not have when his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, becomes a witness when she comes across a hit and run victim outside the Darcy research laboratories that she works at. It appears the dead young woman is Carline Darcy when they find ID on the body, but it turns out Carline, the granddaughter of John Darcy, CEO of Darcy Pharmaceuticals, is very much alive and she claims that she lost her ID some time ago.

Cormac is sceptical about Carline's claim, but he is unable to follow up when he is warned to leave the Darcy family alone, unless he has strong evidence, as the political clout of the Darcy family has the police treading extremely carefully. Determining the identity of the dead woman takes some time to verify until a desperately worried 15 year old boy, Paul Lambert, reports his 18 year old sister, Della, as missing. Della was an extremely bright student that had started university early at the age of 16 before dropping out and working as a waitress, why would anyone want to kill her? It soon becomes clear that the murder has connections to the Darcy Laboratories, and to Cormac's consternation Emma comes under police scrutiny, surely his beloved Emma is incapable of murder? As Cormac finds himself suspended from the case because of his relationship with Emma, another tragic murder takes place. This fires Cormac's determination to get to the truth no matter what and nail a killer, helped by a police team that includes his colleague, the loyal Peter Fisher.

McTiernan engages in some stellar character development with Cormac and the others in this hugely compelling addition to the series. I really adored the supporting characters of Peter Fisher and Carrie O'Halloran. It is wonderful to observe Cormac slowly being accepted and supported by his police team, with the exceptions of McCarthy, his boss, with his political manoevres, and Moira Hanley, who resents Cormac and not above causing him as much trouble as she can get away with. More insights are provided on Emma and Cormac's personal relationship and history with her. This is a gripping and entertaining read, full of suspense and tension, and an absolute thrill ride. Cannot wait for the next in the series! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC. ...more

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Feb 24, 2019 Peter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller, crime, favorites, netgalley, mystery

Perfidious
The Scholar is Dervla McTiernan’s second book with DS Cormac Reilly, and as a crime writer, she has reinforced her position as one of the best new talents around.

Cormac Reilly is an ex-antiterrorist officer who moved from Dublin to the Galway Gardaí to accommodate his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, with her new job working with Darcy Therapeutics in a BioTech lab, hosted at the University in Galway (NUIG). Emma previously suffered a horrific attack and moving from Dublin provided a new Perfidious
The Scholar is Dervla McTiernan’s second book with DS Cormac Reilly, and as a crime writer, she has reinforced her position as one of the best new talents around.

Cormac Reilly is an ex-antiterrorist officer who moved from Dublin to the Galway Gardaí to accommodate his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, with her new job working with Darcy Therapeutics in a BioTech lab, hosted at the University in Galway (NUIG). Emma previously suffered a horrific attack and moving from Dublin provided a new start that was important for her recovery. The incident details were not revealed in the first book, but Cormac is incredibly protective of her and worries what long term effect and mindset the trauma may have had.

Cormac’s relationships within the Galway police force has been anything but straightforward as he is viewed with caution, suspicion and mistrust. There are those members of the force that recognise his talents and those that are openly difficult. Inter-relationships play an important part without dominating the story. The careful management of the story threads add depth to the environment and are often the catalyst for the opportunities and skills proffered by Reilly, to become apparent. Cormac's boss, Superintendent Murphy, has had him working cold cases while the live workload has been falling mainly onto DS Carrie O’Halloran. It's now at breaking point and Murphy and Carrie agree to offload one to Cormac but he will be carefully monitored.

In Galway he had the constant sense that things were not exactly right, that everything was slightly off-kilter. A year had passed and he still didn’t know his team well enough to trust them. Murphy may finally have given him a live case but he’d given it reluctantly and he was looking over Cormac’s shoulder. It might be paranoia, but Cormac wondered if he was being set up to fail.

Late one evening, on her way to the Lab, Emma discovers the victim of a hit and run which has left the young woman, dead and badly disfigured. The initial identification comes from a staff ID card in her pocket and it is none other than Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of John Darcy the multi-billionaire owner of Darcy Therapeutics. Emma calls Cormac who arrives on the scene and manages to convince his bosses that he should take the case, which they agree. A decision that will have ramifications for Cormac, a potential conflict of interest and another cause for office misgivings. The victim is eventually confirmed as Della Lambert, but why was she carrying Carline’s ID and what is the connection. Cormac is, however, warned off talking to Carline Darcy, by his superiors.

The novel’s complex and insidious plot is brilliantly developed with misdirection wonderfully structured and believable. What I find extremely impressive with Dervla is not only her ability to imagine multiple diversions but give real life to them. Even when the reader sees threads that are hidden from certain people, the characters still feel totally committed to their version of the truth and it is given room to play out. All the characters are superbly drawn, unforgettable, and it’s impressive to follow the gradual uncovering of personalities and relationships. The background with Emma and the connection with Cormac is revealed in this story and completely adds to the suspicion and actions that may be at play.

The Scholar is a complex and captivating crime thriller that promises to fortify Dervla’s connection with a dedicated and rapidly growing fan-base.

I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review. ...more

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Sep 12, 2019 Beata rated it liked it

I have not read The Ruin yet, but the introduction to DS Reilly went rather smoothly with this second installment of the series. A solid police procedural that takes place in Ireland, and that tackles a case of a brutal murder of a young woman whose identity is unknown and whose body is found by Cormac's partner, Emma. There are so many books representing this genre that I cannot choose the best ever, and my rating refers to how invested I got in the reading process.
The plot is absorbing yet not ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Debra rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss

DS Cormac Reilly receives a phone call from his girlfriend, Emma who is clearly upset. Emma has discovered the body of a young woman in the street while driving home from work. The young woman is carrying the ID of Carline Darcy, who has ties to Darcy Therapeutics, one of Ireland's most successful pharmaceutical companies. This is going to be a high-profile case. No mistakes cannot be made. DS Cormac immediately takes action as he is the first officer on the scene.

As the investigation mounts it ...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5000-2019

This is an excellent follow up to the author's first book, The Ruin. Cormac is back as our brilliant but long suffering detective. Somehow he always seems to end up in the wrong despite doing everything right. I start to feel a bit sorry for him!

The Scholar begins with a hit and run death and the first person on the scene happens to be Emma, Cormac's partner. Cormac, who should know better, takes the case and it is all down hill for him from there. Luckily his team is becoming more supportive, ...more

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Mar 19, 2019 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-author, arc-netgalley-done, mystery-crime-thriller, fiction-adult, aa, kindle

4
“Money didn’t keep you safe, she’d known that since she was a little girl. Without position, status, power, protection, what was she but just another pretty girl, floating around Cannes or Marbella?”

Carline was beautiful, rich, and smart. So smart she was working on her thesis at her grandfather’s renowned laboratory where our Emma was headhunted to work. Emma’s the girlfriend of our Cormac, handsome Detective Sergeant Cormac Reilly of the Irish Garda (police) who moved from Dublin to Galway ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 Susanne Strong rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss

4 Stars

DS Cormac Reilly has been working on cold cases ever since arriving in Galway. It’s not the most stimulating work but it pays the bills.

He finally gets a chance to prove himself when another DS, Carrie O’Halloran, gets him put on an active domestic investigation, she has been working for a while. Then things get crazy when Reilly’s girlfriend Emma becomes a witness to a hit and run right outside of Darcy Labs at the University. Turns out the girl was murdered. Finding out who the girl is ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 Liz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

4.5 rounded up

I enjoyed The Ruin, the first book in this series, but I found this one even more engrossing. Here, Cormac O’Reilly has finally been taken off the cold cases he’s been forced to work and given some current ones. One of those is a hit and run accident, with the dead girl carrying the ID of the granddaughter of the local billionaire.

I was engaged from the first minute of listening. I could get an idea of the secrets being hidden, but for the life of me couldn’t figure out why they ...more

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Dec 15, 2018 Carolyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-author, netgalley, thriller, police-procedural, netgalley-2019, 2019

I'm happy to report that Dervla McTiernan's sequel to The Ruin is just as good! Cormac Reilly is back and this time, after a year in Galway, he's finally been moved off cold cases and allowed to investigate some live cases to take some of the pressure off his colleagues. When Cormac's partner, Emily finds the body of a young woman killed in a hit and run outside the pharmaceutical R&D labs where she works, Cormac finds himself investigating the people who work there, including Carline Darcy, I'm happy to report that Dervla McTiernan's sequel to The Ruin is just as good! Cormac Reilly is back and this time, after a year in Galway, he's finally been moved off cold cases and allowed to investigate some live cases to take some of the pressure off his colleagues. When Cormac's partner, Emily finds the body of a young woman killed in a hit and run outside the pharmaceutical R&D labs where she works, Cormac finds himself investigating the people who work there, including Carline Darcy, the grand-daughter of the owner of the powerful multinational Pharmaceutical company, Darcy Therapeutics. Carline is a research student at the University, who has grown up an outcast from the Darcys after her father died and is desperately trying to get some recognition from her grandfather by trying to impress him with her work in the labs.

Cormac is dangerously close to overstepping the line in this case, remaining as lead investigator while Emily is a witness in the case. He is starting to get to know and respect the team at Galway, but still has to tread warily around his Superintendent and the politics involved in upsetting a very powerful, wealthy man. To eventually find the truth, Cormac must unravel a web of secrets and lies, even at the risk of putting his own relationship with Emily in danger.

Ms McTiernan has woven a very credible tale of intrigue and corruption in the race by pharmaceutical companies to design new drugs to sell for huge profits. The plot is well developed and gripping and the main characters are all developing well into engaging personalities - besides hoping Cormac and Emily continue to stay together, I really want Carrie O'Halloran to sort out her problems at home and for Peter Fisher to keep doing well enough to become a sergeant and for Moira Hanley to be called out for telling tales behind Cormac's back. Guess I'll just have to wait for the next book in this excellent series!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Harper Collins Australia for a digital copy to read ...more

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May 11, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

Shelves: lor-2019

Second outing for my new favorite Irish series, and just as well done as the first. Cormac is now in Galway, still relegated to cold cases and cold shoulders. All that changes when his love Emily finds a young woman who has been run over and is obviously dead. Cormac will pick up this case, which will almost cost him everything he holds dear.

The writing and the storyline are both smooth, almost seem effortless. Cormac and his sense of rightness even when he knows things might be better left ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Ceecee rated it it was amazing

I thoroughly enjoyed The Ruin and so had high expectations of this and was not disappointed. The book started in February 2006 when Carline Darcy’s father was killed in an avalanche and following this incident we were introduced to one of the coldest characters to ever grace a page of a book, the owner of Darcy Pharmaceuticals, John Darcy. Darcy sponsored the research laboratory where Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Emma worked in Galway.

Fast forward then to Galway in April and May 2014 and Cormac ...more

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Apr 17, 2019 Mackey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime-detective, fiction-general, my-reviews, favorites, netgalley-ew, books-read-2019

The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan is the second book in a series featuring DS Cormac Reilly. As usual, I had not read the first book (I have now) before beginning this one and did not once feel lost or confused.

DS Reilly has been assigned to cold cases until the night his girlfriend frantically calls him. She has found a young woman in the street, the victim of an apparent hit and run. The dead girl is carrying an ID of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful ...more

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Jun 29, 2019 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thrillers, fiction, irish-novels, police-procedural, scientific-themes

"Whatever else you could say about Cormac Reilly, and right now she felt like she could say plenty, he wasn't stupid. He knew she wasn't there for a social chat as soon as he saw her."

Brains, brawn, analytical prowess, and a smack alongside the head intuitive nature, Detective Cormac Reilly is back. Cormac's girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, has had a don't-even-think-of-turning-it-down job offer to work at Darcy Therapeutics in Galway. Leaping with both set of feet, the couple moves into a small "Whatever else you could say about Cormac Reilly, and right now she felt like she could say plenty, he wasn't stupid. He knew she wasn't there for a social chat as soon as he saw her."

Brains, brawn, analytical prowess, and a smack alongside the head intuitive nature, Detective Cormac Reilly is back. Cormac's girlfriend, Dr. Emma Sweeney, has had a don't-even-think-of-turning-it-down job offer to work at Darcy Therapeutics in Galway. Leaping with both set of feet, the couple moves into a small apartment and Cormac takes a transfer to the Galway Police. While at first, things move swimmingly.......until a tidal wave will be on the horizon.

Cormac's phone rings late one night while on duty and a hysterical Emma is on the line. She was heading back to the lab near the university when she came upon the body of a dead girl. From all indications, it seems like said girl was a fatality of a hit and run. Cormac calls up the forensics team. The girl's face has been mutilated and identification will be difficult at best. While making all the right calls that night, Cormac crossed the line in protecting Emma from an onslaught of inquiries. Emma suffers from anxiety due to an event from her childhood.

And complicating all aspects of this case, the dead girl has an ID from the lab in her back pocket that states that she is Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of the owner and CEO of Darcy Pharmaceuticals. When Cormac visits Carline's apartment, he meets face to face with the actual Carline. Then who is the dead girl from the hit and run and why did she have a highly restrictive ID in her back pocket?

To add even more conflict, Cormac is eventually taken off the case because of his close relationship with Emma. How will he be able to work the crime scene without any authority as fingers begin to point in Emma's direction? As more evidence develops, doubt begins to rise to the surface in regard to Emma.

The Scholar reads as an outstanding standalone. I did read The Ruin which is the first book in this series. Dervla McTiernan has created a stellar character in the likes of Cormac Reilly. Make my mysteries smart and challenging. That's exactly what you get in both The Ruin and The Scholar. McTiernan adds the crucial ingredient of believability to her novels. No eye-rolling. No sighing in frustration. Just the facts, m'am.

I'm over the moon to have discovered such a straight forward new series in the makings. I don't know if Dervla McTiernan can write fast enough for the next one to get here. Long live Cormac Reilly.

...more

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Nov 22, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: Diane S ☔

Shelves: audiobooks, favorites

Another excellent installment!

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Sep 18, 2018 Brenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-read, aussie-authors, net-galley, arc, read-on-kindle, thriller, mystery, 2019-release, 5000-2019

After responding to the call from his partner, Dr Emma Sweeney, DS Cormac Reilly arrived at the scene of the young woman’s body that Emma had stumbled across. The deserted grounds of the university where Emma had been heading to the laboratory seemed a strange place for the unknown young woman to have been. But it was when a security ID was found in her pocket that the case took a sinister turn. Perhaps it wasn’t the simple hit-and-run that it had first seemed…

As head of the investigation ...more

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Jan 17, 2019 Bianca rated it liked it

Shelves: supense-thriller-mystery, 3rd-person-narrative, contemporary, female-author, irish, 2019, 2019-aussie-author-challenge

Dervla McTiernan's debut novel The Ruin was quite enjoyable, so I jumped at the opportunity to read the follow-up, as I was eager to reacquaint myself with Detective Cormac Reilly.

Detective Reilly moved to Galway, as his girlfriend, Emma, pursues a career as a scientist in the prestigious Darcy Therapeutics.

When Emma stumbles across a dead girl, while making her way to work, she calls Cormac, who takes on the case as the lead investigator, despite Emma being a witness. This was the first time I Dervla McTiernan's debut novel The Ruin was quite enjoyable, so I jumped at the opportunity to read the follow-up, as I was eager to reacquaint myself with Detective Cormac Reilly.

Detective Reilly moved to Galway, as his girlfriend, Emma, pursues a career as a scientist in the prestigious Darcy Therapeutics.

When Emma stumbles across a dead girl, while making her way to work, she calls Cormac, who takes on the case as the lead investigator, despite Emma being a witness. This was the first time I raised my critical eyebrow in disbelief, but I let it pass.

Quite early on, without trying, I was able to see one of the main subplots. It took Cormac and his team halfway through the novel, if not longer, to get to that point. Besides the red herrings that this genre employs in order to distract us from spotting the culprit, I found quite a few loose threads and incongruences. Also, without going into too many details for fear of spoilers, the motivations were unbelievable to me and there was too much made-up unnecessary drama and a bit too much padding, including the introduction of a character - Carrie O'Halloran - who basically gives the case to Reilly and then comes back to it in the end, but ends up getting Reilly to close it. I hope the introduction of O'Halloran was for the benefit of a third novel in the series. While I'm at it, the prologue was too long, and worse, unnecessary.

I am aware that there's pressure to ride the wave of success, before people's attention moves onto something else, but in my opinion, this novel suffers from a lack of credibility, lose plot points and too many fillers.

I'm afraid The Scholar hasn't overcome the curse of the second novel. In saying all that, I'm looking forward to reading McTiernan's third novel.

I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to HarperCollins Australia for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This also goes towards my Aussie Authors Challenge on www.bookloverbookreviews.com ...more

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May 17, 2019 Kathleen rated it it was amazing

Irish-Australian author McTiernan’s 2nd offering featuring DS Cormac Reilly is even better than her first (The Ruin). It is a solid police procedural investigating the death of a hit-and-run. The condition of the body makes initial identification difficult, plus it is none other than Reilly’s partner, Dr. Emma Sweeney, that discovered the mangled woman’s corpse. Despite the possibility of a conflict of interest, Reilly is thrilled to have a real, live homicide to investigate rather than the cold ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, series, irish, horror-thriller, net-galley, aussie-author, supplied-by-publisher, netgalleyreaders2019, netgalleyonly2019

This is the second book of McTiernan's series. In the first, The Ruin, we were introduced to Detective Cormac Reilly who'd just transferred from Dublin to Galway where he was met with mostly distrust from his colleagues. In The Scholar he has finally been taken off cold cases and given some current crimes to investigate when Emma, his girlfriend, finds a body of a young girl, a victim of a particularly violent hit and run, near the laboratory where she works.

Eager to take the case, despite the This is the second book of McTiernan's series. In the first, The Ruin, we were introduced to Detective Cormac Reilly who'd just transferred from Dublin to Galway where he was met with mostly distrust from his colleagues. In The Scholar he has finally been taken off cold cases and given some current crimes to investigate when Emma, his girlfriend, finds a body of a young girl, a victim of a particularly violent hit and run, near the laboratory where she works.

Eager to take the case, despite the obvious inappropriateness, Cormac finds himself in hot water with his superiors again when Emma goes from the person reporting the crime, to a witness and then, to a suspect.

The girl’s body is not able to be identified at first and I liked how Reilly basically had to solve the case of who it was before he even got to work on the whodunnit part.

I thought that in The Ruin, McTiernan concentrated too much on the secondary characters, especially the victim's partner, rather than focusing on Reilly. This time around there were still a couple of scenes from other characters’ point of views but it felt a little more balanced. If I was editing, I would have still probably cut the [told from a minor character's point of view] prologue though. Again, I just want more Cormac. And Carrie actually. Carrie, a fellow garda, is much more interesting than Emma. I’d found Emma quite enigmatic and a tad boring in The Ruin and after reading The Scholar, my opinion has changed only slightly.

Tom, another character from The Ruin, popped up in The Scholar in a cameo type role and I really enjoyed his inclusion. I would have been happy with less Emma and more Tom actually!

I was pleased to see that McTiernan finally expanded on the hints about Emma's background, however, and gave us the whole story. (I would have felt so cheated if we’d been kept in the dark for another book.) I thought the way Emma’s story came to light was quite natural - no big info dump towards the end of the book thankfully!

I must add that The Scholar can be read completely as a stand alone. Even though I’m referencing things from the first book, it was all explained adequately that, if you really wanted to skip The Ruin and jump right in, you could understand the plot. I would, of course, recommend reading The Ruin though; it's a good book.

I did find the amount of time that Cormac and co took to solve one particular part of the crime a little odd and frustrating. It was obvious from the get-go. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be a twist to the plot but, if it was, it wasn’t very tricky.

The Irish setting is again enjoyable. McTiernan struck a nice balance here too. One good example was the scene when Cormac and his team had to liaise with the Northern Ireland police which made me blink and realise I was really reading a book set in a different country.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

4 ½ stars out of 5 ...more

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Mar 28, 2019 Brooke - One Woman's Brief Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-authors, read-reviewed-2019

*www.onewomansbbr.wordress.com
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The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. (2019).
(Cormac Reilly, #2).

When Dr Emma stumbles across a hit- and-run victim, she calls her partner Detective Cormac which in turn makes him in charge of the murder scene. An ID card identifies the victim as a gifted student and heir apparent to an Irish pharmaceutical giant. The murder investigation will be high profile and high pressure. But all is not what it seems. And evidence is increasing that ...more

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Sep 14, 2019 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it

Cormac Reilly #2

In the prologue we learn that Carline Darcy is the granddaughter of John Darcy, the founder if the family business, Darcy Pharmaceuticals. Carline is only twelve when her father, Eoghan Darcy dies in a skiing accident. The story then starts eight years later. Carline is now twenty and she's studying and working in scientific research. A woman is found dead outside the university. It looks like its been a hit and run accident. The security ard found in her pocket identifies her as ...more

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Jun 18, 2019 Sandy rated it liked it

Shelves: police-procedural, suspense, crime, family-drama, series, ireland, tackling-mt-tbr

3.5 stars

Mini review of another one from the TBR pile. I loved The Ruin & really enjoyed the investigative aspect of this one. But I was less enamoured with the amount of time we spend dealing with Cormac's personal life (summed up with one word: Emma). Hopefully book #3 will get back on track.

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Mar 20, 2019 Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews added it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, review-book, 2019-books, aww2019

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
I was asked in the lunch room at work the other day after mentioning I was attending a local book event with Irish native, WA based author Dervla McTiernan, what writer she could be compared to. This proved to be a hard question, after a few names were thrown in the ring, from Agatha Christie, to Val McDermid and Ruth Rendall, the overwhelming conclusion was that she was simply Dervla. McTiernan is a writer who clearly stands on her own two feet, carving out *https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
I was asked in the lunch room at work the other day after mentioning I was attending a local book event with Irish native, WA based author Dervla McTiernan, what writer she could be compared to. This proved to be a hard question, after a few names were thrown in the ring, from Agatha Christie, to Val McDermid and Ruth Rendall, the overwhelming conclusion was that she was simply Dervla. McTiernan is a writer who clearly stands on her own two feet, carving out a niche for herself in the highly popular crime genre. Fans will be pleased with McTiernan’s second offering. The Scholar offers the reader a chance to revisit the appealing lead of Cormac Reilly, while at the same time solving a complex new case.

As a victim of a hit and run lies on the grounds of Galway University, discovered by Doctor Emma Sweeney, seasoned Detective Cormac Reilly is brought in the investigate. This terrible murder has far reaching ramifications, for the victim, Emma and Cormac. A case of mistaken identity emerges as the opening complexity issue of the murder. The case takes Cormac and his team deep into the privileged world of medical research, pharmaceuticals, billion dollar corporations, the university faculty and the tenuous area of sponsorship. For Emma Sweeney, her personal and professional life converge, as the murdered young woman she discovered impacts on her vital research work. Cormac faces a moral and professional clash of ethics. He is increasingly drawn to Emma and her team’s work as the vital clue in cracking this complex murder case. Cormac must push his personal feelings aside if he is to get to the cold hard truth of this baffling case.

Dervla McTiernan makes an explosive return to the crime writing scene with The Scholar, which again features the affable Detective Cormac Reilly. Just shy of a year after the release of the first book in this series, and the debut that made Dervla a household name both in Australia and internationally, The Ruin, The Scholar is a great follow up novel to what I anticipate to be a long running series for McTiernan.

This time around the case is complex, moral and personal for Cormac Reilly. The investigation at hand becomes problematic as soon as Emma Sweeney, Cormac’s partner, is the one to discover the body of the deceased woman. This throws up all sorts of moral and ethical dilemmas for Cormac. He must grapple with his feelings for Emma and his professional need to solve the case. McTiernan handles this aspect of the case with a sense of ease and insight. I enjoyed it very much.

There are some really interesting themes and sub strands that The Scholar raises. McTiernan shows her full commitment to these narrative threads and the process of working through issues of university level research, the pharmaceutical world, ambition, expectation, pressure and greed is explored with integrity. McTiernan’s style is astute and the process of working through the various scenarios as a result of these themes offered a great exercise of the mind.

There is a good balance between the case at hand and the personal lives of the principal protagonists. There is also a sense of familiarity that follows McTiernan’s returning characters. McTiernan does a fine job with the police mechanics, she explores the process of investigation, the impact of budgets cuts, the level of overtime taken on by the police, the role of Cormac’s fellow team members and his superiors. I think crime fiction fans will appreciate the angle McTiernan has taken to the police work side of her latest novel. The final results and the conclusion to the case offers up plenty by the way of intrigue, suspense and surprising results.

As with the previous novel penned by McTiernan, the sense of place in The Scholar forms as much a character as the actual protagonists that inhabit this novel. I have come enjoy and look forward to McTiernan’s setting descriptions very much. The locale based passages form an extra piece of the overall narrative. In particular, I appreciated the chance to walk in the shoes of a detective based in Ireland on the beat, which is far removed from my own life in Sunny Western Australia.

‘They turned off into Distillery Road. It was a narrow road flanked by 1960s houses that had once been home, all bought up by the University for Use as offices and tutorial rooms. You could follow Distillery Road down to the river, which was where the private laboratories were located, or you could take a sharp right that would lead you past the university chapel and onward to the entrances to the library, the larger university canteen and coffee shop, and the concourse. Cormac knew the campus well.’

A convergence of underhanded tactics, the power of ambitious drive, the pressure to fulfil expectations, privilege, the influence of corporate agendas and corruption all play a part in The Scholar. Paired with the inviting influence of Detective Cormac Reilly leading proceedings, add The Scholar to your reading list if you are looking for a new thriller, or a crime series that is impossible to put down.

*I wish to thank Harper Collins Books Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.

The Scholar is book #39 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Ingrid rated it it was amazing

I flew through this one, loved it!

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Dec 30, 2018 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing

I was a huge fan of “The Ruin” so was very much looking forward to reading this, the follow up due in March 2019.
Once again this author immediately sucked me into Cormac’s world, the beautifully descriptive sense she brings to both character and place is gorgeously immersive, the challenges faced here different but still utterly compelling.
Money talks, the rich are different, in The Scholar this finds Cormac once more fighting a political minefield as he tries to solve a most horrific murder – ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Andrea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-foreign-locale, challenge, australian-author, series, netgalley, around-the-world-2019

A quick visit to her lab late on a Friday evening results in Dr Emma Sweeney being the first to discover the victim of an apparent hit-and-run in the middle of one of the university campus roads. Shaken, instead of calling emergency services, she calls her partner DS Cormac Reilly. Earlier that same day Superindent Murphy had agreed to shift DS Reilly off the perpetual cold caseload and onto active police work, so Cormac is determined to make this new case his own, despite Emma being a witness. ...more

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Aug 05, 2019 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

While I enjoyed this book, it bothers me that I still have no physical description of Cormac Reilly in my mind, not even his age. Cormac’s relationship to Emma is apparently strong, but he sometimes is overprotective. He is still developing relationships with his co-workers, and in particular I really liked Fisher. There was also Moira Hanley who needs a comeuppance. Cormac is now off cold cases and working active cases, which means he feels he has to prove himself. All in all, a good book. I ...more

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Jan 01, 2019 Roman Clodia rated it really liked it

A wonderfully engrossing read, fluent writing and appealing characters. There are some minor plot holes that jar (view spoiler) ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed the first Cormac Reilly novel, “The Ruin,” so was pleased to receive the second in the series for review.

Reilly is still side-lined with cold cases, while girlfriend, Emma, continues her research work as a scientist. However, things are about to change for both of them. Cormac’s colleague, Carrie O’Halloran is exhausted and demands her boss drop his attitude towards Cormac, using him to run current cases; meaning that not only does he take on some of her workload, but also picks up a I enjoyed the first Cormac Reilly novel, “The Ruin,” so was pleased to receive the second in the series for review.

Reilly is still side-lined with cold cases, while girlfriend, Emma, continues her research work as a scientist. However, things are about to change for both of them. Cormac’s colleague, Carrie O’Halloran is exhausted and demands her boss drop his attitude towards Cormac, using him to run current cases; meaning that not only does he take on some of her workload, but also picks up a new case, when Emma finds a hit and run victim on campus, where she works.

The young woman, hit by a car, has an identity card in her pocket, for Carline Darcy, the granddaughter of pharmaceutical giant, John Darcy. However, when Cormac goes to her plush, un-student like apartment, she is very much alive. The victim turns out to be a student who dropped out, to work as a waitress. However, it soon turns out that she had a hidden life and that Carline Darcy is hiding her knowledge of events and of Della Lambert.

This is a series which has a lot of promise, but is still finding its feet. Cormac is a likeable character, who does his best to protect Emma, who, of course, has her own past demons to deal with. However, her involvement means that Cormac should have handed over the case. Meanwhile, he still faces issues at work, not only with his boss, but also with Moira Hanley; a lazy, disgruntled police officer, who is apt to indulge in gossip and rumour spreading.

Generally, this is an above average crime novel, which needs to move away from the issues of Cormac and Emma and focus more on the crimes. This worked best when the focus was on the issues of entitlement, family dysfunction, and the protection of wealth and power, as Cormac ignores warnings to involve Carline Darcy and looks at the links between her and the dead girl. Some of the characters are just a little too stereotypical and lacking depth, but, overall, a good read and a series which I feel will grow better with time. I received a copy of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

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Aug 07, 2019 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: popsugar-challenge-2019, zaussieauthors2019

I really enjoyed this police procedural - thriller set in Galway, a small Irish city. Characterisations were strong, and the plot moved along quickly. I've recently downloaded the author's first book, The Ruin on Kindle, and am very much looking forward to reading it. The taster for McTiernan's as yet unnamed 2020 release was also tantalising...

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