In the aftermath of a brutal attack that left a woman in intensive care and her husband and young children dead, brash cop Scorcher Kennedy and his rookie partner, Richie, struggle with perplexing clues and Scorcher's haunting memories of a shattering incident from his childhood.

""Bodies can tell you a lot. There can be an eloquence about the dead. But you have to be able to interpret what they are telling you. "This captivating, expertly crafted mystery captures the life and essence of Victorian Dublin and draws the readeron a gripping journey of murder and intrigue. When a Dublin Pawnbroker is found murdered and the lead suspect goes missing, Sergeant Joe Swallow is handed the poisoned chalice of the investigation....

Summoned by Detective Inspector Hackett to investigate the suspicious death of a newspaper tycoon, Quirke discovers a relationship between the victim's grieving sister and Quirke's pathology assistant David Sinclair, a situation that is further complicated by a deadly secret.

"In Dublin, newly promoted detective inspector Joe Swallow's life looks to be taking a turn for the better. In addition to his promotion, he's settled into a comfortable arrangement with his landlady and paramour, Maria Walsh--that is, until his newfound peace is chaotically uprooted when a series of violent attacks against women lead to an outbreak of panic and fear. Swallow is drawn into the chase for a vicious serial murderer down Dublin's dark...

In the dark waters beneath the streets of Victorian Dublin, a gruesome discovery awaits Detective Inspector Joe Swallow - diamonds and death in the River Poddle. Swallow and the legendary Chief Superintendent John Mallon must also work tirelessly to counter espionage and subterfuge by the British secret services, who are hell-bent on destroying Charles Stewart Parnell and the Irish struggle for Home Rule. If Parnell falls, the G-men of Dublin's Metropolitan...