The scholar

'A truly fine police procedural' IRISH INDEPENDENT'Utterly compelling' JANE CASEY'A superbly paced, engaging read' WOMAN'S WAY BRILLIANCE CAN BE DEADLY . . . When Detective 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 never have been assigned to him. The investigation promises to be high profile and high pressure: the dead girl is carrying an ID, that of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Ireland's most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, including the laboratory where Emma works.As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to the lab and, increasingly, to Emma herself. Cormac is sure she couldn't be involved, but how well does he really know her? After all, this isn't the first time Emma's been accused of murder . . .******Praise for Dervla McTiernan:'Excellently written and, at times, heartcatchingly sad' MARIAN KEYES'Dervla McTiernan is a future star of the genre' CHRIS BROOKMYRE'Brilliantly crafted' SUNDAY MIRROR'An exciting new voice in Irish noir' SUNDAY TIMES'As moving as it is fast-paced' VAL McDERMID'Absolutely brilliant. Wonderful characters, authentic setting, and a sublime, twisty plot' IRISH EXAMINER'Fans of Tana French will love McTiernan's expertly plotted, complex web of secrets' KAREN DIONNE'Excellent . . . this one was a winner for me!' ALEX GRAY'Loved every page . . . Cormac Reilly is a brilliant new character' SAM BLAKE 'Intelligent, compassionate and believable' SINEAD CROWLEY