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‘The night of my mother’s funeral, Linda Dawson cried on my shoulder, put her tongue in my mouth and asked me to find her husband. Now she was lying dead on her living room floor, and the howl of a police siren echoed through the surrounding hills . . . ‘
Ed Loy hasn’t been back to Dublin for twenty years. But his mother has died, and he has returned home to bury her. Loy soon realizes that the world waiting for him is very different from the one he left behind all those years ago. When an old school friend asks him to investigate the disappearance of her husband, Loy reluctantly agrees.
And suddenly in this place where he grew up – among the Georgian houses, Victorian castles, and modern villas of Castlehill – Loy finds himself thrown into a world of organized crime, long-hidden secrets, corruption and murder.
Ed Loy hasn’t been back to Dublin for twenty years. But his mother has died, and he has returned home to bury her. Loy soon realizes that the world waiting for him is very different from the one he left behind all those years ago. When an old school friend asks him to investigate the disappearance of her husband, Loy reluctantly agrees.
And suddenly in this place where he grew up – among the Georgian houses, Victorian castles, and modern villas of Castlehill – Loy finds himself thrown into a world of organized crime, long-hidden secrets, corruption and murder.
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Reviews
To call Declan Hughes "a natural" is to engage in understatement. Here is a crime novel that's both deftly plotted and truly character-driven. Brilliantly atmospheric . . . The dialogue crackles and the characters have a truly lived-in authenticity. A great read
Hughes makes a gritty start to his crime thriller series set in the Irish capital and featuring private investigator Edward Loy.'
'A dark and gripping novel of long-hidden secrets, corruption and murder'
'Hughes breathes new life into the private detective story. This thrilling ride of deception brilliantly teaches us that the past is never far behind us, that it can reach out and grab us at any time'
'Distinctive, witty, violent and moving, THE WRONG KIND OF BLOOD is reminiscent of the best of classic American crime fiction, yet ultimately Hughes's voice is utterly his own . . . Irish crime fiction has come of age'
'A classic PI novel . . . Hughes's vivid characters, realistic dialogue and narrative drive make this a very successful début . . . An exciting and thought-provoking thriller'
'The sort of crime novel you really want to read . . . The plot is well-constructed, the characters well-rounded. The dialogue is to die for'
A masterful debut
'A fast-paced, tightly-written thriller . . . give it a whirl, it's worth it'
'Finally Ireland gets a hardboiled detective worthy of the name'
'Top class . . . Fast moving, and paced with acutely observed dialogue . . . Highly recommended'
'A hell of a good read'
'A great plot and marvellous descriptions and dialogue'
'Arguably, the definitive Irish crime thriller ... Thrills and social commentary too'