Beneath the Surface

June 10, 2019
In Spain’s intriguing sequel to With Our Blessings, Aiden Blake, Ireland’s Minister for State Resources and Energy Efficiency, appears well on his way to becoming the country’s next prime minister. When Ryan Finnegan, Blake’s political adviser, is found shot to death in the halls of Parliament clutching a compromising photo of the minister, the authorities order Det. Insp. Tom Reynolds, the head of the Dublin Murder Squad, to solve the case as quickly as possible and avoid scandal. The police investigation leads to an offshore drilling bill that Blake is supporting, along with evidence of backroom deals, blackmail, and payoffs. Meanwhile, Reynolds has to figure out who would profit the most from Finnegan’s murder, with greedy politicians the obvious suspects. Well-developed characters keep the reader engaged. Spain provides a timely look at the murky world of collusion between government and corporations. Agent: Nicola Barr, Bent Agency.

July 1, 2019
It's open season on Ireland's government, with some intimates marked for violent death literally in the corridors of power and others slated for takedown by more insidious means. DI Tom Reynolds, the head of the Dublin Garda's murder squad, is called to Leinster House, seat of the Irish parliament, in response to a grisly discovery. Ryan Finnegan, the political adviser to Aidan Blake, Minister for State Resources and Energy Efficiency, has been found shot to death in the arms of a statue inside an underground tunnel that connects the two houses of parliament. It's not clear which scandal is worse--the murder of a well-connected political hand inside the most heavily guarded building in the country or the discovery of a lurid photograph beneath Finnegan's body. Despite the apparently secure location, suspects are everywhere, from Carl Madsen, the powerful executive of the Danish energy company Udforske, who's been secretly working to shape a crucial piece of energy legislation Blake is shepherding, to Darragh McNally, chair of the majority Reform Party, whose elderly mother's death leaves him utterly alone despite the formidable political power he's amassed. But Reynolds (With Our Blessing, 2019, etc.) and the team of investigators he's assembled keep coming back to Blake, whom they catch in one lie after another. His meeting with Madsen on the night of the murder never happened. He's a member of a secret men's club devoted to discreet sexual encounters. He's one of the men pictured in the photograph police found at the murder scene. And he's been blackmailed to change that far-reaching energy plan. As the evidence against Blake mounts and his explanations become increasingly baroque, Spain keeps up the pressure on the other suspects and ends up indicting an entire generation of Irish politicians, whether or not they get arrested for murder. Honest detection, layers upon layers of deception, and juicy revelations about high-flying pols. What's not to like?

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July 1, 2019
In 2011, with a new party in leadership in Ireland, things are looking up for the country economically, until one of the incoming party's members is found brutally murdered in the House of Parliament. Inspector Tom Reynolds' vacation is interrupted to investigate the high-profile crime. Was the victim killed for political ambition or was the motive something much more personal? Spain's latest fast-paced police procedural is sure to hit the mark for mystery lovers and features full-bodied characters and plenty of Emerald Isle atmosphere. The compelling writing style will keep readers guessing as the twists and turns continue until the very end. A sure bet for viewers of PBS or BBC crime dramas. Followers of Mari Jungstedt and Robert Galbraith will also enjoy this fifth installment (following The Darkest Place, 2018) of the Inspector Tom Reynolds series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)