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newt90's review against another edition
3.0
This was an ok read. I think it’s going to take another book to get me craving Ben Devlin. I will give the next one a go see how it is
robertjackson's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book mainly because of the locations. My great grandfather came from Donegal. The lot was fine - characters interesting.
par1sm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
That was certainly an... experience. the ending with the wild cat??? I really enjoyed the pacing and the plot. However, I was indifferent towards the characters (and the sexism wasn't cute). Overall, I found this to be a great introduction to the crime genre and yes, I will be getting my hands on the sequels.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Debut book featuring an Irish Garda detective who lives and works by the border of Northern Ireland.
laurahastoomanywips's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A great read.
Very well written characters and an interesting twisty plot. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Very well written characters and an interesting twisty plot. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars. I don't know why, but for me, this book was reminiscent of a mystery set in the 1940s, like a Philip Kerr book. I had to keep reminding myself that it was set in the early 2000s. I will try the next in the series.
andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
First of a series and I really enjoyed the various twists and turns of the plot to the extent that I will read on.
We are introduced to Inspector benedict Devlin of the Irish Garda who has to investigate the suspicious death of a girl whose body is found on the border. As he investigates more casualties and bodies emerge and he has to look at a disappearance going back to 1989. Dodgy politicians and policeman , together with an old flame setting out to wreck his marriage add to the interest in the plot so that by the end I was rapidly turning the page. a good read and I'm looking forward to reading more.
We are introduced to Inspector benedict Devlin of the Irish Garda who has to investigate the suspicious death of a girl whose body is found on the border. As he investigates more casualties and bodies emerge and he has to look at a disappearance going back to 1989. Dodgy politicians and policeman , together with an old flame setting out to wreck his marriage add to the interest in the plot so that by the end I was rapidly turning the page. a good read and I'm looking forward to reading more.
wendoxford's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst this had all the elements of a great police procedural, somehow for me, it felt dated, in a bad way. It was a classic tangled mess of clues, red herrings, building tension, sniffs of corruption, flawed characters etc but did not really carry me
It had a wide range of personalities presented in a first person narrative told by Inspector Devlin. It carried the shady legacy of The Troubles opening with a corpse "placed" on the border between the Republic & Northern Ireland over the Christmas period.
I found it page turning and multi-layered and yet the plotting seemed to have large holes. I am finding it hard to pin down my negative feelings and imagine I might try the next in the series to see if I need further immersion!
It had a wide range of personalities presented in a first person narrative told by Inspector Devlin. It carried the shady legacy of The Troubles opening with a corpse "placed" on the border between the Republic & Northern Ireland over the Christmas period.
I found it page turning and multi-layered and yet the plotting seemed to have large holes. I am finding it hard to pin down my negative feelings and imagine I might try the next in the series to see if I need further immersion!
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
3.0
In the past couple of years there has been a lot of good new crime fiction coming out of Ireland so I was pleased to find even more! [b:Borderlands|1667428|Borderlands|Brian McGilloway|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1186591257s/1667428.jpg|1662315] introduces us to An Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin, working on the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
I like police procedurals and this is a good one made even more interesting to me because of its setting. Borders are interesting places and border towns even more so as the people on each side spill over and influence each other. There is a perpetual sense of ambiguity that makes these places transgressive and McGilloway definitely captures that.
Benedict Devlin has the potential to be a recurring police character who will be worth reading about. He carries his own set of ambiguities that will make him interesting to read. I like that he's not a super cop - sometimes he's competent and sometimes the obvious flies by, but he keeps on banging away at the problem until he gets some resolution.
There are interesting secondary characters here, as well, as plenty of twists and turns. All in all a good read and a good first outing.
I like police procedurals and this is a good one made even more interesting to me because of its setting. Borders are interesting places and border towns even more so as the people on each side spill over and influence each other. There is a perpetual sense of ambiguity that makes these places transgressive and McGilloway definitely captures that.
Benedict Devlin has the potential to be a recurring police character who will be worth reading about. He carries his own set of ambiguities that will make him interesting to read. I like that he's not a super cop - sometimes he's competent and sometimes the obvious flies by, but he keeps on banging away at the problem until he gets some resolution.
There are interesting secondary characters here, as well, as plenty of twists and turns. All in all a good read and a good first outing.