LatinosUSA

by Olga Nuñez Miret (Link Blog Olga)

Hi, all:

I bring you the review of another book in one of my favourite police procedural series, one set in Northern Ireland. And I’m happy to say that I have two more books lined up to read in the series, so I’m looking forward to those.

Conduit to Murder (The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries Book 6) by Brian O’Hare

When the owner of an antiques store is battered to death, Detective Sheehan thinks it’s just another murder. But when he discovers two keys hidden in an ornamental walking stick,
he quickly becomes a target.
Desperate to figure out what criminal enterprise the keys might reveal, Sheehan risks everything to protect them —until his wife Margaret is kidnapped
Events start looking less like coincidence when Sheehan is faced with the fact a mole has been influencing the investigation.
Can Sheehan stop the mole and rescue Margaret
before he has to hand over the keys?

About the author:

About Brian O’Hare, MA, Ph.D

Brian O’Hare’s early writing was academic but when he decided to write fiction, his success surprised him. His books have won several wards and his first mystery novel, Angel of Death, led to the award-winning Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series. There are eight books in the series with a ninth on the way.

Before retirement he was Assistant Director of the Southern Regional College in Northern Ireland. Married, with three children, ten grandchildren an three great-grandchildren, he now writes full time. For many years he and his wife enjoyed travelling, especially in France. He also enjoys reading, chess and plays competitive golf twice a week.

Reviewers say that O’Hare writes with a keen eye for detail with his tales evolving at a surprisingly fast pace, and that he leans towards the human side of his characters, imbuing them with a real-world presence that is in turn witty and passionate. If you are interested in discovering whether or not there is any truth to these judgements, the first novel, Angel of Death, is permanently free on Amazon.

My review:

I’ve read several of the novels in this series, and I am a fan of the series and the author. He has created a credible series of police procedural novels based in Belfast, which reflect all the complexities of that part of the world and are also exciting, intriguing, full of action, and with great character development.

One of the things that I most like about this series is that it shows a team of police detectives at work, and despite the different characters, ages, experience, genders, and attitudes of all of them, they work well together, complement each other, and support each other. There might be bad apples in the system, but there are also people who do their job, love it, and would put their lives at risk to keep others safe. There are so many novels about corrupt police and reluctant officers that it feels refreshing and reassuring to read one where the team members are above board and go above and beyond their duty.

In this particular novel (which can be read independently, because the case is resolved within the book, and there is enough information about the characters to be able to follow their interactions and understand their relationships), there are a series of brutal murders that seem senseless at first, but are somehow connected, although the connection isn’t clear. It becomes evident as the investigation moves on that somebody is keeping the criminals informed of what the police are doing, because they are always a step ahead of the investigating team. Not only that, but the criminals threaten and assault several members of the team (including Inspector Sheehan and his wife), and they have no qualms when it comes to using violence to achieve their goals.

With several working hypotheses (it is a case of fake antiques, a drugs-related case, a money laundering operation?) and somebody pretty important (but unknown) involved (the ‘conduit’ of the title), the stakes are very high. And when somebody very close to Sheehan’s heart is at risk, there’s no time for niceties or playing by the book. And you’ll have to read the novel to find out more.

The writing style is dynamic, easy to read, and it flows well. There is plenty of action, but also moments when Sheehan (and the rest of the team) reflect and try to work out what is happening. There are also nice (and sometimes funny) touches that highlight the relationships between the characters and give them depth as individuals. The story is told in the third person from different points of view, including one of the criminals involved, and although that seems to give us, readers, an advantage over Sheehan and his team, the author knows how to keep his cards close to his chest.

I’ve said that the novel can be read as a stand-alone, and that is true. The author includes a brief explanation of how the police work in Northern Ireland at the beginning of the book, which will be useful for anybody not familiar with the hierarchy and the names of the different roles in the Northern Ireland police. Of course, those who have read the previous novels in the series will enjoy catching up with the characters and seeing how their lives and relationships have evolved since the series started.

As can be imagined from the description and the genre, the novel contains violence and scary moments, although not extreme. Readers should be aware of this. Also, the book includes a teaser, the beginning of book 7 in the series, so the novel ends at 91% of the e-book, in case people are worried about its length.

This page-turner and gripping novel is a good addition to this series, one of my favourite police procedurals in the last few years. Recommended to fans and new readers alike.

I received an ARC copy of this book, which I freely chose to review.

Thanks to the author for this book, and thanks to all of you for reading, supporting, commenting, liking, sharing, and being good sports. Make sure you look after yourselves and always keep smiling.