Police corruption, an investigation that ends in tragedy and the mystery of a little girl's silence - three unconnected events that will prove to be linked by one small town. There was an interesting blend of very believable characters, and a great variety of cases. The main character, Cormac Reilly, has a great talent for pissing people off, particularly his superiors. Garda Peter Fisher has a sharp mind and a kind heart. I hope that Anna and Tilly will feature in future story lines. It's not just the first disc either, it's the same on all 9 CDs. I've struggled my way to the third CD, but I'm ready to give up. I should have just 'spent' an Audible credit and bought the audiobook that way, but I wanted to be able to pass the CDs on to a friend when I finished the book. I'd love to see this book continued as a series, and I'm sure a lot of younger readers, as well as older ones, can learn a lot from reading it.

I enjoyed the way the author planned the book. Cormac and his protégée Peter Fisher are split up by events early on and the book is told from alternate points of view. It is obvious to the reader that each of them knows things the other needs to know and the tension builds right up to the end. The book is a police procedural which shows clearly the ways the police should and should not work. It is very well done. Josephine Williams is definitely a leader - and her teachers know it! What other eleven-year-old is desperate for MORE schoolwork? Puffin is an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. Through our world of stories, Puffin aims to open up the world to every child. Our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life.McTiernan really makes Ireland another character too. From the talk of playing Camogie and rugby to the wild coastal views from the small village farms, I felt like I was in Ireland. (The only thing I do have trouble imagining is the snow and cold as I swelter in the 42 degree Celsius heat…)

One suspended the other banished, we find both Detective Cormac Reilly and Garda Peter Fisher are facing the possibility of their careers ruined, who can they trust? I thought the crime/mystery plot was really well done. I had no idea just who Peter and Cormac should trust. Even when I thought I might guess some plot points, I still wondered if I might be incorrect with my assumptions. And, as I said, McTiernan really pulled all the plots together cleverly; it all made sense and was connected in the end with no unnecessary cliffhangers left to annoy the reader. Peter was sent to the small town of Roundstone where he would have to work with the father he hated, while Cormac was suspended with an investigation to follow. But Peter would find himself pitting against his father, mired in a two-month-old murder. And Cormac would find heartache in all parts of his life. What would be the outcome for Cormac, who wanted nothing more than to be part of "the Guards", the police service of the Republic of Ireland that he’d been with for more years than he could count? Would Peter be lost in the mire of corruption and death that shrouded the countryside? And who were Anna and Tilly?

In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'.

Elsewhere the violent abduction of a young girl punched and shoved into the boot of a car takes place and is witnessed by a young boy. When Garda Peter Fisher is called to the scene to investigate he finds himself making a fatal mistake in the case.

Follow us

There are several separate threads-a mother whose young daughter hasn't spoken for three months; the violent abduction of another young girl; the suspension of Cormac Reilly and the banishment of officers who support him. Maintaining a healthy community, that takes a bit of discretion. You have to leave room for people to be human. To make the odd mistake. You have to be able to tell the difference between someone destructive, or dangerous, and someone who’s generally a contributor, and who just wanted to let off a bit of steam. Josephine is a go-getter, a leader and eager to do better for herself and drag her classmates, willingly or otherwise, with her. Wesley has responsibilities and worries at home way beyond his paygrade. Margot, the newcomer, who to Wesley is a spy and interloper intent on snatching away his friendship with Josephine, is eager to please and wants to be friends with both the others. The trouble is Margot is a bit tactless with her humour. They each have many things to work on and also crosses to bear, real or imaginary.