Paul is a man with one of those faces, they blend in very easily and are often mistaken for those of others. As such, he's doing a volunteer job at a hospice as the 'granny whisperer', talking to dying patients and pretending to be their relative so they feel less lonely. That is, until one of them tries to kill him.

In addition to Paul and Brigit, three other characters are outstanding. DI Jimmy Stewart is leading the investigation. He’s near retirement, which he doesn’t want, and is saddled with Detective Wilson, “an idiot of the worst kind: a highly educated one.” Stewart is a likable guy, married to “the long-suffering Mrs. Stewart.” His relationship with Wilson is a wonder to watch through the course of the book. The third character is Bunny McGarry. McGarry is a Detective Sergeant technically uninvolved in the case, but for years he has run a local hurling team. He gets involved because “Paulie Mulchrone is one of my boys.” Humorous crime at its finest. Droll, witty and highly entertaining. The writing is skilled and captivating." ***** Audiothing It's just crying out to be made into a movie. The writing is whip-smart and funny." Books Ireland Magazine His Stranger Times series, which melds urban fantasy, paranormal, and humour with crime, is written under the pen name of C.K McDonnell. [8] [9] Recognition [ edit ] When the nurse asks him to visit another lonely dying old man, the young man is going to refuse, but she offers to give him a lift home in her car after, giving him the opportunity to save forty euros on the bus. Paul, you see, lives on five hundred euros a month, which is a pittance even in poor Ireland. There are reasons for this and we will find out soon enough, but for now the old man, taking the visitor for the son of his friend (did you forget about the feature?) accepted... strangle him.His book 'I Have Sinned' was shortlisted for the Kindle Storyteller Award 2019. Previously, his debut novel 'A Man With One of Those Faces' was nominated for best novel at the 2017 CAP awards. Brigit, for her part, was fighting off a rather heavy dose of the anti-climaxes. All those Scottish crime novels, containing more dead bodies than Scotland actually had living people, had left her with high expectations of the criminal justice system. Have to say I’ve been waiting for this one for a while, a rare book on the library circuit but one in high demand which has finally reached me after 4 months of waiting list so no pressure then! Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history . . . Side characters were really well done. Although Paul and Brigit are the main characters, there are a number of side ones that pop in and out of the plot. Dr. Sinha rapidly became my favorite guest appearance:

Now Paul Mulchrone finds himself on the run with nobody to turn to except a nurse who has read one-too-many crime novels and a renegade copper with a penchant for violence. Together, they must solve one of the most notorious crimes in Irish history… In his time on the British stand-up circuit, he has firmly established himself as the white-haired Irishman whose name nobody can pronounce. He performs regularly at all the major clubs and is equally at home doing a set or acting as MC. He regularly supports Sarah Millican on tour and has also brought the funny worldwide, doing stand-up tours of the Far East, the Middle East and once, the near east (Norwich). He brings a new stand-up show to the Edinburgh festival pretty much every year, mainly as an excuse to eat things that’ve been deep fried. Well, somebody did,’ said Dr. Sinha. ‘I was quoting from the report I got at the end of my probationary period.'” It surely wasn’t some kind of coincidence What were the odds that he and Wilson had stumbled upon an unrelated ambush? This was Dublin: assassination wasn’t that common a pastime. While the male characters were well presented, for me it was the women who stood out. Nurse Brigit, who gets caught up with protagonist Paul at the beginning of the story and stays with him through the end. Solicitor Norah, called into action despite her heavily pregnant condition. And Dorothy, Paul's pseudo-grandmother, whose actions belie her age. They each hold their own in matters both of wit and self-defense, and help see to it that the plot is never boring.

But Paul obliges, in exchange for a ride home (thus saving him 3.30). Unsurprisingly, Mr. Brown seems to recognize Paul (this time, it’s “Gerry’s son”), but surprisingly, Mr. Brown seems to have a grudge. From there, events steadily go farther off the rails until the end, when it’s almost, but not quite, bananas. Brigit pushed a green jumper towards him. He spread it out on his knees to look at the design on the front. It featured the grinning face of a reindeer. Paul guessed the designer had been going for joyful for the creature’s expression and just over-shot horribly. A ‘here’s Johnny’ demented grin sat beneath wild eyes. It would have made a tremendous warning poster for the dangers of cocaine. This reindeer looked like he wanted to tell you about the incredible screenplay he was going to write and the amazing dude he’d just met in the toilets.” A Man With One of Those Faces is the first book in Caimh McDonnell's Dublin Trilogy, which melds fast-paced action with a distinctly Irish acerbic wit. In the meantime, he was dotting the ‘I’s and crossing the ‘T’s, waiting for the S and the H to show up.”