“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Friday, January 22, 2016

Publication: BLOOD AND WATER by Siobhain Bunni

BLOOD AND WATER (Poolbeg Press) is Siobhain Bunni’s second novel, following on from DARK MIRRORS (2013). Quoth the blurb elves:
Meet the Bertrams . . . William the celebrated politician, conniving father and devious husband. Barbara, his long-suffering wife who laces her day with alcohol so she can hide from herself. And their children: Sebastian, a successful businessman defending his realm; Enya, the grieving prodigal daughter returned from self-imposed exile; Cormac, a sex addict with delusions of his own prowess; Ciara, an emotional drama queen who like a little lost puppy just wants to be loved; Rian, the damaged bird who looks to fix everyone else around him before fixing himself. The Bertrams tell their lies and tolerate each other, not because they want to but because they have to: they re family. But when their simmering tensions reach boiling point they discover that life has a way of letting slip even the most closely guarded secrets. Then it s payback time for the Bertrams as events conspire to put an end to the biggest lie of all. A riveting tale of intrigue, love, manipulation and family bonds.
  BLOOD AND WATER is published on January 19. For more, clickety-click here

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

First Look: PENANCE by Kate O’Riordan

Kate O’Riordan publishes her sixth novel, the psychological thriller PENANCE (Constable), on March 1st. To wit:
“You know I did a terrible thing. What you cannot know is that there exists an extreme irony, in that, but for one unforgivable sin - far more terrible things might have transpired.”
  The lives of Rosalie Douglas and her teenage daughter, Maddie, are changed forever when they meet Jed, a beautiful, charismatic young man at Bereavement Counselling. Inexplicably and self-destructively, Maddie holds herself accountable for her brother’s drowning accident in Thailand.
  Jed moves into their lives and their home. Calming the tensions between mother and daughter. He understands the twisted wilderness of grief. Lover and confidante to a besotted Maddie, gentle surrogate son to a grateful Rosalie - on the surface their lives are transformed. But underneath a deadly and morally corrupt triangle is taking shape ...
  Rosalie commits an unspeakable act which forces her to unravel the truth behind the beautiful stranger in their midst. The truth behind the death of her son. And the true extent of just how far she’s prepared to go - to save what remains of her family.
  London-based Kate O’Riordan grew up in the west of Ireland. An award-winning author, she has also written for stage and screen. For more, clickety-click here

Monday, January 18, 2016

First Look: BISHOP’S DELIGHT by Patrick McGinley

Patrick McGinley publishes BISHOP’S DELIGHT (New Island) next month, with the blurb elves wibbling thusly:
“All a politician needs to know about hacks is that the best story wins. They’re only entertainers who’ve wrapped themselves in the flag of truth…”
  Taoiseach Jim Maguire has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Two rival journalists, Kevin Woody and Tony Sweetman, struggle to find the best story to tell about Maguire’s vanishing act.
  As Woody and Sweetman navigate their turbulent personal lives while trying to keep the story of Maguire’s disappearance alive for another day, it begins to emerge that there may have been more to the missing Taoiseach than his political career. What is the truth about Maguire, and what is the mysterious Bishop’s Delight?
  BISHOP’S DELIGHT shows novelist Patrick McGinley at his mesmerising best, showcasing his formidable literary style, his ever-present dark humour and his uncanny ability to explore uncomfortable truths.
  BISHOP’S DELIGHT will be published on February 8th. For all the details, clickety-click here
  For a review of Patrick McGinley’s COLD SPRING (2013), clickety-click here

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Launch: DEAD SECRET by Ava McCarthy

Ava McCarthy launches her latest thriller, DEAD SECRET (HarperCollins) next Wednesday, January 27th. To wit:
HarperCollins Publishers invites you to celebrate the launch of Ava McCarthy’s new thriller, DEAD SECRET, at Dubray Books, Blackrock Shopping Centre, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, on Wednesday 27th Jan 2016 from 6:30pm-8:30pm
  Quoth the blurb elves:
From the author of the Harry Martinez thrillers comes a gripping psychological suspense novel.
  Two quick shots. One for him. One for you.
  After the death of her three-year-old daughter, Jodie has nothing left to live for – or almost nothing.
  She has one task to fulfil before she takes her own life. And that’s to kill the man she holds responsible for her daughter’s death – her seemingly perfect husband, Ethan.
  But Ethan is hiding more than just his true nature. And as more horrifying secrets from his past emerge, Jodie’s strength will be pushed to the limit …