Borderlands

by Brian McGilloway

Book Overview

A dazzling and highly lyrical debut crime novel, Borderlands marks the beginning of a compelling new series featuring Inspector Benedict Devlin. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312384068
• ISBN13: 9780312384067
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An accident of geography

Brian McGilloway's debut novel, BORDERLANDS, is another highly entertaining book set in Ireland in the area between County Donegal (the republic of Ireland) and County Tyrone of the north. An Garda Siochana (the Guardians of the Peace) of the republic and the police service of Northern Ireland have come to work together when events straddle the border. The body of a young girl is found in the fields and she is recognized as coming from a town in the Irish republic so Inspector Benedict Devlin takes charge of the case. The people of the town of Lifford have inhabited the area for generations and, like small towns everywhere, there are no secrets and everyone knows everyone else's histories. McGilloway knows the Irish and captures the nuances that grow out of shared memories, faith, and community. It is December and as Christmas approaches another body surfaces and Devlin realizes that there is a connection between the two deaths and a disappearance 25 years before. The characters are drawn clearly and the conclusion is satisfying. I look forward to the next book featuring Devlin and the town of Lifford. E. Crowley

Very Good Debut

Borderlands is the debut of Benedict "Ben" Devlin, a Garda detective inspector in a small border town between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Just before Christmas the body of a teenaged girl is discovered literally on this border and Devlin is assigned his first murder case. As the investigation proceeds Detective Devlin finds himself embroiled deeper and deeper into his small town's current dynamics as well as its "troubled" past. Once the victim is identified as the daughter of a life-time trouble maker, it appears the apple didn't fall far from the tree. There are drug use implications as well as connections to a local group of Travelers, who are neither stellar citizens nor helpful to the investigation. As Devlin digs deeper a corrupt political scheme comes to light and finally a connection between the current crime and a possible years old IRA murder. The author does an excellent job in blending these layers of the story together, the only fault I had was with some of the violence sprinkled throughout the book that befalls our hero. It came across as unnecessary. That being said Borderlands is a very good debut. Devlin is a captivating protagonist - he's happily married with two children - and there's also a minor sub-plot with Devlin's neighbor which is somewhat amusing. I look forward to additional books in this series.

Crisp and suspenseful

Other reviewers have summarized the setting and character elements. I read this because I greatly enjoyed Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series, which is set in Scotland. I like my genre novels with a little extra thrown in, such as the possibility of learning about the customs and culture of another place. I am giving McGilloway high praise when I say I was not at all disappointed. The plot was crisp and moved quickly, and I felt compelled to read the whole book in less than 24 hours.

A Must-Read Mystery from Ireland

Finally Borderlands has made its way to the U.S. The first of the Inspector Devlin series, Borderlands has been a big hit in the UK. Set on the border of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and during Christmas, Garda Inspector Devlin is determined to solve the murder of sixteen-year-old Angela Cashell. Inspector Devlin's borderlands is a complicated landscape. It's not the world that most tourists see when they visit Ireland. This is where travelers, social outcasts, live in caravan camps. It's where secrets are kept and grudges are held for years. It's where people seek revenge in the name of justice. Inspector Devlin is every bit as complex, confronting his own demons as he investigates the edgy world of the borderlands. This is a first-class page turner so buy it and clear your schedule. You won't be able to put it down. Nor, after you've finished it, will you forget Devlin and his borderlands. All you'll be able to do is wait impatiently for the next Inspector Devlin book to make its way to the States.

A wonderful debut!

First Sentence: It was not beyond reason that Angela Cashell's final resting place should straddle the border. When a body is found on the border between Northern and Southern Ireland, in an area known as the Borderlands, it is the identity of the victim that places the investigation in the hands of Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin. The investigation starts out looking for the killer based on events in the present. When a second body is found, the motive for the case turns to the past and the disappearance of a prostitute twenty-five years earlier. This may be Brian McGilloway's first mystery, but I sincerely hope it won't be his last. Devlin is an interesting character. He's married with two small children and a dog and put into a realistic dilemma when faced with an old girlfriend. The story is very well plotted and definitely kept me interested all the way through. The story isn't set in a city, but in a rural area where the loss of livestock is a serious issue. It's a human story dealing with families and the sins of the fathers. One small note commending the publisher, it's also a physically nice book; printed and bound in China and includes--when is the last time you saw this?--a sewn-in bookmark. I enjoyed it, recommend it and eagerly await McGilloway's next book.