Break Out The Bunting And Red Ribbons

It’s a good week for debut Irish crime writers. Claire McGowan (see Q&A below) launches her first novel today, in London, and news reaches us of yet another debutant, Louise Phillips (right), whose RED RIBBONS will be published in October by Hachette Ireland. Quoth the blurb elves:

A girl’s body is found in the Dublin mountains. The reasons behind the killing are unclear, as criminal psychologist Julie Pearson tries to unravel the mystery of Caroline Devine’s murder. Why were the girl’s hands and body placed the way they were in the grave? And why did the killer plait the 12-year-old’s hair with red ribbons after she died?
  Julie, in her mid-30s, is married to Declan Cassidy and has one son, Charlie. During the investigation, her life, both past and present becomes linked to the crime and the murderer in a way which has potentially devastating results.
  Suspect William Cronly, a private man, lives his life by routine, from how he brushes his teeth, to the time of day he pulls the window blinds up or down. William now lives in the city, but his original home ‘Cronly Lodge’ in Wexford, holds secrets which he needs to protect.
  The murder investigation spreads to Italy, as police link the current crime to the death 40 years previously of Silvia Vaccaro, a 12-year-old girl whose skeletal remains were discovered 30 years after her disappearance in Suvereto, Tuscany.
  Ellie Brady, is a long-term patient at St Michaels’ asylum, who was convicted of murdering her daughter Amy 15 years earlier. Through a relationship built up with her new psychiatrist, Dr Samuel Ebbs, she reveals events surrounding the death of her daughter, which not only establishes her innocence, but also a connection with the murder of schoolgirl Caroline.
  How are these characters linked? Will Ellie Brady finally be believed? And can Julie discover the truth behind the killing of Caroline before the murderer strikes again?

  “With overtones of Sophie Hannah and Tana French,’ says Hachette Ireland Editorial Director Ciara Doorley over at Inkwell.ie, “Louise is a supremely talented writer. She subconsciously creates parallels between her characters, and this really challenges the reader. Her writing is tense, atmospheric and we’re really excited to be launching a new voice in Irish crime.”
  Tana French and Sophie Hannah? Crikey. No pressure there, then …