The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books

Launched last Thursday – coincidentally on the day after Joe O’Reilly lodged 11 grounds of appeal against his murder conviction – THE SUSPECT is journalist Jenny Friel’s account of the murder of O’Reilly’s wife, Rachel, and her husband's subsequent courting of the media. Irish true crime specialists Maverick House have three copies of the book to give away, but given the tragic nature of the story involved, we’ll skip the usual half-assed attempt at a laughably unfunny question. If you’d like a copy, simply send your name and postal address to dbrodb(at)gmail.com, placing ‘The Suspect’ in the subject line, before noon on Friday November 9. Bon chance, mes amis …

“Oh Go On, Just A Tincture Of Sherry Then.”

Crazy true crime maverick kids Maverick House publish The Suspect today (August 13), Jenny Friel’s take on the murder of Rachel O’Reilly and the subsequent trial and conviction of her media-savvy husband, Joe, who has announced his intention to appeal the conviction since the book went to press. Laurel-resting not being an option out in Maverick-land, they're already busy prepping Alan Sherry’s A-Z of Irish Crime for an October release. Quoth the blurb elves:

“The A-Z of Irish Crime is an in-depth reference book on modern Irish crime concentrating mainly from 1996 to present day, focusing on key gangland figures and murders. The book also focuses on key criminal agencies, weapons of gangland Ireland, drugs, missing persons and all serious crime. An A-Z of Irish crime has not been done before. This should be a comprehensive, original book giving a wide perspective of crime throughout Ireland.”

Erm, it ‘should’ be? You’re not exactly filling us with confidence over here, folks …

The Unusual Suspect

Those canny bods over at Maverick House have been quick off the mark in the wake of the recent guilty verdict for Joe O’Reilly, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Rachel, at their home in north Dublin in 2004. The Irish true crime specialist publishing house will release The Suspect next month to capitalise on Ireland’s fascination with Joe O’Reilly, who positioned himself at the centre of the murder investigation to the extent that he went on national TV with Rachel’s mother to plead for help in discovering the killer, despite the fact that he was the self-confessed prime suspect from day one. Written by journo Jenny Friel, who covered the case for the Irish Mail on Sunday and interviewed O’Reilly shortly after Rachel’s murder, The Suspect hits the shelves on August 13. For more, scoot over to Maverick House PR guru Gert Ackerman’s blog …