Although the series is named after Garda Cormac Reilly, McTiernan wrote much of The Ruin and The Scholar from the point of view of other characters. In The Good Turn she does this again. It kind of annoyed me in the first two books (I like Reilly and I want to read more about him!) but this time I felt like I accepted it more graciously. This is probably a combination of becoming more accustomed to McTiernan's style and the fact that I liked the other lead characters much more this time around. This book's narrative, character development, rooting in historical context and picture-painting is absolutely fantastic, and I think it's a must read for any older primary school pupil and above. I loved Margot and Wesley's friendship development in particular, as well as how Wesley calls out Jo's focus on herself, and her self-realisation. The book kept me guessing, too - even when I thought the end was looking bleak, a sort of semi-resolution was formed, and I think that was the perfect way to tie up the book. Police corruption, an investigation that ends in tragedy and the mystery of a little girl's silence - three unconnected events that will prove to be linked by one small town. I really enjoyed that this book wasn't completely tied up with a neat ribbon at the end, that the bow is slightly wonky, ands that just how it is sometimes. This is now my favorite book in the Detective Cormac Reilly series. I like how we get to be into the heads of the featured characters in this Irish police procedural. This time Cormac shares the limelight with a member of his team, Garda Peter Fisher. Cormac's superiors have it out for him and thanks to some nepotism on top of that, Cormac's team is down to a handful of people. The rest of his team have been commandeered by the drug squad so Cormac has very little to work with when it comes to solving general crime. Surely when a witness sees a little girl being kidnapped, Cormac's boss will release people to help with this time sensitive investigation. A little girl's life is at stake, but no, Cormac is told to deal with the situation with his handful of people.

Overall, this book ties up threads from earlier books, but the end is rushed, with mostly summaries which are unsatisfactory.It's not just the first disc either, it's the same on all 9 CDs. I've struggled my way to the third CD, but I'm ready to give up. I should have just 'spent' an Audible credit and bought the audiobook that way, but I wanted to be able to pass the CDs on to a friend when I finished the book. Much of the book features Peter Fisher investigating the possible gang-raid death of an older, village man. Whilst doing so, he discovers suspicious deaths of three other men. Plus, Peter’s elderly aunt, Maggie Robinson, who was friends with the dead men, is being poisoned. The remainder of the book is mostly about Cormac dealing with police corruption; and Peter interacting w Anna, Maggie’s carer, and Tully, Anna’s mute daughter. McTiernan’s real strength, however, is her characterisation. Cormac and co are all so easy to imagine. (This would be a great book series for someone to turn into a television series.) I have developed quite a taste for Cormac. This was an enjoyable read that has me determined to read the earlier two titles and any further titles that are published in the future. MY THOUGHTS: I took a while to really get into The Good Turn by Dervla McTiernan. It may possibly be because this is book three in a series of which I haven't read either of the two previous titles.

There are several separate threads-a mother whose young daughter hasn't spoken for three months; the violent abduction of another young girl; the suspension of Cormac Reilly and the banishment of officers who support him.There is rampant police corruption in Garda Síochána, Galway, and Cormac thinks his superior, Superintendent Brian Murphy is working with a crime family along with his son, Sergeant Trevor Murphy. Because Trevor is second-in-command of the drugs task force, Brian diverts most station cops to the task force. That leaves the station very short, which upsets Cormac, who tries to get more staff. What a fine author is Dervla McTiernan! In "The Good Turn", she splits the narratives early in the book, with Garda Cormac Reilly being suspended and remaining in Galway, and another young Garda, Peter Fisher, a protégé of Reilly, being sent to the seaside village of Roundstone as a banishment for a suspected unlawful killing.