(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Dr. Emma Sweeney happens across the dead body of a university student while crossing campus after hours, she calls the first person who comes to mind—her boyfriend, Detective Sergeant Cormac Reilly.  As persona non grata at the Galway police station, Cormac never would have been assigned to the apparent hit-and-run.  Especially considering his relationship with the star witness.  Things get even dicier when a student i.d. in the deceased's pocket identifies the victim as Carline Darcy, granddaughter of the billionaire owner of Darcy Therapeutics, the company which funds Emma's research.  Suddenly, the "accident" is looking a lot like murder, with Emma quickly becoming the biggest suspect.  And, somehow, Cormac is the one in charge of the investigation.

With the case getting increasingly complicated, Cormac is torn between his loyalty to his girlfriend and the evidence mounting against her.  Determined to solve a murder and finally prove himself to his colleagues at the same time, Cormac will have to risk everything he has, both personal and professional, to find the truth.

While I didn't enjoy the second installment in Dervla McTiernan's Cormac Reilly series quite as much as the first, I still really liked The Scholar.  Like its predecessor, the novel is a compelling, exciting page-turner that I had a hard time putting down.  I especially like the characters McTiernan has created, all of whom are realistically complicated and flawed.  Although the story people in this series have already come alive enough for me to care about what happens to them, I still feel like each of them has hidden depths to be explored.  That's one of the reasons I'm so excited to see where this series goes.  McTiernan has impressed me so far.  I'm a big Cormac Reilly fan; I can't wait to see what happens to him next!

(Readalikes:  The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan; also reminds me of crime novels by Tana French, Sharon Bolton, and Jane Casey)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Scholar from the generous folks at Penguin via those at Edelweiss.  Thank you!