Book Synopsis:
Tony, Hugh and Karen thought they’d seen the last of each other thirty years ago. Half a lifetime has passed and memories have been buried. But when they are asked to reunite – to lay ghosts to rest for the good of the future – they all have their own reasons to agree. As they take the ferry from Northern Ireland to Scotland the past is brought in to terrible focus – some things are impossible to leave behind.
In The Last Crossing memory is unreliable, truth shifts and slips and the lingering legacy of the Troubles threatens the present once again.
The Last Crossing is available in all formats now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
The Last Crossing is an intriguing story which manages to be more than just a crime story.
The story starts off a bit dramatically with a murder and the pace doesn’t let off much. The reader is taken back and forwards in time to learn more about the group of friends and their motivation for the murder. I’ve said before in my reviews that I always enjoy books based on old friendship groups as there is always so much room for potential and hidden secrets which always makes it hugely enjoyable to read.
The atmosphere in the story was very cleverly created as it was set from the time of all the trouble in Ireland to the present day which helped create a bit of tension to the story as I felt there was always a suggestion that violence could errupt. I found it interesting to learn a bit more about Ireland’s history and how past events had affected everyone for years to come.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic read which I found hard to put down. Karen and Tony were very sympathetic characters who I felt had got dragged into something completely over their heads for the wrong reasons. I liked that they were flawed as it made them and the story seem more realistic. The twist at the end of the book took me totally by surprise which I always enjoy. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll look forward to reading more from him in the future.
Huge thanks to Emily from Done Press for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Brian McGilloway is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Inspector Benedict Devlin and DS Lucy Black series. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. After studying English at Queen’s University, Belfast, he took up a teaching position in St Columb’s College in Derry, where he was Head of English. His first novel, Borderlands, published by Macmillan New Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2007 and was hailed by The Times as ‘one of (2007’s) most impressive debuts.’ The second novel in the series, Gallows Lane, was shortlisted for both the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2010. Bleed A River Deep, the third Devlin novel, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 2010. Brian’s fifth novel, Little Girl Lost, which introduced a new series featuring DS Lucy Black, won the University of Ulster’s McCrea Literary Award in 2011 and was a New York Times Bestseller in the US and a No.1 Bestseller in the UK. The follow-up novel, Hurt, was published in late 2013 by Constable and Robinson and will be published in the USA in May 2014. The third Lucy Black novel will follow later in 2014. In 2014, Brian won BBC NI’s Tony Doyle Award for his screenplay, Little Emperors, an award which sees him become Writer In Residence with BBC NI. Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife, daughter and three sons.
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