Rituals of Death — Anna McSweeney

A gripping tale of tangled relationships and shadowy secrets, set in the dramatic surrounds of Ireland's famed Atlantic coastline

Maureen lies unconscious on a lonely track. Her husband blames a fellow holidaymaker at Nessa McDermott's country house on Ireland's enchanting Beara peninsula. Two days later, a man's body is found, strangled and dumped. Amid a frenzy of police, media and family pressures, former journalist Nessa has to find her own answers--but meanwhile, ambitious young policeman Redmond Joyce is also hellbent on identifying the murderer, and conflict between them grows as they close in on the horrifying truth.

Translated from the Gaelic, this novel introduces a talented author with keen observation and detail, and marks the beginning of a series with Nessa and her ambitious policeman acquaintance.