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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Of shielings, shebeens, and Finn MacCool's salmon., 10 Nov 2002
Gill's novels are always fun because they revolve around aspects of Irish life not usually incorporated into mystery stories--eel-fishing, secret Catholic societies, literary history, and in this case, the serious business of salmon-fishing and fly-tying. Well drawn, repeating characters, lyrical descriptions of Ireland's rural charms, pitch-perfect vernacular and syntax, big dollops of humor, and a graceful incorporation of the mythology and history which infuses Irish culture intrigue the reader on levels other than plot. This novel reflects all of these characteristics to some degree, but the mystery at the heart of this novel is thinner and less complex than in some of Gill's other novels. Focusing on the death of famed salmon-fisherman Nellie Millar in Donegal's Owenea River, Gill employs a limited cast of characters, each of whom has a reason to resent and or even kill Nellie, who is a former lover of Supt. Peter McGarr of the Garda Siochana. McGarr (now suspended) and his wife Noreen, along with acting Supt. Hugh Ward and his former lover, Det. Ruthie Bresnahan, find themselves helping unofficially in the investigation of Nellie's death and lending moral support to Nellie's bereft father. The usually intense and idiosyncratic behavior of McGarr and his staff, which so often animates Gill's novels and keeps the reader involved and intrigued, is absent here. The wild nights and fights, the circumventions of the law to achieve a greater good, and the threats to the safety of McGarr, his staff, and their families, which usually keep the reader on edge, are missing. Though written in beautiful prose, this plot is more formulaic--and the characters' more predictable--than is customary for Gill. It's fun to read, but not Gill's best.
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