Books Reviews

The Rising – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Oct 20, 2010, 17:03 GMT

When Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin is summoned to a burning barn, he finds inside the charred remains of a man who is quickly identified as a local drug dealer, Martin Kielty. It soon becomes clear that Kielty\'s death was no accident, and suspicion falls on a local vigilante group. Former paramilitaries, the men call themselves The Rising. Meanwhile, a former colleague\'s teenage son has gone missing during a seaside camping ...more

Drugs and paramilitaries mix together in this crime story set in Ireland.  Garda Inspector Benedict Devlin is summoned to a burning barn where he find the murdered remains of a local drug dealer. 

Is it the work of ex paramilitaries or is it a drug dealer’s feud? The situation becomes more complex when one of Devlin's former colleagues reports that his teenage son has gone missing - or has he? Conflicting reports from the teenagers mother and father make the situation somewhat difficult. 

And what of Devlin's own family - is he giving them enough time or are they being sacrificed to the job?  Devlin is an interesting character, and could well be developed further. 

The plot line didn't keep my attention completely, mainly because I have to admit, I start getting bored when hearing of Irish paramilitaries.  There has just been too much written about them in the past.