Books: how a successful dairy co-op died a dramatic death
This week there’s murder, mystery and intrigue. There’s also the true story of a successful business destroyed and a little bit of rugby for teeny rugby fans.
Murder on Alaskan Cruise, Margaret McCormack, Michael Terence, €13.99
The snowy mountains and glacial seas of Alaska are the setting for this story, where Nicole Mulcannon, finds herself on an Alaskan cruise, a lifelong dream. She has longed for this trip for years. On the cruise she expects to make new friends, as well as enjoy some of the finest scenery on the planet. She doesn’t expect to be accused of murder. The story opens with Nicole in garda custody, awaiting trial for the murder of her friend Louise Castillo, whose body was found was found in Nicole’s berth on the ship. Nicole didn’t do it. And in addition to clearing her name, she will also need to work out precisely who did do it and why. Expect love and intrigue, extra-marital affairs, revenge plots and shenanigans galore as Nicole endeavours to uncover the truth about Louise’s death.
Heritage Destruction, Joe Leonard, Smithboro, €15
How does a dairy co-op that’s been a runaway success for more than a century die a dramatic death in recent years, when names like Kerrygold, Lakelands and others just seem to get bigger and more successful with every passing year? Well, the answer isn’t simple and Joe Leonard, to his great credit, has explored every rabbit-hole that presented itself to document this litany of disasters regarding the closure of the Town of Monaghan Co-Op.
Names are named and shamed, accounts are examined, Leonard has left no stone unturned in his scrutiny of the co-op’s business dealings, especially in the years leading up to the closing of the gates. In a town not known for its industry, the co-op provided hundreds of jobs for urban Monaghan dwellers along with a thriving farming community in the hinterlands, but like so many indigenous industries in Ireland, it got swallowed whole after a merger that Leonard argues should never have taken place.
The gates are still closed on the Town of Monaghan Co-Op but this book also contains many memories of the halcyon days. It is generously illustrated throughout, with pictures from the early 20th century right up to the time of closure and is an important and intriguing slice of local history.
The Tarot Reader of Versailles, Anya Bergman, Manilla Press, €12.99
Now out in paperback, this novel explores the relationship between two extraordinary women in a time of revolution. Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand is a tarot reader, fortune teller, spiritualist and necromancer, faithful to Marie Antoinette in the days before the French Revolution. Lenormand is a factual historical character who later thrived in Napoleonic era, and, although her work was ‘illegal’, many of the rich and powerful in 19th century Paris consulted her more than once.
The fiction here is provided by scullery maid Cait, a young Irish woman in Paris who can read people’s pasts, while Lenormand can read their futures. Their relationship should have been a successful one, but Cait has her mind on other things. The French Revolution has inspired Cait to be part of a movement intent on an Irish revolution. If the French can overthrow their rulers, then surely the Irish can do the same? It’s a fine novel based on fact, and a dark odyssey through the blood-soaked streets of Paris during and after the days of the Revolution.
The City in Year Zero, Michael Russell, Constable, €12.99
This is Michael Russell’s 10th and final novel in his successful Stefan Gillespie series of novels set in WWII. The year is 1945, year zero in the aftermath of the war. When the Irish ambassador to the Third Reich finally leaves Germany, Stefan Gillespie, a garda detective, makes his way home too, always closely observed by British Intelligence, who are looking at the people Ireland doesn’t necessarily want back on her shores.
Soon there will be a murder enquiry, and Gillespie is drawn back into the thick of it all. He finds himself in his childhood hometown, reconnecting with his German relatives. His cousin Annelise and her daughter need his help, and he is anxious to assist them. But the past is another country – they do things differently there – and by helping his German family, Gillespie will find himself in grave mortal danger.
The Exes, Leodora Darlington, Michael Joseph, €16.99
Natalie or Nat, as she’s known, has a string of exes. Nothing unusual in that. What is unusual, however, is that they’re all dead. Every last one of ‘em. And they seem to have died in odd circumstances, too. At the beginning of the novel, Nat is feeling betrayed. Her husband is in the bedroom crying, while the party they’re hosting continues downstairs. As ‘Dancing Queen’ blares through the stereo, Nat realises she’s holding the sharpest kitchen knife she owns in her hand. She thinks ‘not again’ and slides it under a pillow in her guest bedroom. And something from the past comes back to her, a memory of white-hot rage. A memory she could do without.
The Exes is an accomplished debut from an author with a promising future. Her characters are well-rounded and multi-faceted, her handling of Nat’s history alongside her present circumstances is seamless. It’s dark, twisty and tense, heartily recommended by Liz Nugent.
Ireland’s Call, Paul O’Flynn, Gill, €9.99
This book is for the mini rugby players and fans who all dream of playing rugby for their country when they grow up. It tells them about a time of change in Irish rugby. Following the World Cup heartbreak and the loss of Johnny Sexton, Ireland faced the new Six Nations season with many challenges. Could they recover from recent events? This is the rugby story of 2024, specially written for very young fans who would be thrilled with this little book.
Footnotes
Belfast is the place to be – with the little ones – on March 5-14, as their 2026 Children’s Festival unfolds across the city, with local, national and international performances and events. See youngatart.co.uk for details.