The Coroner's Daughter by Andrew Hughes

Andrew Hughes' second novel returns to the Dublin setting of his first but earlier in the century to the summer of 1816 when Northern Europe was engulfed in a wintry fog which perplexed scientists and caused much proclamation about the end of the world from religious fanatics. It was known as the year without a summer. The young lady of the title is Abigail Lawless, eighteen years old, a budding scientist full of curiosity and passion for learning. When a young nursemaid in the house of a neighbouring family apparently murders her newborn Abigail cannot help being intrigued about the young woman’s circumstances. She discovers a message from the young maid’s lover and is soon embroiled in an investigation into the fanatical religious sect known as The Brethren and their bitter rivals the rationalist Royal Astronomer Professor Reeves and his followers. Abigail is clever, defiant and resourceful. Her father has provided a thorough scientific education and while he is aware of her intelligence he is also aware of the restrictions society imposes on her, as a woman and there are a number of clashes between father and daughter. Andrew Hughes is a wonderfully talented author bringing Dublin and its surroundings to life with deft characterizations, detailed but never laboured descriptions and a plot which will have readers racing through the pages. An utterly transporting book. Highly recommended especially for fans of Sophia Tobin and Lloyd Shepherd.

Published in February 2017 by Doubleday in hardback 

This review originally appeared in Historical Novels Review Issue 79 Feb 2017

https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-coroners-daughter/

The Book of Learning by ER Murray

The Book of Learning is the first book in the Nine Lives Trilogy and was published by Mercier last September. It tells the story of a twelve year old girl called Ebony Smart who lives with her grandpa in West Cork. However as the book opens Ebony’s grandpa has just died and she is devastated. While she longs to stay in the only home she has known she is whisked away by a strange character called Judge Ambrose who informs her that she has an aunt in Dublin who will be looking after her from now on. Ebony is less than pleased at this turn of events, in fact she is having what can only be described as the worst birthday ever. Luckily it turns out that Aunt Ruby is a brilliantly fun character and even better she and Ebony are part of an ancient order of people with special powers. Unfortunately someone is trying to kill off members of the order and it’s up to Ebony to stop them. This is a smart, funny adventurous story with a tough and resourceful heroine at its heart. This book is perfect for fans of Derek Landy and Shane Hegarty and I would also recommend it to fans of Ruth Long’s Young Adult fantasy series as it features some great adventures around Dublin city’s landmarks. The writing is absolutely brilliant and it is a wonderful book to read aloud as I discovered when I promised to read my daughter just a couple of pages and couldn’t resist devouring several chapters. It has a great opening line ‘The thick, black night hangs heavy with murder.’ E. R. Murray’s next book is a Young Adult novel called Caramel Hearts in April and the next instalment in the Nine Lives Trilogy is due in August. It is no surprise to hear that The Book of Learning has been chosen as 2016 Citywide Reading for Children Campaign by Dublin City of Literature, as it is a stonking good read.  The Campaign runs until the end of March and the book is available in all Dublin City Libraries and in all good bookshops. Find out more here

Dubliners 100 Edited by Thomas Morris

Celebrating Joyce's homage to his home city one hundred years after publication and just in time for Bloomsday is an ambitious and brilliant achievement for newcomers Tramp Press in this their second outing. It is a beautifully produced book and it is certain to put Tramp firmly on the literary map. The calibre of the writers who have contributed work to this anthology is top notch, ranging from Patrick McCabe who opens the book with his interpretation of The Sisters to Peter Murphy who closes with The Dead. The quality of the work is in many cases outstanding. The stories share a name and a similarity of theme with the originals. The Dublin landscape features strongly and the realities of modern Dublin living are presented in all their hideous glory often turning the original setting on its head. Thus Donal Ryan's "Eveline" gives us aslylum seekers and welcome parties instead of the exile of the original. Similarly Oona Frawley's "The Boarding House" features a couple through financial difficulty forced to "board" with her mother. Some of the stories are outstanding "A Mother" by Elske Rahill. "Clay" by Michele Forbes and "A Painful Case" by Paul Murray deserve particular mention for their vivid rendering of the Dublin of today and their fantastic characterisation, some I felt were less successful Patrick Mc Cabe's and Andrew Fox's stories did nothing for me. Nonetheless there will no doubt be something for everyone in this wonderful collection which features striking cover artwork and is available in both paperback and hardcover. Thanks so much to Lisa at Tramp Press who sent me a review copy. Officially launched last night (5th June) Dubliners 100 is available now in all good bookshops.