Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville

Those We Left Behind by Stuart Neville - 368 pages
Belfast Novels Book 5

DCI Serena Flanagan is returning to the police force after an extended medical leave.  She is immediately thrown into conflict with her colleagues when Ciaran Devine who killed his foster father while only 12 in a horrific past case are finally being released from prison.  Ciaran's probation officer suspects there is more to the case than meets the eye and approaches Flanagan to explore if Ciaran was ever truly guilty in the first place.  The suspense is excellent but the depictions of the side characters can ring a little flat.  Flanagan's husband and police colleagues have every right to be angry with her based on her behavior but they aren't really given any credibility in the story.  Plus the side story of the tragedy from the cancer support group seems a bit tacked on.  I didn't realize this was part of a series so I'm sure I would have benefited from the back story of seeing the relationships in the earlier books to feel a deeper connection.

Collusion by Stuart Neville

Collusion by Stuart Neville, 354 pages

The sequel to Neville's debut novel, The Ghosts of Belfast, does not disappoint.  An assassin is stalking Belfast and Detective Inspector Jack Lennon has to unravel a conspiracy that lead both into the police department and into his own troubled past.  Neville writes the Irish noir police procedural at its best.  This isn't a cozy mystery that will warm your heart.  It's one that keeps you turning the pages in hope that there is some redemption for Lennon somewhere.  If you like Ken Bruen, this book is for you.