A chess player returns home to find his dog hideaously injured and his family dead with their throats slit. Granville Markham confesses to killing his family but DI LIam O’Reilly isn’t convinced that this is the truth…
Sadness on the Island is the 10th book in the O’Reilly series set on Guernsey.
A woman phones the police to advise that a dog has stopped barking. She is adamant that something is wrong and when the police investigate they find a seriously injured dog and Granville sat playing chess with his family dead upstairs. A murder investigation swings into action and there appears to be just one suspect. I was almost screaming at Liam to arrest him at first! But his guilt seems too easy and quick to figure out which makes Liam suspicious.
There is also a personal side to the plot as Liam adjusts to living alone as his daughter has moved out. He is also dealing with his girlfriend’s cancer which reminds him of the death of his wife from the same disease. There are big issues involved but this is countered by the humour of Liam’s attitude towards the cats!
The pace is fast and the chapters are short. I found myself swept up in the investigation while also emotionally attuned to Liam as he accepts changes to his life and relationships. The ending made me smile but Stewart Giles is the master of the cliffhanger and this book was no exception…
Sadness on the Island is a great addition to this already wonderful series.
SADNESS ON THE ISLAND Detective Liam O’Reilly #10) by Stewart Giles
Detective Liam O’Reilly has reached a low point in his life.
The love of his life has just been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and his daughter is about to move out of the apartment they’ve shared for the past year.
Even his cats are bringing him down, and he doesn’t think life can get much worse.
But then everything is suddenly put into perspective when news of a horrific incident comes in.
A man has arrived home to find his entire family slaughtered. His wife and children have been brutally murdered. The family dog has also been viciously attacked.
O’Reilly soon forgets his own woes and throws himself headlong into the case. His own sadness can wait.
But soon, O’Reilly realises things are rarely as they appear to be. Not all sadness is real. Sometimes there is something much deeper running beneath the surface, and as he gets closer to the truth, his own misery is forgotten when he comes face to face with an evil so dark, he starts to wonder if sadness is destined to be the norm from now on.
What readers are saying about Sadness on the Island
‘I was absolutely overcome by all the sadness and the references to cats, chess and cancer. I don’t want to give any spoilers, this is 5 star, the best in the series.’ –Carol
‘It’s a great plot, incredibly well crafted as ever with twists and turns and also the subplot of Liam’s personal life. It’s an unusual plot, one centred very cleverly around chess , the chess master vs the detective. Loved this, and wow! What an ending. Can’t wait for the next one!’ – Misfits Farm
‘Liam also has a couple of major personal issues he needs to come to terms with as well as being at war with his cats which brings a bit of humour into the story. I really enjoyed this and always look forward to a new book in the series.’ – Maureen
BOOKS BY STEWART GILES
DI O’REILLY MYSTERIES
1 – Blood on the Island
2 – Lies on the Island
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey, the Detective Liam O’Reilly series. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
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