The plot revolves around a group of students at Father Brennan Burke's school who create a two-act play about the Halifax Explosion. Tension escalates when threats emerge against the students, culminating in the mysterious death of a young woman. As they navigate these chilling events, the connection between the past and present becomes increasingly significant, raising questions about the repercussions of history and the dangers of uncovering hidden truths.
Shay Rynne grew up in the Corporation Flats ― public housing ― in Fenian Street, Dublin. He has always toyed with the idea of joining the Garda Síochána, the Irish police. But in the early 1970s, young fellows from the tenements of Dublin have not been welcomed in the police force. When his friend Rosaleen is killed and the case goes unsolved, Shay decides to put on the uniform of a Dublin garda and sets out to find the killer.The murder inquiry makes an enemy of the detective who failed in the first investigation. Shay knows Detective McCreevy is just waiting for the chance to get revenge. But the violent death of a prominent politician gives Shay the opportunity to prove himself, perhaps even be promoted. Shay works with the lead detective on the murder inquiry and his star is rising, until suspicion falls on a member of Shay’s own family. So Shay is off the case. Officially. Determined to clear his family name, his under-the-radar investigation takes him from an opulent mansion in Dublin to Hell’s Kitchen in New York. And his good friend Father Brennan Burke has some surprising contacts for Shay in the shadowy world of New York’s Irish mob.
The murdered body of Sorcha the prophetess is discovered following a lavish banquet at the Maguire castle in 16th-century Ireland. In present day, a dig commences on the land, and not only is the body discovered, but a sheaf of prophecies. Who killed Sorcha? There has been a guesthouse on the Tierney land in County Fermanagh for hundreds of years. Now Tierney's Hotel is faced with a development that will block the hotel's best feature, its view of Enniskillen Castle. But the project can be stopped if there are important historical artifacts buried on the property. Enter the archaeologists. Mick's ancestor, Brigid Tierney, ran the guesthouse in the late 1500s. We see Brigid and Shane and their children at a lavish banquet at the castle, home of the ruling family, the Maguires. The wine and ale flow freely, the harpist plays, the bard recites the Maguires' heroic deeds. But one woman has a sense of foreboding. Sorcha the prophetess sees harrowing times ahead. The Tudors of England are determined to complete their brutal conquest of Ireland. The morning after the banquet, Sorcha is found dead on a bed of oak leaves. And Shane is accused of the killing. His lawyer, Terence, conducts his defense on the hilltop that constitutes the court in 1595. In the present day, the dig commences on Mick Tierney's land. Historical artifacts? Yes. But also a sheaf of prophecies. And a body ― a bogman ― four hundred years old.
This installment in Anne Emery's Collins-Burke series takes the bluesman and the father to Northern Ireland, where the recent IRA ceasefire belies Belfast's steady criminal undertow. Monty and Brennan confront the cost of justice in Though the Heavens Fall.
Father Brennan Burke is plagued by guilt when a parishioner he was supposed to meet with ends up floating in the Halifax Harbor. His penitence propels him to travel to Berlin to find out what secrets the murdered woman was carrying, and he'll stop at nothing to find out who is responsible for her death.
The mystery unfolds when twelve-year-old Bonnie MacDonald, a talented stepdancer and fiddler, disappears after a family gathering in Cape Breton. With no evidence of foul play, her cousin Maura offers legal help as the police investigate. The story deepens as Maura's daughter, Normie, navigates family ties and unsettling revelations, haunted by nightmares and visions. Amidst the cultural richness of the area, an ominous presence is sensed by their great-grandmother, leading RCMP Sergeant Pierre Maguire to confront the darkness lurking beneath the surface.
In this latest installment of the Collins-Burke mystery series, Anne Emery weaves a gripping narrative filled with suspense and intricate plot twists. The story delves into complex characters and their relationships while exploring themes of justice and morality. As the protagonists navigate a web of secrets and lies, readers are drawn into a captivating mystery that challenges their perceptions and keeps them guessing until the very end.
Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous late 1980s, the story follows Father Brennan Burke as he rushes to London after his sister's arrest. Compounding family crises arise when his cousin Conn faces murder charges linked to a Special Branch detective and a potential terrorist plot. As the Burkes navigate these challenges, they find themselves under scrutiny from the detective's partner, unraveling a web of hidden family secrets and memories that threaten to resurface amidst the chaos.