In Ireland we are very lucky to have some incredible writers on our doorstep, as was very evident at the recent BGE Irish Book Awards in Dublin.
I always feel that after a book has been published it gets a little forgotten about, as the reader is continually looking for the LATEST read or the NEXT big thing. There are a multitude of amazing books on the shelves that deserve the same space and attention of the reader, so today I pay homage to five such books from Irish Writers that were published in 2017
Poolbeg Books are one of the many Irish publishers that produce high quality reads across all genre.
With 2017 coming to a close I have put together a selection of their books that I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to read this year and which would all be perfect stocking fillers. From crime fiction to nostalgia, from historical to inspirational, each novel has something special to offer the reader.
So in no particular order….
The Other Side of The Wall by Andrea Mara
My Thoughts ~ “With sinister disturbances and creepy vibes throughout, this is one hell of a debut. Will make you reflect on what really goes on behind closed doors. The Other Side of The Wall is a well balanced novel that moves along at a very fast pace.” For full review read HERE
Book Info:
When Sylvia looks out her bedroom window at night and sees a child face down in the pond next door, she races into her neighbour’s garden. But the pond is empty, and no-one is answering the door.
Wondering if night feeds and sleep deprivation are getting to her, she hurriedly retreats. Besides, the fact that a local child has gone missing must be preying on her mind. Then, a week later, she hears the sound of a man crying through her bedroom wall.
The man living next door, Sam, has recently moved in. His wife and children are away for the summer and he joins them at weekends. Sylvia finds him friendly and helpful, yet she becomes increasingly uneasy about him.
Then Sylvia’s little daughter wakes one night, screaming that there’s a man in her room. This is followed by a series of bizarre disturbances in the house.
Sylvia’s husband insists it’s all in her mind, but she is certain it’s not – there’s something very wrong on the other side of the wall.
Purchase Link ~ The Other Side of The Wall
The Last Lost Girl by Maria Hoey
My Thoughts ~ “An enthralling read that takes the reader on an almost hypnotic journey. The Last Lost Girl is a soul-searching journey for the truth, that is packed full of nostalgia, with a heartfelt yearning for a life free from the baggage of the past…” For full review read HERE
Book Info:
On a perfect July evening in the sizzling Irish summer of 1976, fifteen-year-old Festival Queen Lilly Brennan disappears. Thirty-seven years later, as the anniversary of Lilly’s
disappearance approaches, her sister Jacqueline returns to their childhood home in Blackberry Lane. There she stumbles upon something that reopens the mystery, setting her on a search for the truth – a search that leads her to surprising places and challenging encounters.
Jacqueline feels increasingly compelled to find the answer to what happened to Lilly all those years ago and finally lay her ghost to rest. But at what cost? For unravelling the past proves to be a dangerous and painful thing, and her path to the truth leads her ever closer to a dark secret she may not wish to know.
Purchase Link ~ The Last Lost Girl
There Was A Crooked Man by Cat Hogan
My Thoughts ~ “There Was A Crooked Man has some down-right seedy characters in it’s pages as you get an insight into the murky depths of human depravity. It’s an engrossing read as you race to the finish with heart palpitations and sore fingers, as you swiftly turn each page.” For full review read HERE
Book Info:
Scott makes enemies everywhere.
Powerful people want him dead.
He’s coming back to Ireland to finish what he started. But first, he must make it out of Marrakech alive.
Jen knows Scott will come back. Every day, she waits. He almost killed her last time and, fuelled by hate and arrogance, he’s not a man to ever just move on. He will kill her and he will kill her young son.
But her husband and friends believe she has spiralled into paranoia.
So she knows, when he returns, she’ll face the psychopath alone.
Purchase Link ~ There Was A Crooked Man
The Tide Between Us by Olive Collins
My Thoughts ~ “The Tide Between Us is an emotional and truly poignant story that you will get swept up in, as you imagine the traumas and horrors of our past. With vivid descriptions that will melt your heart and bring tears to your eyes, this is a quite a disturbing tale, but also a tale of homecomings and atonement.” For full review read HERE
Book Info:
1821: After the landlord of Lugdale Estate in Kerry is assassinated, young Art O’Neill’s innocent father is hanged and Art is deported to the cane fields of Jamaica as an indentured servant. On Mangrove Plantation he gradually acclimatises to the exotic country and unfamiliar customs of the African slaves, and achieves a kind of contentment.Then the new heirs to the plantation arrive. His new owner is Colonel Stratford-Rice from Lugdale Estate, the man who hanged his father. Art must overcome his hatred to survive the harsh life of a slave and live to see the eventual emancipation which liberates his coloured children. Eventually he is promised seven gold coins when he finishes his service, but he doubts his master will part with the coins.
One hundred years later in Ireland, a skeleton is discovered beneath a fallen tree on the grounds of Lugdale Estate. By its side is a gold coin minted in 1870. Yseult, the owner of the estate, watches as events unfold, fearful of the long-buried truths that may emerge about her family’s past and its links to the slave trade. As the body gives up its secrets, Yseult realises she too can no longer hide.
Purchase Link ~ The Tide Between Us
The King of Lavender Square by Susan Ryan
My Thoughts ~ “I dare you not to be completely enraptured by this compelling and enchanting tale. Susan Ryan has achieved something very special with this book. I highly recommend The King of Lavender Square. It is a novel that brings joy to a world that has forgotten how to be…… A charming, captivating and truly magical novel” For full review read HERE
Book Info:
Saskia watches the lives of others from her eyrie in Lavender Square with a lonely fascination. While the teacher, the recluse, the advertising whizz-kid and the African woman and her young son run, rush, dart and dash, she knows for sure that she will never have anything worth dashing to.
But sometimes all it takes is a little magic to bring people together. And, in Lavender Square, where the lavender grows in mysterious abundance and colours the air with a musky sense of love, magic is never very far away.
The neighbours, who once passed each other by in detached universes, find themselves thrown together when they are obliged to take care of young Patrick Kimba. His mother is seriously ill and no one knows when or if she is ever coming home. At first they resist the tiresome interruption, until quite by accident Patrick’s dream of becoming a football star and finding his long-lost father becomes theirs, and their lives and heartaches become woven together in a new and unexpected pattern.
Purchase Link ~ The King of Lavender Square
I didn’t realise these were all Poolbeg Books. I’m not sure what started it but Poolbeg were on my radar many years ago and I regularly, before book groups and Facebook etc, used to check out their books. They publish some crackers.
Tbh Nicola I didn’t realise myself the quality of their books until they came in my letter box!! I get quite excited with a Poolbeg book now. Fab books!
I own The Other Side of the Wall. I just haven’t gotten around to reading yet. Interesting info. about the Irish publisher!
O enjoy Holly!! xx