Recently read: John Brady’s A Stone of the Heart

Brady has written numerous novels featuring Inspector Matt Minogue of the Garda Murder Squad in Dublin. I never tire of reading these books. Minogue is the sort of detective I like, just sensitive enough, and full of human frailty. I’ve noticed as the mystery/police procedural genre has progressed over the decades, the hard-boiled single male personified by Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe has morphed into the sensitive and brilliant man, of which Minogue is one. In this book, a murder in the hallowed grounds of Trinity College brings the “town” into the world of the “gown” (that'll make sense to those of you who are familiar with that expression). Drugs, the IRA, money, and hereditary privilege are at odds with Minogue and his team in their search for justice. As usual, Brady is well worth reading.