Martina Murphy – författare

''Well plotted and page turning'' - Patricia Gibney''A tense, fast-paced, and deftly plotted thriller, which kept me guessing right to the end. I''m already looking forward to the next outing for Detective Sergeant Lucy Golden and her crew!''- Andrea CarterSometimes darkness stalks the most beautiful places...On Doogort East Bog, Achill Island, a body is found. The close community is stunned to learn that it''s Lisa Moran, a popular teacher who disappeared two days earlier. DS Lucy Golden is assigned to the case. For her, it''s personal. As an Achill native, she knows that sometimes great evil can lurk in plain sight. Having moved back from Dublin, she has spent the last ten years trying to prove herself to her colleagues after her husband was jailed for fraud. This is her chance to put the past behind her. Her teenage son Luc''s behaviour, however, is increasingly troubling and Lucy doesn''t have time for distractions.When another body is found in an abandoned property on the bog, with links to a murder 20 years ago, the stakes are raised - but a pattern is emerging. Can Lucy put the pieces together? Or will her family crisis mean the murderer claims his next victim?''A novel that raises the bar for crime procedurals. . . artful, measured and gripping'' Shots Magazine''A twisty mystery, a moody setting and a troubled cop on a tricky case. What more could you want?'' Peterborough Evening Telegraph

''The Branded pulls you straight into the story, snares you, and won''t let you escape until you turn the last page'' Patricia GibneyDuring an unprecedented heatwave, the body of a young girl is found in a submerged suitcase in Loch Acorrymore on Achill Island. DS Lucy Golden is tasked with identifying her and returning her to her family. With the help of her team, they discover that the girl was a runaway, who had spent some time in a homeless shelter. She has been murdered and an investigation is launched.Despite some promising leads, Lucy''s enquiries seem to be going nowhere until another the body with connections to the homeless shelter is discovered in what initially appears to be a suicide. Lucy knows that there is no such thing as coincidence, but the race is on to find the link between the two victims before the trail goes cold. As Lucy is drawn deeper into the case, she realises that these murders may be a whole lot more sinister than first thought. Can Lucy keep a clear emotional head and get to the truth before more girls end up dead?Praise for The Branded''Even better than her first [book]. . . a breathless crime novel, imbued with a sense of place'' Westmeath Examiner''Such a good, interesting read'' Belfast Telegraph''DC Lucy Golden returns in another nail-biting Irish thriller'' Peterborough Telegraph

The reckoning is coming...In an isolated house by Dugort pier a body is found. DS Lucy Golden is shocked to discover that the victim, Sandra Byrne, is a sister of one of her old school friends. To further complicate matters, Ben Lively, one of Lucy''s colleagues, is the chief suspect. Lucy must put aside her bias in order to uncover the truth. But the deeper she digs into Sandra''s life, the more the past starts to unravel and the less she seems to know. How do you solve a murder when all you have are lies?As Lucy desperately tries to sort out what is true from what is not, Rob, her ex-husband and ex-con, makes a reappearance.And when the reckoning for past mistakes finally arrives, nothing is what it seems.Praise for Martina Murphy''The Branded pulls you straight into the story, snares you, and won''t let you escape until you turn the last page'' Patricia Gibney''A novel that raises the bar for crime procedurals. . . artful, measured and gripping'' Shots Magazine''A twisty mystery, a moody setting and a troubled cop on a tricky case. What more could you want?'' Peterborough Evening Telegraph

''A gripping mystery lies at the heart of this atmospheric and wonderfully written police procedural'' Brian McGillowayA fatal fire in a holiday let on Slievemore, Achill Island, leaves one person dead and another missing. Deemed arson, DS Lucy Golden and her team are tasked with solving the murder and locating the missing woman, Moira Delaney. As the case develops, the pressure builds when it transpires that Moira''s father is a gangland figure, a suspect in three unsolved murders. If Lucy doesn''t uncover what happened that morning in Slievemore, he will deploy his men to deal out his own sort of justice.Things get even more complicated when a laptop is uncovered that could ruin all that Lucy holds dear. And as the net on the suspect tightens, Lucy faces a hard choice - will she use it to save herself and bring a murderer to justice, or bury it and save her family and her career?''With the raw and savagely beautiful Achill Island as a fitting backdrop, a tense and gut-wrenching plotline, and a cast of expertly drawn characters, Murphy delivers up a gritty and emotional reading experience'' Zoe Miller