A very enjoyable read! I was very interested in getting my hands on this one after I read the blurb and I am pleased to say that I was not let down.

The story is written very well and the characters are interesting and jump off the page. I would recommend this read!

This book wasn't really for me. Don't get me wrong thenqritinf was strong but I wasn't really captivated by the characters or the story.

After Detective Finnegan Beck is demoted and forced to work in the quiet town of Cross Beg, his intention is to keep his head down until he can return to Dublin. However, after a teen girl is found dead, he’s thrust into a complicated investigation, with his experience pulling him to suspect the case is more complicated than it first appears. As he wades through closely guarded secrets and the deep social relationships that come with small town life, he feels on the cusp of cracking the case— and then there’s another murder.

Author Michael Scanlon has written a powerful mystery wrapped in a mystery. The first mystery resides in Finnegan Beck himself. He’s a complicated, sometimes gruff, man with plenty of shortcomings. As the book opens, it’s understood that he’s been demoted, but with no immediate explanation as to why. Withholding this information is a brilliant move, casting Beck as potentially unreliable. Who is he? What happened? And what is he hiding? Scanlon breaks with this information when it can move the story, expertly revealing Beck’s layers as the case goes deeper.

One of the most common tropes in thrillers is the brilliant yet tormented detective and, while Beck is both brilliant and tormented, Scanlon flips this on its head. Beck is brilliant despite his shortcomings, not because of them. There’s an underlying organization to his work and he actively shows remorse for his mistakes and attempts to navigate them in a healthy way. He just isn’t always successful, and watching these active failures creates a more interesting, powerful character. Yes, he might be erratic, but he knows what he’s doing.

However, it’s the mystery of the murder that pushes the book into remarkable territory. Scanlon knows how to weave police procedure and investigation into a compelling narrative. Part of this comes from providing Beck with a smart, curious partner in Claire Somers. She balances and grounds the pair in the intricate world of Cross Beg, and it’s thrilling reading about the two as they progress as a team on a case where everything seems to be working against them.

The murders, viewed from the perspective of the killer, are graphic. The descriptions are vivid and, honestly, repulsive. For some, they might be too extreme, but it’s a matter of reader comfortability, which makes sense for this type of novel. It isn’t gratuitous and provides an extreme sense of urgency for Beck and Somers to unmask the killer. For this reason, the final act, as everything comes together perfectly, is as riveting as it is surprising.

The Quiet Hours is a stunning debut with plenty of thrilling twists.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really like books like this regarding detectives that have may be fallen out of line and really liked Finnegan Beck. I shall be looking out for more books from this author

Well, this was a really enjoyable book. Honestly, in the beginning I struggled to get through the pages but it soon had me gripped and ended up being quite a page turner. The characters in this books were quite well created and I enjoyed getting to know them. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book and a big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange of my honest review.

This book took me a long time to get into and was very slow at the beginning.
I'm glad I persevered as I liked the ending however I won't be reading further books by Scanlon.
Thank you for the free arc.

I was given the opportunity to read and review this book via Netgalley. The storyline of this book was really terrific, it was unique while still being dark and twisted. There were many plot twists and the ending was classic high paced terror. The story came together really well in the end. The reason i only gave this book 3 stars is because i found that there were to many characters that the author brought in, many of them were not relevant to the story and it took away from the main players. I also wasnt a big fan of there being a sub-story with the detective being demoted due to a prior event and then reinstated, it was again not relevant to the plot and i found it caused a little big of unnecessary drag on. There were places in the book where i found myself not overly eager to pick the book back up. In its entirety though the story was a good read overall.

This is an exciting debut in what looks to be a great series. It is an atmospheric police procedural and the main character has many obstacles in his path. I had no inkling of who the perpetrator was and story had many twists and turns and kept me guessing throughout.

4.5 stars!

One small town. One crazed killer. One devastating secret.

I have a weak spot for broken male characters with issues - I prefer them being cops *blush* - who are not perfect but who are able with their smart-ass-personality, their loyalty and sensibility to captivate you within no time at all.

Detective Finnegan Beck has a potential to become one of my favorite underdogs.
With his impressive debut novel The Quiet Hours Michael Scanlon cast a spell over me. I hope for more of Finnegan Beck in the future.

If you like Harry Hole Series by Jo Nesbø, you shouldn't miss this one. Finnegan Beck reminds me a lot of Harry Hole, not only because of his brilliant detective skills, his personal attitudes and his affinity to act on his own, but also because of his abuse of alcohol complicated relationship to alcohol.

A very impressive debut novel. Everything in this novel is just right: the characters, even the secondary ones are really good developed, the setting (a small Irish coast town), the mystery, the pace of the story, the writing, the balance between the gripping moments and humor.

I don't want to give a lot away. The blurb gives you everything you have to know to decide if you want to give it a go.

I can't recommend this book highly enough!

A fast paced crime mystery where a desolated town comes to life . Community members are not who they say they are and it is the demoted inspector Finnegan Beck from Dublin who solves a slew of gruesome murders. Along with his partner Claire they manage to unravel the many secrets of this town along the river. Beck has is own issues but as an investigator he is top notched. Events happen quickly and although the setting is dark and cold the author manages some light humour in the character of Beck.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Quiet Hours, the first novel to feature DS Finnegan Beck, set in the rural Irish town of Cross Beg.

Beck has been demoted and transferred from Pease Street, the busiest station in Dublin, to rural Cross Beg where nothing happens. His plan is to keep his head down, not get involved and wait out his disgrace and he sticks to it until a teenage girl is murdered when Inspector O’Reilly’s ineptitude forces him to take an interest.

I enjoyed The Quiet Hours which has a well concealed perpetrator and therefore is a good whodunnit. There is nothing particularly new in the premise with a deranged perpetrator, revealed as deranged through various italicised monologues throughout the novel, being hunted by a troubled detective, a high body count and various suspects but, as ever, the author puts his own spin on it and has produced a very acceptable, readable debut. Surprisingly, given the events, but perhaps in keeping with the title it is quite a muted read and doesn’t have the high octane impact of similar novels. I enjoyed the sedateness which gives the reader time to reflect on the investigation and have a few guesses (all wrong in my case).

Finnegan Beck is a character whom I’m sure I will come to love as the series develops. As it stands he’s a bit of a cliché with both drink and commitment issues and the mysterious demotion. The demotion is explained over the course of the novel and doesn’t quite ring true (surely An Garda Síochána would wait for the results of an enquiry before acting) but it allows for an exploration of rural living but the reason for his other tics isn’t so more to anticipate in the sequel. On the other hand he is a smart investigator and Mr Scanlon creates a good, believable scenario with the inept locals resenting the skills of the big city detective.

The Quiet Hours is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This was a page turning, don't put it down, yes you will be up all night, kind of read. Detective Finnegan Beck has been banished to a remote Irish town while his superiors contemplate what to do with him. While on hiatus, a young woman is murdered. The usual suspects are brought in for questioning and one looks like he may be the culprit. After uncovering a string of unsolved murders, Finn realizes something is not right in sleepy Cross Beg - are these all connected??? Scanlon does an amazing job with the story - this is an excellent read!

Thank you very much to Bookouture, Michael Scanlon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Quiet Hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more about Finnegan Beck in subsequent stories. The Quiet Hours really kept me guessing, a sign of a really great novel, I really could not tell who was the serial murderer until it was pointed out in the story at the very end. When I first started reading the book I was interested in what Beck had done that meant he was moved from Dublin to Cross Beg, as well as being demoted. What had he done? Why was he sent to Cross Beg? There were two stories contained in here and I was constantly swapping between them to find out why Beck was demoted along with who murdered Tanya. There were so many people that I thought could be the murderer until each of them was ruled out one by one! I would definitely recommend this book for others to read and can't wait for the next book with Finnegan Beck to find out more about this character. He was very different to any other police types I have read before, not the usual strait-laced officer! I am still trying to work him out.

The story progressed at a good pace and kept me wanting to keep picking it up. I think you should be very proud of your debut novel, it definitely kept me engaged and wanting to rush to get the the end.

An exciting debut novel that holds your attention throughout and is an excellent crime thriller. I look forward to learning more about rebel Finn Beck sooner rather than later. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this exciting book. 5* read

This is an action packed thriller with lots of twist and surprises. Beck is investigating the murder of a young girl and as the story progresses the author unveils the true face of the town. Very well written and the story unravels at an even pace that is easy to follow. An intriguing mystery.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc.

A great twisty fast-paced read for me. I suspect Finnegan Beck has always been something of a renegade within the police force before his demotion and certainly while in Cross Beg. His people skills on the job are excellent as long as he's dealing with suspects, witnesses, equals or subordinates, they get "iffier" with his superiors. Outside of the job, it seems like he has a complete tin ear with people. Of course his alcohol consumption didn't help matters there (echoes of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole). Interesting character if you like your patience "tried".

The story was just twist after twist after twist. Seems like there was an awful lot of crime in such a small place as Cross Beg that came to light while chasing down the serial killer! A very compelling read!

The Quiet Hours. Michael Scanlon


Introducing a new Police Investigator, Detective Sergeant Finnegan Beck.

Newly demoted and moved from the busiest Police Station in Dublin, Beck finds himself in the small town of Cross Greg.

He is not quite what you would expect, although he’s had a bad time professionally, he still cares, even if he pretends not to.

So, when he turns up at his first crime scene, in his new town, to find a murdered woman lying out in the open with the SIO, Inspector O’Reilly, paying scant attention to procedures it rattles his cage a bit.

That is the first encounter with the old dinosaur of a detective that is O’Reilly, and things don’t get much better as the story unfolds.

He finds an ally in young Garda Claire Sanders who acts as his partner in the investigation and also covers for him when he has an occasional fall off the wagon. He’s not an alcoholic, he’s just not very good at saying no and has a low tolerance for booze.

The murdered girl is an opening into a sordid story of an underage relationship. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The small town has a criminal underworld. After all people in towns and villages have the same needs, and urges, as those in the city.

The thing is, just like every small town, everybody knows everybody else’s business.

As Beck starts to untangle the web of lies around the investigation he thinks he starts to identify a motive for the crime and is getting closer to the person who killed the girl.

His new colleagues don’t agree with him, and treat him as the Big City Idiot, but slowly they begin to see the merit in his thoughts.

It takes another death before people start to take him seriously but is it too late to stop another killing.

As the story continues we find out why Beck has been demoted and moved away from Dublin. We see him start to build a reputation in Cross Greg, but will he ever be fully accepted.

This is a great story that’s billed as being book one in the Finnegan Beck series.

Will I be reading book 2. Yes definitely.

Pages: 327
Publishers: Bookouture
Publishing Date: 8th February 2019

The QuietHours is an awesome detective crime thriller. The characters are well thought out and there is a good balance and flow of the characters in relation to the mysterious happenings in the story. When Detective Finnegan Beck is demoted and reassigned in disgrace to a small sleepy backwater Irish town he thought he would be bored to death, until the unexpected happens. What begins as an investigation into the murder of a teenage schoolgirl transforms into the hunt for a serial killer who may have gone unnoticed for years. Usually I am not that excited about detective stories with serial killers, but this was one I couldn't put down. I was thankful that the characters dominated the story, not police procedure, which made the story much more interesting for me. This is a very good crime action thriller. I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Michael Scanlon has written a gripping novel set in a small town of Cross Beg in Ireland. Mr. Scanlon has added to the authenticity of the book by being a civilian employee of the An Garda Siochane (Irish police force).

Detective Finnegan Beck has been demoted from his job in Dublin where the establishment appears to block his efforts at every turn. He doesn't think that his experience on the force will be needed in a sleepy little town where nothing seems to happen.

A teenage girl is found dead in the woods and a local character is arrested but Beck feels that there is more to this crime than his superiors are willing to admit.

It seems that in this sleepy little town everyone is hiding a secret and there are so many people telling lies that it seems impossible to figure out the truth.

When another body is found they realize that it can't be the local drifter as he's in custody. The final body is found under Beck's bed.......and everyone is quick to jump to conclusions.

A book that deserves more than the 5 stars available. Looking forward to hearing more from Mr. Scanlon.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.