Detective Alana Mack and her team were working on the murder cases of two different women, at two different times, being bound and left to die on Dublin's Dart railway line. The murders were obviously well planned with a single red rose being left in the victim's pristine house, and frustrations were mounting within the police force. When another woman was murdered in the same way, they found minute differences - was it a copycat killer or the same killer changing their ways?

The same day of the third killing, a wife and mother went missing after dropping her daughter at school. It turned out she'd actually been on the train - could she have witnessed what happened? Alana was being hassled by her new boss, plus the frustrations of battering their heads against the walls of dead ends was getting to them all. Could they find the killer? The investigation was deepening; the woman was still missing; and then another person was murdered...

Roses for the Dead is the 2nd in the Detective Alana Mack series by Jenny O'Brien and it was another gripping read. We know who the killer is (although not the name) as the person was introduced early. Gradually we learn the motive of the kills, and see the reactions as the Garda Síochána slowly inch closer. Alana is a great character, and her partner Paddy, a wonderful support. I'm looking forward to #3 very much. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in the Alana Mack series retained this readers interest and the desire for more. It was interesting to read the inspiration for the book which happened on a replacement bus during the rail strike. Always interesting to know what sparks an authors inspiration. Looking forward to more of the same. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy of Roses for the Dead, the second novel to feature DS Alana Mack of An Garda Síochána, set in Dublin.

A train line is halted when a train runs over a woman’s body. Coincidentally or not a woman travelling on the same train goes missing. This worries Alana and the team because they are already investigating two dead women found separately near rail tracks. They have nothing to go on forensically with the bodies and their homes cleaned, only the fresh white sheets and single rose on their beds.

I thoroughly enjoyed Roses for the Dead, which I found more engrossing than the previous novel, even if the team spend a lot of time going round in circles and getting nowhere. The novel is mostly told from Alana’s point of view with the odd contribution from the unnamed killer and, in the first half of the novel, flashbacks to the killer’s childhood. These I skipped as another story of lost parents and bullying has no interest for me.

The novel starts with the third body and a touch of internal politics, which is quite funny given what comes later. It gets serious when Sarah Buckenham is reported missing, as while she is obviously not the body on the tracks, she might be the next victim. The plot gets complicated after this with several characters up to no good, although Alana isn’t quite sure about what kind of no good. It’s convoluted and clever in this, although probably not realistic. Still, who cares when it’s entertaining. I particularly liked that the eponymous roses play a large part in the solution.

I like Alana Mack, a wheelchair bound detective, who doesn’t let her disability get in the way of her smart thinking and detecting. She has created a great team around her so it’s a pleasure to spend time with them.

Roses for the Dead is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

4/5 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC of Roses for the Dead by Jenny O'Brien.

I am so happy that I got the chance to read the second book of the Detective Alana Mack series. I was hooked from the beginning and did not disappoint with all of the details. I honestly love that the lead character has a disability and being a wheelchair doesn't hold Alana back from getting the job done. (Being a mom to children with a disability/special needs...it gets hard at times and reading the ability of this character was not only refreshing but empowering.)

Anyway, I love this series. Very well written and the research was clearly done. Can't wait to read what Alana does next.

The second in the Detective Alana Mack series set in Dublin, Ireland. Alana, who works for the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations, is in a wheelchair and still coming to terms with her disability. This is a great team and Alana is a great character, strong and clever. Her partner Paddy Quigg is another wonderful character and a perfect foil for Alana. There is an interesting addition too in this book, a new boss and he and Alana definitely got off on the wrong foot, but I feel it in my bones that there is something more to come!

Briefly, two women have been murdered, their bodies left by railway lines, and when their homes are searched the beds have clean white linen with a single red rose on the bed. The team are unable to find any connection between the two women and when a man comes in to report his wife Sarah missing it looks like there may be another victim. But when a third women is found on the train tracks it isn’t Sarah but strangely Sarah was travelling on the train that hit her.

Although largely told from Alana’s POV the reader is a bit ahead of the police as we are party to his thoughts with some chapters told from his POV. Alongside the main storyline we learn more about some of the police team, particularly Paddy’s family. A well written book with a good storyline and good red herrings that kept me guessing. An excellent police procedural and a series I’m finding very entertaining.

3.5 stars
This is a good crime thriller.
Detective Alana Mack is investigating two murders on Dublin’s Dart Rail tracks but then all goes quiet.
Three months later, Alana is made aware of a missing woman who was last seen at Dart rail and Alana hopes that the killer has not struck again.
The woman's husband raises some suspicions with Alana but she can't quite pinpoint what the issue is.
There's quite a lot of characters in this story and the second half of the book did seem to be a bit slower in pace which is unusual for a crime thriller.
Overall a good read though.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Second in the Alana Mack series. Police procedural with interesting characters, continuing personal story line, a twisting plot and a reveal ending that came as a surprise to me. Alana being in a wheel chair, how she handles her job but not her own life, is one of the things that have made these books so interesting. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

4.25⭐️

No 2 Alana Mack Detective series

Set in Ireland, Alana is a detective with a disability, the reader gets to see the limitations and adaptations of her working life in a wheelchair. It’s not common to have a protagonist with a physical disability, which gives it an edge.

Women have been m*rdered leaving their bodies on the rail tracks. There are specific rituals applied to each of the victims. Another woman has gone missing, the only connection is she was on the train which collided with a woman on the track.

The POVs are from Alana, plus one from an unknown person in a second poignant thread that takes place in 2003 I felt so sorry for him.

From the beginning this book felt like it was in its stride feeling more polished than the first book. The protagonist’s are likeable, the reader has got to know them over the two books. My favourite character by far is Paddy, but Alana is growing on me. The story is self contained and can be read as a standalone, but for the character development it’s better read in order.

It’s got an easy going relaxed writing style that I like. The pacing is on the slower side for me, but typical of a police procedural. There’s a couple of plot intricacies that I enjoyed.

I managed to twig who the k*ller was but not until the 11th hour 😂 still it’s an achievement for me.

It’s not only the location that’s changed from the previous series, I feel that the tone is a little less cosy and a little more earthy, although it still doesn’t register on my gore score, so it’s not going to isolate previous readers. It’s one that I think readers of SA Dunphy’s DI Tessa Burns would also enjoy.
This is definitely one I’d have loved to listen to on audiobook as I adore Irish accents.

Netgalley has introduced me to another cracking author, book series and 'must find everything else they have written' entry for the list.

I thought this was a brilliant police procedural. The second in a series, which didn't matter at all to the telling of the book as all prior content you need to know in order to be brought up to speed was covered beautifully!
It follows Detective Alana Mack and her team as they set about to uncover the whereabouts of a missing person, solve recent murders and solve a cold case set of murders from a while ago.

Alana and her team are bright and they have the funny banter that makes them really personable as a team and makes the reader invested in their lives. I will make it a point to go back and read the first novel and continue to read the next ones in the series. I actually picked the perpetrator of most of the murders early on when the book was concentrating on that character. I forgot my theory as the book went on with twist after twist but was gratified to know it had picked it when all was explained at the end.

I really appreciate that the lead is a person with a disability. Having such a high profile job, I never considered that the job would allow for a wheelchair user, instead forcing them to a desk job instead. I enjoyed reading about the modifications that Alana set out for herself, at crime scenes, transport and in turn knowing when she should be present and when to send her colleagues in instead.

I hope that the relationship between herself and her new boss will develop and also between her friend, the newspaper man. A very interesting dilemma there too.

My biggest thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great mystery with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. This is one I just couldn't conclusively figure out. Hooked me from the start. Highly recommend.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having read and enjoyed the previous book in the series The Puppet Maker, I was really looking forward to reading this next instalment. It's a really gripping read and so well written and researched with twists galore! There was so much going on every page I turned! I enjoyed this one more than The Puppet Maker and can't wait to see what comes next. Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the advance copy of this book. This is a series I look forward to continuing with. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Once again, Jenny O’Brien has written another compelling crime novel. Paraplegic detective Alana Mack is back with her team, this time investigating the murder of two women, where both bodies have been wrapped and laid across train tracks. Then another disappearance is reported, but this time when a body turns up, it’s not the missing woman and the MO isn’t quite the same. Among other things, the signature rose left with the first two bodies is missing, making the team wonder whether they might have two murderers on their hands.

A great return to Clonabee and another case for Alana Mack and her team. A cleverly written story with many twists and turns. As for her debut, The Puppet Maker, the detail in the writing shows a huge amount of research. I mostly read and review psychological thrillers and crime, and Jenny O’Brien is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Can’t wait to see what she does next.
My thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and the author for a copy of Roses for the Dead in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author. The story was interesting to me but there were a lot of characters to try to keep straight. Detective Alana was a character that you would want in your corner as she went all in to solve the case!


Thanks so much to netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc. The opinions are my own.

An interesting storyline with many sub plots within the main crime to be solved.
Bodies of women are being left on train tracks and when officers go to their houses, they are immaculate with everywhere spotlessly clean. Fresh white sheets on bed and a rose on pillows. And on the day of the 3rd victim being found another woman goes missing. Is it linked to the previous cases? This is something Alana Mack and her team have to discover.
It's the 2nd in the Detective Mack series, and I haven't read the first, but I don't think it matters as you get an insight into the characters as the book goes along. I don't feel the characters gel together at this stage but I'm guessing as the series continues they will. Plenty of police procedures to keep crime readers interested

This is the first novel I've read from this author and won't be the last. With many twists, unexpected turns and a protagonist to cheerlead for I was hooked. It's chilling, clever and engaging to the end. While I usually have suspicions on who do what I hadn't got a clue this time
As a disabled reader I loved seeing a disabled character in a superior role just getting on with their career.

A solid follow-up to The Puppet Maker, this book ticked the necessary boxes and kept me engaged until the end. My only real disappointment was not learning more about Detective Alana Mack's back story. I felt she remained a shadowy figure which made it hard to warm to her.
Some good lines stood out.
'Some never cracked no matter what they flung at them. Unbreakable or broken already. She had no way of knowing.'
'The picture had an outline but still lacked colour and depth. It was up to her to get the crayons out.'
A worthwhile read, but please add a splash of colour to Alana next time!

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it didn’t disappoint. I was gripped, and my interest was maintained throughout, even though I don’t usually go for crime fiction.
Plenty of twists and turns, and I didn’t guess the identity of the murderer until just half a page before the police officer did. I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with Alana Mack and familiar colleagues, as well as some intriguing new characters.
Can’t wait for book 3 in this excellent series!

A cracking good read from Jenny O'Brien. It's the second in the Detective Garda Alana Mack series, and all the characters are starting to gel.
Police procedurals can sometimes be a bit dry in terms of character development but I'm feeling I know Alana and Paddy quite well. She still hasn't given us the story behind her fairly recent disability. She hates talking about it and invents a different story each time. With her new boss, the replacement to loathsome DS Ox Reilly, she says she was attacked by a tiger on holiday.
The case in question involves bodies found drained of blood, laid on rail tracks. Their homes have been cleansed of all clues to their identity, and a rose has been placed on top of a freshly made bed.
There are some fascinating details but one problem. It appears to Alana and team that there's the possibility of a copy cat murderer.
The case is not solved neatly as it is in many books. The police find themselves blind sided, but quickly regroup and join up the loose ends.
Kept me engaged to the end. Looking forward to the next one!

This is the first novel I have read of Jenny O’Brien and although it is the second novel featuring Detective Alana Mack but it works quite well as a standalone, it is a good police procedural novel with strong characters and the customary bad boss, and although I had an inkling who the murderer was it was well written so it kept me interested. I have already downloaded the first book and I look forward to future books.

This is my first foray into this series and I would certainly read the others.
All the usual elements of a solid police procedural thriller which didn't light any fires for me but I still enjoyed the plot and felt it delivered a satisfying conclusion.