I’ve read a few of this author’s previous books which are all located in Cork where this one is also set. However “The Seventh Body” features a different set of characters from the earlier books although lawyer Finn Fitzpatrick and her friend, Sadie do appear.
Alice is a Garda detective with a past, transferred back to her local town after she has made a professional mistake in Dublin,something which has also affected her health.
Keeping her head down she tries to avoid trigger situations but when a body is found in a building site which is being redeveloped she becomes involved. One of seven corpses, the seventh body turns out to be a far more recent burial, having been put there in the 1990s.
As the Gardai start to investigate, Alice becomes more and more interested particularly as the murder starts to tie into another investigation.
This was an atmospheric mystery which moved along at a good pace and held my attention from page one. Alice was a good lead character, dogged and determined to solve the mystery and give the victim a semblance of justice but also fighting her own demons. The reader is not aware of the full extent of of her problems until the last few pages.
This was a dark novel but also a book that emphasised the pain that keeping secrets can cause. Many characters including Alice learn this in the course of the story.
I definitely recommend this as a five star read and although I have never been to Cork or the places mentioned I really felt that the author conveyed the setting in a realistic and interesting way.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Having devoured the last three of Catherine Kirwan's books, I had high expectations for this one and I wasn't disappointed. Though not from our previous protagonist, Finn Fitzpatrick, we're back into Cork City, this time with renovation work being disrupted by the finding of bodies under the floor of an old bar. Detective Alice McCann uncovers a mystery when it turns out that not all of those bodies are from hundreds of years ago, and are much more recently deceased. I loved the storytelling in this one, finding out more about what makes Alice tick, as well as getting deep into how the investigation works. Knowing all of the locations from living in Cork made this even more wonderful to read - felt properly immersive! Would love more tales with Detective Alice McCann and her crew.

I absolutely adored this book and devoured it over a couple of days! It has easily been one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future!

Based in Cork, the story starts with building work taking place ready for new apartments, but it’s brought to a halt when human bones are found. They appear to be very old so archaeologists are called in. They find six skeletons but they then find a seventh and those bones are much more recent.

Detective Garda Alice McCann is on the case and determined to solve it, despite her superiors not wanting her on such a high-profile case.

A fantastic read, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books Ireland for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

As a big fan of Catherine Kirwans books and the character Finn Fitzpatrick I was thrilled to be given an advance copy of the Seventh Body. I knew Finn wouldn't be the main character but I also knew the story was within the same universe.

The story revolves around Barrack Street in Cork where human remains have been discovered during the digging for new apartments. Six bodies have been discovered and it is clear they have been there a very long time, shortly after a seventh body is discovered and it is clear this one is different.

Detective Garda Alice McCann is trying to get her career back on track, she becomes involved in the case.

This was superb. I flew through it. I did not expect to see my old stomping ground of Sir Henry's featured in a book like this and it took me down many a memory lane. I am a huge fan of Catherine's writing style, her characters are so well written they jump off the page, they are so well rounded and no thread is left loose by the time you get to the last page.

Exquisite

When not one but seven bodies are discovered on an archaeological excavation, work stops and Detective Garda Alice McCann is called in to investigate.

Six of the bodies found are men who died years previous but the one that interests Alice is female, and much more recent.

The dig is now a crime scene and Alice is determined to discover the facts but she finds she is up against more than bosses and no one seems to want to her there.

This is a good read. It is a little creepy and I did not guess the outcome.

A good story with very well written characters. There was definitely a twist that I did not see coming. I found some parts of the story dragged slightly, the parts which were really random and didn’t seem to fit with any of the timelines, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. If you like a crime drama, then you’ll enjoy this book.

Fab read, slightly different storyline with decent twists.
Well written characters.
A read which kept me on my toe's.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Great read again especially as it it set in cork city which makes it all the more real ,very entertaining and full of little twists and turns .

When parts of a human skeleton are discovered, building work on a derelict site in Cork grinds to a halt. An archaeological excavation soon unearths seven bodies. Six are men who died centuries ago. The seventh body is different: female, and much more recent. What began as a historic find is now a crime scene. Detective Garda Alice McCann is determined to track down the killer, even though she knows her superiors don't want her anywhere near such a high profile case. Not after what happened before! Great read! I definitely enjoyed reading this book! It had great suspense, gruesome murder, mystery, intrigue, fantastic characters, a great who done it and a few wild twists! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!