Gill's novels are always fun because they revolve around aspects of Irish life not usually incorporated into mystery stories--eel-fishing, secret Catholic societies, literary history, and in this case, the serious business of salmon-fishing and fly-tying. Well drawn, repeating characters, lyrical descriptions of Ireland's rural charms, pitch-perfect vernacular and syntax, big dollops of humor, and a graceful incorporation of the mythology and history which infuses Irish culture intrigue the reader on levels other than plot.

This novel reflects all of these characteristics to some degree, but the mystery at the heart of this novel is thinner and less complex than in some of Gill's other novels. Focusing on the death of famed salmon-fisherman Nellie Millar in Donegal's Owenea River, Gill employs a limited cast of characters, each of whom has a reason to resent and or even kill Nellie, who is a former lover of Supt. Peter McGarr of the Garda Siochana. McGarr (now suspended) and his wife Noreen, along with acting Supt. Hugh Ward and his former lover, Det. Ruthie Bresnahan, find themselves helping unofficially in the investigation of Nellie's death and lending moral support to Nellie's bereft father.

The usually intense and idiosyncratic behavior of McGarr and his staff, which so often animates Gill's novels and keeps the reader involved and intrigued, is absent here. The wild nights and fights, the circumventions of the law to achieve a greater good, and the threats to the safety of McGarr, his staff, and their families, which usually keep the reader on edge, are missing. Though written in beautiful prose, this plot is more formulaic--and the characters' more predictable--than is customary for Gill. It's fun to read, but not Gill's best.

Originally published in 1977 as McGarr and the Politician's Wife, and reissued in February, 2000, after the Peter McGarr series became popular, this first novel may be particularly interesting to those who are already familiar with Peter McGarr, Chief Superintendent of Detectives of the Garda Soichana, and his staff. Although Gill writes a competent mystery and introduces all the characters who become so familiar to fans of his later McGarr mysteries, he is clearly feeling his way here as he decides how to develop them and his plots. The character quirks and foibles we take for granted in the later novels are just hinted at here, the character of McGarr is outlined but not fully developed, and the role of Noreen, McGarr's wife, and her involvement in his career are much stronger here.

The mystery is straightforward. When a battered, unconscious, and nearly drowned boat captain is pulled from shallow water at the Killiney Bay Yacht Club, McGarr and his staff--Hugh Ward, Liam O'Shaughnessy, Bernie McKeon, and others who become regulars in the series--find themselves involved in a mystery involving a politician, his promiscuous wife, the influence of the IRA on local politics, gun-smuggling from the U.S., and plots to discredit McGarr. The mystery is not very complex, and some readers may find that their primary interest is in seeing how Gill develops and presents his plot here, as opposed to his later, more fully developed novels.

Unlike the much smoother and subtler style in the later novels, Gill's foreshadowing here is still a bit clumsy. ("Very shortly, McGarr would need every friend inside the Castle he could muster.") He sometimes states the obvious: "The stakes [McGarr] was gambling with were his reputation, career and spotless criminal record." He tells the reader what is important, rather than letting the reader discover for himself: "Little could Hubbard have known how important the play was to McGarr." The wry and sometimes dark humor which we take for granted in the later novels are not much in evidence here, while the wild flights of Irish good spirits and camaraderie, and the fine description which gives color and depth to the Irish settings, while present in a few scenes, are not yet fully incorporated. The novel may fascinate long-time fans of the series who want see how the series started, while newcomers may prefer to start with one of the later novels. Mary Whipple

The book opens with the detective, McGarr, being let into the murder house. A woman talks him through the house, chatting constantly without any interrogation. Arriving at the corpse, they stand about talking for another 10 pages about the dead man and her theory that he was stealing priceless books from the library where he worked. Although the author tells us the corpse is swollen and putrifying, our characters must have nerves and noses of steel. Later on, McGarr and his crew watch blue videos starring the late corpse. The chatty lady watches with them. (Is this typical of how Irish police operate? Hey - let's watch dirty movies with a witness!) This brings us up to about page 80. No other non-police character has appeared. Hmmm - wonder whodunnit? Well, if the novel doesn't succeed as a mystery or a police procedural, maybe it's full of Irish character and atmosphere. Oops - the author forgot to include them too! Most of the characters speak the way Americans expect the Irish to speak - they really aren't allowed to be human, just pleasant caricatures. The whole novel seems a lazy effort.