'A fabulous closed-room mystery that will keep you guessing' - DENISE MINA 'Fabulous Dublin-based crime. Very much in the vein of Tana French' - JO SPAIN 'This creeps up on you until you're hooked' - HEAT THEY DID IT TO THEMSELVES BUT SOMEONE WAS WATCHING The Macnamara sisters hadn't been seen for months before anyone noticed. It was Father Timoney who finally broke down the door, who saw what had become of them. Berenice was sitting in her armchair, surrounded by religious tracts. Rosaleen had crawled under her own bed, her face frozen in terror. Both had starved themselves to death. Francesca Macnamara returns to Dublin after decades in the US to find her family in ruins. Meanwhile, Detectives Vincent Swan and Gina Considine are convinced that there is more to the deaths than suicide. Because what little evidence there is, shows that someone was watching the sisters die... A compelling mystery that will keep you reading late into the night, perfect for readers of Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Tana French and Jo Spain. ________________________________________ *** SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB STAR PICK *** *** AN IRISH TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR *** 'A terrific new gem of Irish noir, written with a light touch' - SUNDAY TIMES 'Sombre, psychological nuanced and compassionate... gripping' - IRISH TIMES 'Intriguing, compelling and highly entertaining. Formidably impressive' - LIZ NUGENT 'Thrilling... will keep you guessing until the very end' - MY WEEKLY 'Infused with depth, darkness and acute psychological drama' - HERALD

The first in a powerful new crime trilogy set in 1980s Dublin, exploring the power of the Catholic Church and the powerlessness of unmarried women

About the Author
Nicola White won the Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award in 2008 and in 2012 was Leverhulme Writer in Residence at Edinburgh University. Her novel The Rosary Garden won the Dundee International Book Prize, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize, and selected as one of the four best debuts by Val McDermid at Harrogate. She grew up in Dublin and New York, and now lives in the Scottish Highlands.

Reviews
'Fabulous Dublin-based crime. Dark, atmospheric, well-written. Very much in the vein of Tana French' -- Jo Spain, bestselling author of The Confession
'An intriguing, compelling and highly entertaining story. Formidably impressive writing!' -- Liz Nugent, award-winning author of Unravelling Oliver
'A fabulous closed room mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. This is a gorgeously poetic deep-dive into the pieties and myth-making of Dublin in the early eighties' -- Denise Mina, acclaimed author of Conviction
'A terrific new gem of Irish noir, written with a light touch but a firm command of character, mannerisms and speech' * Sunday Times *
'Sombre, psychologically nuanced and compassionate... as gripping as it is disturbing' * Irish Times *
'Thrilling... will keep you guessing until the very end' * My Weekly *
'This creeps up on you until you're hooked' * Heat *
'An intriguing and haunting story that will appeal to lovers of the Irish police procedural' * NB Magazine *
'Infused with depth, darkness and acute psychological drama. Her polished prose comes studded with original imagery and her dialogue crackles. We are propelled towards an explosive denouement which, artfully, doubles as a kind of moral reckoning' * Herald *
'Set in 1980s Dublin, staunch and stoic Catholic tones measure the pace and impregnate the complexity of A Famished Heart' * Business Day *



Book Information
ISBN 9781788164085
Author Nicola White
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Viper
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 24mm