There’s a strong element in this novel of family dynamics and dysfunction, too. And despite her flaws (and she certainly has them), it’s not hard to be on her side. But she is a very, very strong character who is honest and intelligent. She drinks too much, she doesn’t take good care of herself and she is emotionally and mentally fragile. O’Donnell herself also adds a positive note to the story. For instance there’s also a strong theme of loyalty. And yet, there are some bright threads running through this novel. The motive for the murders and the story behind them are very dark, too. A skilled social worker, she’s seen some of the worst things that people can do to each other, and that’s taken a serious toll on her. And then there’s O’Donnell’s friend Leslie. Her mother Winnie, sisters Una and Marie and brother Liam are all very unhappy in their own ways, too. She comes from a very seriously dysfunctional family, she has a dead-end job and she’s having difficulty picking up the pieces of her life. O’Donnell herself, for instance, is definitely what you’d call a “down and out” character. Like most noir stories, Garnethill has some real darkness in it and some very unhappy characters. On the other, O’Donnell knows that she is not guilty and the more McEwan tries to bully her into confessing to a crime she didn’t commit, the more she dislikes him and doesn’t want to co-operate with him.

In fact, she’s only a few months out of a stay at the Northern Psychiatric Hospital where her brother Liam took her after a breakdown. What’s more, she has a history of mental health problems stemming from an awful childhood with an alcoholic mother and a paedophile father. The body was found in O’Donnell’s home, and she had just broken up with him. On one hand, he has good reason to think so. Joe McEwan is assigned to the investigation and it’s not long at all before he begins to suspect that O’Donnell is guilty of the murder.

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