Sarah Stewart Taylor

Book 2 of Maggie D'arcy, a Long Island cop with ties to Ireland. When a body is found, Maggie and her team are called to investigate. It is Gabriel Treacy, an aid worker. When they find signs of torture, and note that some items are missing, the investigation takes Maggie to Ireland. Due to vacation there with her daughter, Lilly, and see her boyfriend, Conor, the timing is good, but the case interrupts her vacation. Maggie discovers info that Treacy's colleagues are in danger, and there is an investigation into Ireland adoptions tied to the Magdalene laundry scandal. Also involved are several politicians. Maggie is also in danger, and everything comes to an explosive head.
I am enjoying this series and look forward to reading book 3.… (meer)

Book One of the Maggie D'arcy series.
Maggie's cousin, Erin, goes missing in Dublin, after traveling there on the advice of a priest. Maggie searched for her, to no avail. Maggie returns home to NY, later becomes a cop. Now divorced from Brian, she has a teen, Lilly. Maggie returns to Dublin after her uncle Danny says something has been found. Maggie still has feelings for Conor, Erin's co-worker.
In Dublin, Maggie tries to assist the Garda. Another body is found. Maggie is confused. She returns home, and remembers a clue. She solves the case.
Unexpected twists in this one - a good start to a new series. I will continue it.… (meer)

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Sarah Stewart Taylors most recent book, Stolen Child (the 4th book in the Maggie D'Arcy series was nominated for a 2024 G.P. Putnam Sue Grafton Memorial Award. Since there are only 4 books in the series, I decided to start at the beginning.

In this series launch from Taylor (the Sweeny St. George mysteries), Long Island, N.Y., homicide detective Maggie D’arcy learns that someone unearthed a scarf belonging to her cousin, Erin Flaherty, while scouring the Wicklow, Ireland, woods for missing schoolteacher Niamh Horrigan.

In 1993, when then 23-year-old Erin vanished from Dublin, Maggie flew over and spent weeks hounding the gardaí, retracing Erin’s steps, and interviewing her acquaintances before departing empty-handed. Authorities now suspect that Erin fell victim to a serial killer who may also be holding Niamh, so Maggie takes leave from work and returns to Dublin to resume digging, since solving Erin’s disappearance may facilitate Niamh’s rescue.

Maggie’s narrative alternates between past and present, her investigations unfolding in tandem, while infrequent flashbacks to the cousins’ childhood chronicle their turbulent relationship. Woolly plotting saps momentum and the denouement feels contrived, but Taylor’s affection for Irish geography, history, and culture suffuses the tale, adding texture and atmosphere. Fans of Elizabeth George should take note. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management. (June) --Staff (Reviewed 04/13/2020) (Publishers Weekly)

This book struck me as a cross between a family saga, police procedural and a romance novel. While caring about finding Erin's fate, none of the characters, except maybe Roly, are endearing. I wouldn't run out to get the second book in the series.… (meer)