The Dark Hours, Amy Jordan (Review by Maggie Majstrova)

1994: Gardai Julia Harte and Adrian Clancy are called out to a sleepy housing estate in Cork to investigate a noise complaint, but what they encounter is something else entirely. There is a serial killer at work in Cork and it seems he is making things personal for Julia, who after the harrowing events of that night, becomes determined she will be the one to catch him. 2004: Julia Harte is now a retired detective with an illustrious career behind her. She’s chosen a quiet cottage in a remote part of Ireland to disappear. Until she receives a call from her old Superintendent. It’s happening again – two women murdered, their bodies marked and staged, just like in ’94. This time, Julia isn’t a rookie, she’s a seasoned, touch professional – but is she a match for this murdered? Can she face down a vicious killer and the memories that haunt her still? Amy Jordan is being called a fresh new voice in Irish crime fiction. And her writing certainly feels fresh, the story unfolding simultaneously then and now. The Dark Hours certainly builds tension throughout, keeping you guessing as you turn the pages. If anything, I felt that the climax and resolution didn’t quite deliver on the promise of the first three quarters of the book. That said, I’d swept through this book and would absolutely recommend it to any fellow crime thriller enthusiasts out there.