A provocatively surprising read, at times graphically gruesome writing writhes from the pages, and a strong stomach is required to deal with some of the overtly descriptive and violent detailing. Three different men in different time spans have their thoughts and feelings brought to life, the connection isn't immediately obvious, then unsettling and troubling thoughts start to knock at your minds door as a recognition of repetition and joining of tales occurs. The intense, vivid descriptions of Dublin hint at what is to come, the stories twist together, encouraging the pages to turn faster and faster while a part of you almost fears to look in case your suspicion is correct. A disturbing, unsettling, dynamic, and intensely hard-hitting read; once you start, you really won’t be able to stop. ~ Liz Robinson
A multi-layered, Gothic tale of obsession and bloodshed set in modern-day and Victorian Dublin. Present day: Seventeen-year-old Nathan Jacob's interest in real-life crime leads him to a series of horrific murders committed in Dublin's red-light district, The Monto, in the late nineteenth century. As he delves deeper into this grisly mystery, someone - something - begins to speak to him through the pages of time. Something half-formed and dark; something that draws Nathan and his bloodline back to Victorian Dublin and the horrors that took place there. 1890: Sergeant George Frohmell of the Dublin Metropolitan Police is under pressure. His beloved, bedraggled city has become the hunting ground for a faceless monster, a creature that preys on the poor and vulnerable, leaving them butchered in back alleys. As the death toll increases and the violence moves ever nearer to his own heart, Frohmell must find his man - or lose everything.
Joe Murphy was born in 1979 in Co. Wexford, Ireland. In Enniscorthy Vocational College, he excelled at English, winning several awards and being shortlisted for Young Science Fiction Writer of the Year. Joe studied English at University College Dublin where he received 1st Class Hons and a scholarship to complete a Masters in Early Modern Drama. He went on to qualify as a secondary school teacher. Joe Murphy's ambitious debut novel 1798: Tomorrow the Barrow We'll Cross was published in 2011 by Liberties Press (Dublin) to excellent reviews: epic novel of revolution , a swashbuckling tale , a cracking good read , brilliantly researched and movingly written , a gut wrenching and page turning story ... Muprhy's second novel, Dead Dogs, was published by Liberties Press in September 2012 and launched by Arlene Hunt.
