Awards

• Nominated for THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD (as part of the Edgar Allan Poe Crime Awards) 2026 (United States)

Overview

Ireland, 1988. Storm Cordelia rages through the village of Kilcraven. Still reeling from a devastating love affair and the collapse of a promising career in the Gardaí, Emma Daly is stuck. She’s moved back in with her dad and taken a job as a librarian in Kilcraven, the small West Cork village she thought she left behind. But when Emma witnesses a murder and the local guards arrest the wrong man for the crime, she’s forced to act. To prove a man innocent, she must sift through the village’s past, her own training and her beloved collection of detective stories before either the guards or the murderer can stop her. She’s joined by a stubborn widow, an elderly hypochondriac and a charming ex-boyfriend — but quickly finds herself at the centre of a mystery that threatens to tear the whole village apart.

Full Product Details

9781835940112

Table of Contents

Reviews

“O’Donnell debuts with a complex and accomplished whodunit . . . Brings to mind the regional mysteries of Charles Todd, and he matches his gift for atmosphere with intricate plotting and nuanced characterizations.” “Set in 1988 and told from multiple points of view, the dark story moves swiftly, unveiling long-held family secrets as the case unfolds.” “O’Donnell’s debut is so atmospheric in its background and poetic in its language . . . As coolly bracing as an Irish spring.” “Original, cleverly crafted, and a cozy mystery lover's delight.” “O’Donnell writes with a loveliness that’s both sturdy and delicate . . . a spectacular debut.” “Smartly crafter . . . uniquely compelling...first rate, original crime fiction.” -- David Rothenburg “A good debut novel from author O’Donnell, that keeps you engaged throughout.”

Author Information

R. P. O’Donnell was born in Boston, MA and lives in West Cork with his two children. His essays have been published in the Irish Times and the Irish Examiner. In 2020, he won the JG Farrell Award at the West Cork Literary Festival. He has had two poems published in Songs of the Susquehanna (Bucknell University Press). All the Old Clocks is his debut novel. 

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