Cold Spring

History repeats itself in this dark, disturbing mystery from Edgar-finalist McGinley (The Devil’s Diary), a master at capturing the foreboding beauty of Ireland and its quirky inhabitants. Englishman Nick Ambrose moves to the Irish village of Leaca to find a historical backdrop for his writing, while his companion, Sharon McElwee, begins painting its evocative seascapes and countryside. After a rash of robberies leaves the residents on edge, suspicion falls on Nick, the outsider. When town elder Paddy Canty is murdered during an apparent robbery, a small council of men decide to take matters into their own hands. Led by the manipulative and almost hypnotic Muiris, a centuries-old practice called “the Triangle” is put into force, which leaves one man dead and several others marked for life. Filled with elegiac prose, this shocking tale of moral decay that spreads from one black heart to claim everything in its path will keep readers turning the pages. (Oct.)