The Drowning Sea - (Maggie d'Arcy Mysteries) by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Paperback)

About the Book

"For the first time in her adult life, former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D'arcy is unemployed. No cases to focus on, no leads to investigate, just a whole summer on a remote West Cork peninsula with her teenage daughter Lilly and her boyfriend, Conor and his son. The plan is to prepare Lilly for a move to Ireland. But their calm vacation takes a dangerous turn when human remains wash up below the steep cliffs of Ross Head. When construction worker Lukas Adamik disappeared months ago, everyone assumed he had gone home to Poland. Now that his body has been found, the guards, including Maggie's friends Roly Byrne and Katya Grzeskiewicz, seem to think he threw himself from the cliffs. But as Maggie gets to know the residents of the nearby village and learns about the history of the peninsula and its abandoned Anglo Irish manor house, once home to a famous Irish painter who died under mysterious circumstances, she starts to think there's something else going on. Something deadly. And when Lilly starts dating one of the dead man's friends, Maggie grows worried about her daughter being so close to another investigation and about what the investigation will uncover. Old secrets, hidden relationships, crime, and village politics are woven throughout this small seaside community, and as the summer progresses, Maggie is pulled deeper into the web of lies, further from those she loves, and closer to the truth"--

Book Synopsis

"The bucolic setting, emphasis on family and leisurely pace make for a nice end run around traditional police procedurals." --The New York Times Book Review

In The Drowning Sea, Sarah Stewart Taylor returns to the critically acclaimed world of Maggie D'arcy with another atmospheric mystery so vivid readers will smell the salt in the air and hear the wind on the cliffs.

For the first time in her adult life, former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D'arcy is unemployed. No cases to focus on, no leads to investigate, just a whole summer on a remote West Cork peninsula with her teenage daughter Lilly and her boyfriend, Conor and his son. The plan is to prepare Lilly for a move to Ireland. But their calm vacation takes a dangerous turn when human remains wash up below the steep cliffs of Ross Head.

When construction worker Lukas Adamik disappeared months ago, everyone assumed he had gone home to Poland. Now that his body has been found, the guards, including Maggie's friends Roly Byrne and Katya Grzeskiewicz, seem to think he threw himself from the cliffs. But as Maggie gets to know the residents of the nearby village and learns about the history of the peninsula and its abandoned Anglo-Irish manor house, once home to a famous Irish painter who died under mysterious circumstances, she starts to think there's something else going on. Something deadly. And when Lilly starts dating one of the dead man's friends, Maggie grows worried about her daughter being so close to another investigation and about what the investigation will uncover.

Old secrets, hidden relationships, crime, and village politics are woven throughout this small seaside community, and as the summer progresses, Maggie is pulled deeper into the web of lies, further from those she loves, and closer to the truth.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Drowning Sea

"Terrific. . . Taylor gives readers a vivid, enthralling look at Ireland. These are characters that readers will want to revisit. --Oline H. Cogdill, Shelf Awareness

"Profoundly atmospheric." --FreeLance Star

"Atmospheric... Taylor creates a rich and gothic atmosphere, with the ocean beating against the treacherous, wind-swept cliffs... The Drowning Sea's gorgeous backdrop and stalwart sleuth will satisfy and impress mystery readers, particularly fans of traditional whodunits." --BookPage

"Taylor is adept at balancing police procedure with the domestic drama of Maggie's mixed family, and her descriptions of the Irish coast and the small town where Maggie is staying will have armchair travelers itching to grab a pint and head to the local pub. Readers will be looking forward to more from this heartfelt series." --Publisher's Weekly

"Perfect for readers of Wendy Webb, Ellie Griffiths, Sarah Waters, and Simone St. James." --Booklist

"Taylor delivers a solid, entertaining story with strong characters. Those traits, combined with McMahon's excellent performance, make for a pleasurable listen." --AudioFile Magazine

"Tana French fans will love this intricate, relationship-fueled crime story and its strong women characters." --First Clue

Praise for Sarah Stewart Taylor and the Maggie D'arcy Mysteries

"A lyrical prose style that is a joy to read." --Associated Press

"Readers will relish spending more time with Taylor's storytelling and her smart characters." -- Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"Fans of Elizabeth George should take note." -- Publishers Weekly

"Maggie is a first-class protagonist--an ace investigator and appealing everywoman with smarts and heart." -- BookPage

"[Taylor is] a practitioner par excellence of literary crime fiction." --Fredericksburg Free Lance Star

About the Author

SARAH STEWART TAYLOR is the author of the Sweeney St. George series and the Maggie D'arcy mysteries. She grew up on Long Island and was educated at Middlebury College and Trinity College, Dublin. A former journalist and teacher, she writes and lives with her family on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and grow blueberries. Sarah spends as much time in Ireland as she can and loves to explore new corners of the island.