In Praise of Emerald Noir

Editor Katherine Armstrong shares her passion for Irish and Northern Irish crime fiction, and selects 25 of the best writers of Emerald Noir.

I grew up in Northern Ireland in the eighties and nineties, which was probably not Judith Chalmers’ first point of call for Wish You Were Here but still, it was home. As most people will remember, Northern Ireland during that period was an interesting place to be if you were particularly keen on scaring yourself silly. The television most evenings would have talk of car bombs, murders, knee-cappings and other assorted terrorist activities. Going to school in Belfast every day on the train you became used to having to get a replacement bus service due to bomb scares.  For anyone who wanted to skip class the various alphabetical groups bent on death and destruction could guarantee that no one would question your excuse for being late – there always seemed to be a bomb scare somewhere.

Throughout the difficult years there were books that focused on the Troubles – you know the stuff – where an English spy from British Intelligence would invariably fall in love with a Catholic girl who would betray him to the IRA and he’d be executed. But there was a huge gap in the market for really good home grown crime fiction. Over the past twenty years or so there has been an emergence of what has become known as Emerald Noir. It’s gritty, it’s realistic, and contemporary Ireland – both north and south – is a whole lot better for it.

But how has this come about? I think one of the main reasons is the change in the political state of Northern Ireland: the Republican and Loyalist ceasefires and the creation of the Stormont government. Once this happened all the terrorist groups moved into ‘ordinary’ crimes, running drugs and guns etc., which makes for more interesting and diverse fictional narratives. In the Republic of Ireland there was the rise of the Celtic Tiger that saw a huge influx of money enter the country and that inevitably led to more crime on the streets with the increase of gang culture. Traditionally Ireland has always had quite literary tastes in fiction – Joyce, Beckett, Shaw etc – but the success of ‘chick lit’ authors such as Marian Keyes and Cecilia Ahern has also meant that genre fiction has become more acceptable and that has helped open the Irish market to genres such as crime fiction.

Below is a list of twenty-five of the best Irish and Northern Irish crime writers past and present. This is by no means a definitive list as there are many other fantastic Irish/Northern Irish writers out there but I’ve narrowed the criteria specifically to writers who were born in Ireland/Northern Ireland and whose works are set there.

1. Eilís Dillon (1920–1994)

Eilís Dillon was born in Galway in 1920. Her uncle was the poet Joseph Mary Plunkett who was one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He was executed in Kilmainham Gaol at the end of the Easter Rising in 1916.

Apart from writing children’s books in both Irish and English Eilís also wrote three detective stories that were published by Faber. Two were translated into other languages and all were published in America. They have since been reissued in America by specialist crime publisher Rue Morgue Press.

2. Eoin McNamee (1961–)

Eoin McNamee was born in Kilkeel, County Down. His debut novel, Resurrection Man, was described by the Irish Times as ‘one of the most outstanding pieces of Irish Fiction to come along in years’ and by Jonathan Coe as  ‘Impressively confident . . . as lean and grimly purposeful a book as the demon-driven terrorist it sets out to explore.’ McNamee is one of the leading chroniclers of Ireland’s troubled past and his latest novel, Orchid Blue, about the murder case that led to the last hanging to occur in Northern Ireland, will be published by Faber in November.

3. Colin Bateman (1962–)

Colin Bateman was born in Newtownards, County Down, but grew up in Bangor (my home town!). Bateman is a prolific writer but the book that launched his career in 1995 was Divorcing Jack (which was also made into a film in 1998). Dan Starkey, his not yet mature Belfast journalist protagonist, gets involved in murder and mayhem on the streets of Belfast before being rescued by a stripper dressed as a nun. Hilarity ensues. Fourteen novels have been published since then including Murphy’s Law, for which Bateman wrote the television screenplay. The character was specifically written for the actor James Nesbitt. The Day of the Jack Russell won The Last Laugh Award for the best comic crime novel published in the UK in 2009 at CrimeFest.

4. Brian McGilloway (1974–)

Born in Derry, Brian McGilloway is the author of the acclaimed Inspector Benedict Devlin series, the first of which, Borderlands, was published by Macmillan New Writing and was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger in 2007. Gallows Lane, his second novel, was shortlisted for the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year and has been longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.

Inspector Devlin is an unusual police detective in that he has a (mostly) happy family life and works in a close community where everyone knows everyone. The setting of Donegal provides Devlin with the added problems of policing the borderlands when he can’t investigate over the borderline. It’s a good series that has been building nicely.

5. Stuart Neville (1972–)

Stuart Neville was born in Armagh and is an author who has really taken off over the past year. His short story, The Last Dance, was published by ThugLit, the online crimezine, in 2008 which prompted a literary agent to get in touch and take him on. Neville’s short story turned novel, Followers, was published as The Twelve in the UK and as The Ghosts of Belfast in the US; it was also published in Japan. It has since won the LA Times Book Prize and been optioned for a movie. The sequel, Collusion, will be published in August.

6. Adrian McKinty

Originally born and reared in Carrickfergus, Adrian McKinty studied politics at Oxford University before moving to New York City in the 1990s. He worked as a security guard, postman, construction worker, barman, rugby coach and bookstore clerk before becoming a teacher, author and moving to Australia.  He is the author of the Dead Trilogy (featuring hitman Michael Forsythe) and two standalone novels, Fifty Grand and Hidden River. Dead I Well May Be was shortlisted for the 2004 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and selected by Booklist as one of the ten best crime novels of the year. The Dead Yard was selected by Publisher’s Weekly as one of the twelve best novels of 2006 and won the Audie Award for best mystery or thriller. Fifty Grand won the 2010 Spinetingler Award.

7. Ingrid Black

Ingrid Black is the pseudonym of Irish journalist Eilis O’Hanlon and her husband Ian McConnel. Their first novel, The Dead, was published in 2003 and won a Shamus award. The Dark Eye was published in 2004, The Judas Heart in 2007 and Circle of the Dead in 2008.

Their main characters are former FBI agent turned true crime writer Saxon and Dublin Metropolitan Police Detective Grace Fitzgerald who is part of the Dublin Murder Squad.

8. Declan Burke (1969–)

Ken Bruen once said of Declan Burke, ‘I have seen the future of Irish crime fiction and it’s called Declan Burke. Here is talent writ large – mesmerizing, literate, smart and gripping . . . at last my hopes for crime fiction are renewed. Declan Burke, who was born in Sligo, is the author of Eightball Boogie (2003), The Big O (2007) and also runs the crime fiction blog Crime Always Pays. The Big O earned Burke comparisons with Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen.

9. Ken Bruen (1951–)

Ken Bruen is like the Big Daddy of Irish crime fiction. His most famous creation is Jack Taylor and he sets his Taylor novels in Galway, where he was born and still lives. The Guards, the first book in the Jack Taylor series (published in the UK in 2001; US 2003), won a Shamus Award for Best Novel in 2003. The Jack Taylor series focuses on disgraced ex-Guard Jack Taylor who turns private investigator while struggling with a drink problem. The most recent Jack Taylor novel is The Devil (2010), described by the Irish Independent as ‘Brilliant . . . Bruen’s Galway is certainly not Bord Faílte-approved, but once again he has delivered a disturbing story that casts a very cold eye on the state of our nation’.

10. Eugene McEldowney (1943–)

Eugene McEldowney was born in Belfast but lived in Dublin as a journalist for the Irish Times before writing full time. His series of crime books feature Superintendent Cecil Megarry of the Northern Ireland Special Branch. He also writes standalone novels like 1999’s The Faloorie Man and 2002’s Stella’s Story.

11. Liz Allen (1969–)

Dublin born Allen worked on several national newspapers in Dublin before leaving journalism in 2001 to work on her first novel. The lead characters in her standalone books are both independent women: solicitor Deborah Parker [Last to Know], and crime profiler Kate Waters [The Set-Up]. Allen has been compared to Minette Walters.

12. Alan Glynn

Alan Glynn’s Winterland was published by Faber in 2009 to rave reviews. Returning to his native city of Dublin Glynn looks at big business corruption as the Celtic Tiger begins to wane. The Irish Independent thought it was ‘a fast-moving, tightly-plotted, exciting read from the bright new star of Dublin noir crime fiction’, while the Irish Times described it as ‘a page-turner in the best sense of the word, a novel filled with clearly drawn, morally ambiguous characters . . . The plot never lets up for a moment and the three set-pieces of the story are as good as anything I have read in contemporary crime fiction. The great achievement of the novel, however, is the creation of Gina Rafferty herself. Believing that a property developer has destroyed her family’s life, she acts as a metaphor for an entire country that has been shattered by greed and the machinations of the filthy rich. Because of this, Winterland takes its place as the first contemporary Irish novel to explore the disastrous effects of the property boom and the damage it has done to countless Irish families. For that, and for this thrilling, brilliantly written novel, Alan Glynn deserves enormous praise.’

13. Alex Barclay (1974–)

Author of the Joe Lucchesi novels – Darkhouse and The Caller – Dublin born, Cork based Barclay has had great success since making the move from fashion and beauty journalism into crime writing. Darkhouse, her first novel, garnered a lot of critical acclaim and was sold to ten countries. Blood Runs Cold and Time of Death are a separate series featuring FBI Special Agent Ren Bryce.

14. Gene Kerrigan

Dublin journalist and author Kerrigan writes both non-fiction and fiction. His crime fiction explores the Dublin underworld and gang culture and has garnered him much praise.

15. Cormac Millar (1950–)

Cork born writer Cormac Millar [pseudonym of Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin] is the son of Eilís Dillon and brother of the poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin. He is Associate Professor of Italian at Trinity College Dublin. His Dublin based crime novel An Irish Solution was the first work of fiction to be published in 2004 by the Penguin Ireland imprint. His second crime novel, The Grounds, was published in 2006.

16. Sam Millar (1955–)

Sam Millar was born in Belfast. He has been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Martin Healy Short Story Award and the Cork Literary Review Award. His short story Rain won the Brian Moore Short Story Award in 1998. His novel Bloodstorm introduces readers to Belfast private investigator Karl Kane. It was described by Publisher’s Weekly as ‘the first in a powerful new crime series from Millar. Extremely original, it is a chillingly gripping book’, and by BBC Radio Ulster as ‘a powerful, relentless page-turner of a book, leaving you gasping for more’.

17. Declan Hughes

Declan Hughes’ Dublin based PI Ed Loy books have seen him nominated for an Edgar, the CWA New Blood Dagger, a Shamus and a Macavity Award. His first Ed Loy novel, The Wrong Kind of Blood, won the Shamus for Best First PI Novel. Hughes is also co-founder of Dublin’s Rough Magic Theatre Company, Ireland’s leading independent theatre company, as well as an award-winning playwright and screenwriter.

18. Tana French

Former professional actress French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi before settling in Dublin. Her first novel In the Woods won an Edgar for Best First Novel, Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and was sold to 22 countries.  Her latest book, Faithful Place, will be published on 1 July.

19. Vincent Banville (1940–)

Vincent Banville was born in Wexford. Faber published An End to Flight under the pen name Vincent Lawrence in 1973. His crime series features Dublin PI John Blaine and he also writes a children’s series featuring Hennessey.

20. Arlene Hunt

Since beginning her writing career at the young age of 27 Arlene Hunt has since published 6 novels. Her books follow John and Sarah of QuicK Investigations, who were first introduced to readers in Hunt’s second novel False Intentions. Her fifth novel, Undertow, the fourth in the QuicK Investigations series was nominated for Best Crime Novel at the 2009 Irish Book Awards. Her latest novel, Blood Money, was published in March 2010.

21. John Banville (1945–)

Born in Wexford John Banville is one of Ireland’s best known and celebrated authors. His novel The Sea won the Man Booker Prize in 2005. Christine Falls was first published in 2006 under his pseudonym Benjamin Black. It was a New York Times Editor’s Choice and a finalist for the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and introduced ex-hard-drinking Dublin pathologist Quirke.

22. Jim Lusby (1951–)

Waterford born Lusby now lives in Dublin. As well as writing short stories, for stage and radio, Lusby also writes as James Kennedy. His protagonist is Inspector Carl McCadden of Waterford police.

23. K. T. McCaffrey

Graphic designer McCaffrey’s first novel Revenge introduced feisty Dublin journalist Emma Boylan. The Observer has called McCaffrey, ‘A welcome addition to the ranks of superior crime writers’.

24. Andrew Nugent

Former lawyer turned Benedictine monk, Andrew Nugent’s novels set in Dublin follow Inspector Quilligan and Molly Power of the Irish Police Force Murder Squad.

25. John Galvin

A member of the Gardaí, John Galvin wrote Bog Warriors, a comic thriller set in Co Kerry, in his spare time. Published in 2000 it was followed by The Mercury Men in 2002. Galvin, originally from Co Cork, comes from a family of Guards.