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2000s: Take one very funny Irish comedian, a dark and macabre murder mystery and you have gallow (humour) gold..
2000s: Take one very funny Irish comedian, a dark and macabre murder mystery and you have gallow (humour) gold..
Duneen is a remote Irish village which has never really had any kind of drama happening there, or including those who live there. Well, not until now.
Human remains have just been found on an old farm – those of Tommy Burke – a man who had romantic liaisons with two women in the village
The police start investigating and it’s a very dark surprise which they dig up along with the remains…
Duneen
Duneen is a quiet and quaint little village in the south of County Cork. It’s a typical Irish village where life seems to be as peaceful as the lambs grazing on the hill banks – or in this a duck swimming on the pond, but in reality, underneath the feet are flapping around in an attempt to go one way or the other.
Duneen is that duck. What lies beneath indeed? When human remains are discovered, the village policeman Sergeant PJ Collins is the only man for the job. At least with what seems to be his first and only case, he will get to do more than eat cakes and waddle round the village
Duneen is as much a character as any of them – it’s the centre of a rural plot whereby farmland is being developed for housing and so the politics of small village life come to the fore.
Susan:
Like many people I was keen to read a novel by one of the funniest men on telly. What would it be like? Would it be like one of Norton himself and his comedy characters? His talk show personna? Well in fact it’s a little bit of all of that and more.
I like how he’s focused on a little town in Ireland. It all just reads very authentic and you can hear his Irish lilt when reading the dialogue. This really made it shine for me – the Irish village setting, the characters banter and the dark humour sprinkled throughout.
His cast of characters is really well developed and they’re a varied bunch to put it mildly! I think Graham’s had fun writing these – there’s a lot of hidden depths to them and I could picture them clearly in Duneen.
And this is what I really liked – the backstory which builds up to the main events. The placing of Duneen on the map of loneliness and past regrets….with a doggy character that is definitely from the pen of someone who loves dogs. Graham is known for this and this is a lovely nod to his own personality.
Duneen is a fascinating Irish hidden gem under the pen of Graham Norton. A village with secrets and the Irish charm of its writer all wrapped up in one neat plot.
A really exciting read this one. It will make you smile and wonder what is coming next. This isn’t just a book for fans – he’s going to get a whole lot of new ones with this little beauty!
Author/ Guide: Graham Norton Destination: Duneen, County Cork Departure Time: 2000s
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