Book review: Tadhg Coakley on top of his game as Detective Tim Collins returns

"...when a woman is found brutally raped and murdered in her Cork city home, Collins is assigned to the case along with his new partner - they soon discover that a twisted, misogynistic killer is on the loose in the city..."

Tadhg Coakley: impresses with his newest crime yarn. Pic: Michael O'Sullivan /OSM PHOTO

• Before He Kills Again
• Tadhg Coakley
• Mercier Press, €16.99

HOT on the heels of his much celebrated, best-selling memoir The Game: A Journey Into The Heart of Sport, Tadhg Coakley swings easily back into the world of crime fiction as he brings us the much-anticipated sequel to his 2020 smash and Cork’s choice for One City One Book, Whatever It Takes.

In 2020 we were introduced to former inter-county hurler, now Detective Garda Tim Collins. A brilliant character, he is deeply flawed, slow to compromise, but totally relatable. You will root for him from the beginning. We watched him and got to know him as he took on the criminal underworld of Cork City to bring down his nemesis and drugs kingpin, Dominic Molloy. If I could have at the time, I’d have picked up another Collins instalment immediately. But like everyone else, I had to wait. Until now. I finally got my hands on book two and I’m happy to say, it was worth the wait.

Before He Kills Again launches us right into the action when a woman is found brutally raped and murdered in her Cork city home. Collins is assigned to the case along with his new partner, Deirdre Donnelly (a great character in herself). They soon discover that a twisted, misogynistic killer is on the loose in the city, with plans to attack and kill more women. Collins and Deirdre find themselves in a race against time to find and stop the killer before he has the chance to take even more victims. But circumstances conspire against them.

One of Ireland’s most wanted criminals has been spotted in Collins’ West Cork hometown and Collins’ superintendent, who is not a fan of the detective, insists he move to this case and pulls him from their murder inquiry. But the West Cork case is personal and so Collins heads off.

Things soon take a brutal turn when Collins witnesses a vicious murder that pushes him to the brink. As the investigation explodes in a brutal showdown, we see a different side of Collins as he questions how far he will go to seek justice.

I was so invested in Collins and Donnelly’s murder investigation that for a minute I found myself silently screaming ‘no’ when Supt Buckley spitefully pulls Collins from the case. I didn’t want to look away from the hunt for our city’s rapist and killer. But Coakley’s plotting is so spot on that minutes later I was just as invested in the West Cork case.

I found myself staring wide-eyed at the pages during the murder scene because it felt so unexpected. I loved Collins’ reaction to the situation that he found himself in.

There were no Hollywood heroics — which made for much better reading and a sense of realism. Collins himself is respected among his peers and seen as a bit of a wild card by his superiors. But here we are shown another side to this utterly likeable character — suddenly we’re shown that he too can be violent and unpredictable when cornered, and we find ourselves wondering how far he will go to avenge a killing. Could he become a killer himself?

Before He Kills Again feels to me like a glimpse into the realities of a murky criminal world and the battle of wills taking place within the ranks of those investigating. Coakley’s portrayal of Cork City gives such a strong sense of place, and his simple but elegant prose keeps the story moving, sweeping the reader along and keeping us gripped from start to finish.

What we also have here is a rather shocking double climax which is very satisfying. I’m ready for much more of Tim Collins and could easily see myself watching this Cork Rebus-esque detective onscreen.

It’s an expertly crafted, unflinching, and creepy-as-hell thriller. Tadhg Coakley is at the top of his game.