Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A June of Ordinary Murders | 2012 | Conor Brady | Buy |
| 2 | The Eloquence of the Dead | 2013 | Conor Brady | Buy |
| 3 | A Hunt in Winter | 2016 | Conor Brady | Buy |
| 4 | In the Dark River | 2018 | Conor Brady | Buy |
The Joe Swallow series is set in Dublin during the late 1880s, a time when the Dublin Metropolitan Police divided crime into two categories: “special” (political) and “ordinary” (everything else, including murder). Detective Sergeant Joe Swallow handles the ordinary crimes, though his cases frequently pull him into the political dangers of the era. The first book, A June of Ordinary Murders, opens with the discovery of mutilated bodies in Phoenix Park and immediately establishes the series’ blend of detective work and historical detail.
Conor Brady, a former editor of The Irish Times, writes with authority about Dublin’s streets, pubs, and institutions. Each novel in the series adds layers to Swallow’s character and to the world around him. By the fourth book, In the Dark River, Swallow has been promoted to Detective Inspector and recently married. The series rewards readers who enjoy watching a detective grow within a carefully researched historical setting. Brady’s journalism background gives the prose a grounded, no-nonsense quality that suits the material well.