Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Blood Dimmed Tide | 2014 | Anthony J. Quinn | Buy |
Anthony J. Quinn’s The Blood Dimmed Tide (2014) is a historical mystery featuring the poet W.B. Yeats as a detective investigating supernatural occurrences in early twentieth-century Ireland.
The novel takes its title from Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming” and uses the poet’s real-life fascination with the occult as a springboard for fiction. Yeats’s interest in spiritualism, Irish mythology, and secret societies gives Quinn plenty of historical material to build his mystery around.
Quinn is also known for his Inspector Celcius Daly crime series set in Northern Ireland. The Blood Dimmed Tide shows a different side of his work, trading modern police procedurals for an atmospheric period piece. Readers who enjoy historical fiction that puts real literary figures into fictional plots will find this one worth seeking out.