The Coast Road

On a headland park that looks out over the sea just south of Dublin, student Rhiannon Brophy prepares to put her borrowed digital camera to work photographing the bay, when middle-aged couple comes up the path with their hyper terrier. The couple moves on. Their terrier charges back after a minute, and begins to growl. Rhiannon watches it back away and then carefully advance into the leaves. Then the dog has something in its teeth, tugging at it, twisting it. An arm appears rising from the leaves, and then a coast sleeve. The body is Philip Larkin, of no known address. He had not been reported missing; no family is looking for him. Larkin was a fixture, a common sight to hundreds, if not thousands, of his fellow Dubliners who have spotted him over the years. 'The High King' many called him. Larkin rambled the roads and lanes of these prosperous Dublin suburbs, talking to himself. Minogue receives a phone call from Commissioner Tynan's office some months later. What could be done in six months on the backlog of cases, he is asked. Would a long hard look at these cases budge them?


Genre: Mystery