Bring on Irish DCS Frankie Sheehan

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  Too Close to Breathe is a fantastic start to a new Irish police series featuring Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan. Frankie is a no nonsense kind of woman but she does carry some baggage from an on the job incident that saw her wounded. Now, back on the job after some time away to recover, she faces the case of a woman found hanged. Suicide, one might think, but it looks more like murder to Frankie. And so begins this gripping novel full of twists, turns and some great, tense drama.

I am addicted to police procedurals. I love the mystery and maneuvering through the maze of fact and fiction to get to the truth at the center. Often, the misleading red herrings feel like a haphazard road block that is easy to discount before getting back on the path. Not so with Too Close to Breathe. It feels absolutely authentic, not manufactured just to distract the reader with something shiny. Even the relatively unimportant leads do help the cause in one way or another. I also appreciated the practical realities of the investigation. There are budgetary limitations to all things, police investigations included. Frankie's boss Clancy definitely holds the purse strings and is constantly pushing for greater restraint on spending. That's not something you typically see and it gives greater credence to the story.

I loved the close relationship between Frankie and Baz. They worked well together but are close enough, and honest enough, to give each other crap and call foul when something is wrong or unfair. The drama is also notable. There's plenty that goes right and wrong in the investigation but you feel the tension build smoothly as the noose tightens around the killer. The pivotal climax was so good and had me holding my breath with anxiety.

I will definitely be on the lookout for more in this series. Well done, Ms. Kiernan on a quality read! I loved it all.