Kaddish in Dublin

Inspector Matt Minogue #3

by John Brady

The body washed up on a beach is the son of a prominent IrishJewish family: ‘one of our own all right, but a Jew nonetheless..’
A body which washes up on a beach in the Dublin suburbs leads Minogue into the wider realm of political conspiracy. Paul Fine was the son of a prominent judge whose family had lived in Dublin for generations and who had played a key role in the city’s small, complex Jewish community. When Paul Fine is found dead, the evidence seems to point to a PLO-linked organization. Smart detective work and an unexpected second murder lead Minogue and the Squad in a wholly new direction.
Soon he discovers that he has come upon another extremist sect of religious zealots, one which has political ambitions and, just as ominous, police and government connections. As Minogue unravels the enigma of these murders, he finds himself understanding something of the Jews of Dublin, people who feel bound to Ireland and yet remain outsiders.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Ireland, Religion, Irish Literature, 20th Century

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

John Brady was born in Dublin, the fictional setting of his acclaimed series of Matt Minogue mystery novels. Brady immigrated to Canada at the age of 20, and has worked as a bank official, RCMP clerical officer and teacher. His seventh Minogue novel, Wonderland, taps into Dublin’s exploding economy and its aftershocks at every level of society. He lives in Toronto. He won the Arthur Ellis Award to the First Best Novel in 1989 for A Stone of the Heart.

Series:
* Inspector Matt Minogue

Reviews

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaddish in Dublin is the third book in the Matt Minogue series. To my mind, the series is one of the strongest Irish police procedural series set in the South, though the tenth and last book was published in 2009. The books are straight-up procedurals rooted in the realism of everyday life, Irish society at the time, and institutional politics, with little melodrama or over-the-top action, and police officers who are ordinary people rather than having some traumatic back story. In this sense, the books are more Scandinavian in style than most US or UK contemporary series, but with a good dose of Irish humour and under-statement thrown in. This outing focuses on the death of a Jewish journalist and a political conspiracy. Set in the late 1980s and given the power of the Church at that time and political conservatism and scandals, the conspiracy didn’t feel outlandish. In fact, given the era it was written in, the topic seems quite a brave choice to focus on. Minogue goes about his business in his usual way, patiently uncovering clues and rattling cages while worrying about the consequences, and fretting over his family. There is a strong sense of place and the dialogue, in particular, is excellent. Overall, an enjoyable murder mystery with a political edge.

[Woolfhead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent Irish dialogue as well as an unromanticized look at contemporary Ireland and its problems. Plot was a bit convoluted and unlikely, but the dialogue made it worth the read.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying the Matt Minogue series, with its delightful Irish verbiage. This one was a bit grim, but worth reading.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this based on the title. And the few of us at the Venn diagrammed intersection of Gaeilge and Yiddish may chuckle at the topography of a particular peak south of Dublin city as etymologized.

It's clever if as far-fetched as the legend some named Murphy came to Éire once maybe a thousand years or more as wayward medical adepts from the lands of the Hebrews, taking in of course the scenery and centuries along the way. Out of such conjectures, after all, is where tall tales sprout.

I don't cotton towards mysteries, so this was an outlier for me. But I found it readable enough So, the setting and context, obviously, if you scan my review stack, drew me in more than the genre plot. So maybe I'm not the ideal critic as I hopped into the middle of a series to pluck out a random installment. Yet as a widely-read Irish sort, eclectic and alert for any loose ends to tie up, it's fine.

[Kenneth McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

At almost 400 pages it's overly long, the plot gets a bit complicated and messy, and the ending isn't particularly satisfying (it feels rushed, which is a weird thing to say in a book this long)

However it was fun to read a story set in a Dublin of 1990 with an ongoing bus strike, multiple Bewley's locations, an old guard coming to grips with "the women's movement" but also moving away from the influence of the church.

Written by an Irishman who emigrated to Canada in the 70s, I wonder if these books were ever released in Ireland? I wasn't familiar with them, but I wasn't paying attention too hard either.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a good writer John Brady is. In this thriller his detective, Matt Minogue, follows the trail of a murderer of a researcher for Ireland's radio, son of a Judge and the head of Ireland's Jewish community.
Another murder, a few days later, of a one-time member of Opus Dei takes place getting Minogue and his boss, James Kilmartin, involved in plans by a group of high standing police to take over the Irish government. The plot is very complicated but John Brady draws his characters so well it is hard to believe this is fiction.

[Margalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third Matt Minogue mystery (really police procedural), and I liked this one the best of all. Minogue continues to grow on me with his odd asides, quirky comments, musings on nature and poetry and Ireland, "spouting Yeats and annoying everyone," as one character comments. He worries about his kids and gets through his day and is dogged in his methods of uncovering crime for the Dublin Murder Squad. The writing is quite nice and the plotting fairly delicate.

[Perlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery ostensibly about the Jewish community of Dublin, Ireland. It's really a police procedural with a side of Irish Jews. I felt it shed more light on Ireland as a whole, and its Catholic groups, than Jews per se. Nonetheless, it was nice to a little about a community I didn't previously know existed today!

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Matt Minogue investigates a murder that uncovers a secret plot to overthrow the government. Brady's complex protagonist and supporting characters keep the story humming along, as do his deft descriptions of the variety of Irish landscapes, from inner-city Dublin to the heather and bogs of the misty mountains.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Ireland and Dublin in the late 1980s. All the corruption, despair, social upheaval etc. The characters seem more important than the action. The plot hangs together only loosely.

[Susan Kavanagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 3.75. Written before cell phones were in use and women were detectives. Interesting characters and pretty good mystery. Great setting.

[Anna Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Brady does magic with the way the Irish speak. This book would be fun to read even if it wasn't such a riveting story.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Brian Carrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this story will try to find others.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a complex and thoughtful mystery. Sadly, this was also the most poorly proofread book I ever pulled off a library shelf.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brady has an interesting and simpatico mystery series involving the murder squad of the Dublin Police. His main character Matt Minogue is a lapsed Catholic with a wry and at times truly cynical eye on how Ireland works, how Ireland fails. In this particular book Minogue is investigating the 'professional hit' on an investigative journalist who happens to be the the son on one of Ireland's most prominent jurists. That the Fines are also Jewish adds a truly dark element to the story and the obvious grief that Justice Fine exhibits over the death of his son sets Minogue off on some fascinating reflections about parents and children. What appears straightforward though disturbing, the idea that Fine was killed because he was Jewish, morphs into a much more layered mystery about Irish attitudes, the Church, the idea of a coup and the role of confraternities. Told with an incredible gift of language and expression this book has much to recommend it.

[Charles Kerns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death by dialogue--no Gary Cooper/Clint Eastwood cops, these. Words cajole and banter as the head inspector (traditional, tough, tea-drinking guy ) gives and takes with his younger upstart understudy, Minogues, (non-believer, feminist leanings, coffee man). He jousts words with his wife and daughter. The police chief "God Almighty" spits it out with everyone. (And so on and on for all characters in Dublin, except for two dead ones.)

But, that once sparkling city--at least it was in my mind--has been smeared over badly in the pages here. After reading the book, my wife said "Let's not go there." I am not so sure--you gotta show the underbelly when writing modern crime, but there seem to be few top cuts left to Dublin, at least for this writer.
But five stars for Brady, if only for his characters. I need to know Brady better. And maybe skip Dublin.

[Lsilberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of unexpected twists and turns. This would have been a lot easier to read if I had some knowledge of Gaelic--I couldn't even pronounce most of the names.

It would also have been easier to read if the proofreader and/or editor hadn't been asleep. I borrowed a printed book from the library, and there were places in the book in which a previous reader had marked in pen some indications of where a change in speaker should have been clearly indicated--the printer hadn't left even a space between paragraphs to show that the person speaking wasn't the same as in the previous paragraph. There were even places in which two or three entire paragraphs were repeated. I used to edit college catalogs for a living, and I find it hard to believe that repeated errors such as these actually ended up in print.

[Pat]

It is not a quick read, but for one interested in Irish culture and language Brady's books are very interesting. Minogue is a complex character and seems to react to his boss/friend? James Kilmartin rather than take the initiative.

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many words and not enough action.

[Tom Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated 26 years after publication. But great dialogue. I had to look up a bunch of slang terms. Also choppy transitions at some points. Seems a lot happened the first day.