My Review for The Trafficking Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries #5) by Brian O'Hare

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.   This review is for The Trafficking Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries #5) by Brian O'Hare which I reviewed in  January 2021 for Online Book Club The storyline gripped me and will open the reader’s eyes to the trafficking and modern slave trade in the 21st century. I think the book was professionally edited because I found very few grammatical or spelling mistakes.

The Trafficking Murders are essentially about two different forms of slavery/trafficking. One is a high-end business that has the girls settled into luxury apartments and provided with enough money to purchase fine clothes, but with a very grim side to what they have to carry out to benefit from this. The other is rather less glamorous with the men and women brought into Northern Ireland in container ships and dealt with brutally from the start. Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit find themselves embroiled in several murders which all seem to be linked to the Chinese Community in Belfast. The Trafficking Murders follows the team as they attempt to solve the crime, eventually realising that everything is linked.

I was caught up in this book and curious about every page turn and what was coming next. The author treats a sensitive subject with delicacy and compassion, but there is also humour involved as his team often banter with each other as they continue with the case. As the story continues, the author’s descriptive style guides us through the Belfast police procedure, and therefore, most things that you think you may not understand become clear. The author is from Northern Ireland and consequently, some US readers may find some police terminology confusing. The author has thoughtfully provided a glossary of acronyms that are commonplace in police forces in the UK, for guidance.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that it wasn’t a normal, run-of-the-mill crime novel. It focussed on a sensitive and very real topic and appeared to be researched well. The crime is complex, and careful readers will notice the clues and try to solve the mystery alongside the Chief Inspector’s team.

There wasn’t anything I disliked about the book, but if I was pushed, I would have liked to see more graphic detail about the things these poor victims go through during these hideous crimes.

I think the book would appeal to readers who enjoy a crime novel but should know this is a very genuine subject and there are people suffering because of Human Trafficking every single day.

I haven’t previously read any Brian O’Hare novels, but this won’t be my last. The author has kindly sent me a copy of one of his other novels, and I will read this shortly.