Tapes of the River Delta

"A highly exhilarating and engrossing work of fiction...truly wondrous."―Irish Times Theo Shortcourse has always been overshadowed by his charismatic nephew, Bain Cross, who is three years older and the favorite of Theo ' s beautiful, manipulative mother, Sparrow . Now the corrupt Bain is the most powerful figure in the Irish Government, and Theo is sought for murder . As he hides from his pursuers in the river delta, he reflects on his life and his childhood in the town of Monument . There his fate became entwined with Bain, Pax Sheehy - to Theo the moral guardian of his time - and the dark secrets that govern all the characters in his damaged life, from generation to generation . Wrought in exquisite, ravishing detail, Tapes of the River Delta's themes of blood and tribe, law and politics, desire, betrayal, violence and guilt reflect the legacy of modern Ireland. "Cunningham paints a dark and compelling canvas that writhes with incest, betrayal, spiritual and political bankruptcy―and the blasted hopes of twentieth century Ireland." ―Publishers Weekly ..".a skillful production, written in prose that has a trace of Irish lilt." ―Booklist "It is difficult to know what to admire most in this gifted and original novel. It is a subtle and perceptive study of the pains of adolescence, an eloquent meditation on recent Irish history, a powerful story of betrayal and corrupted political practice and lost dreams." ― Barry Unsworth, Booker Prize winner Peter Cunningham grew up in Waterford, the port city on which Monument, central to Tapes of the River Delta, is based. His previous work includes thrillers and the acclaimed Monument series. Among his many novels are Consequences of the Heart, The Sea and the Silence, Taoiseach and Capital Sins. Peter Cunningham (www.petercunninghambooks.com) is a member of Aosdana, the Irish Academy of Letters, and lives in County Kildare.