A Conversation with Mystery Author Daithi Kavanagh

We are delighted to welcome back author Daithi Kavanagh to Omnimystery News.

Daithi first visited with us earlier this year when he wrote about The Gun, the first in a new series featuring Garda Detective Tadgh Sullivan. Now the second book has been published, The Brotherhood (Tirgearr Publishing; May 2015 ebook formats) and we had the opportunity to spend some time talking with him about it.

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Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about Tadgh Sullivan. What is it about him that appeals to you as a writer?

Photo provided courtesy of
Daithi Kavanagh

Daithi Kavanagh: The main character in my books is Detective Tadhg (pronounced Tige) Sullivan. Sullivan's character is very human. He is flawed and appears to have very little control over his personal life. He is divorced and now finds himself separated from his new girlfriend. Most of these problems stem from his inability to control his binge drinking. The only time he seems to get his personal problems under control is when he is tied up in a case. This is where his real humanity is revealed, when he is willing to go to any lengths, even to control the habits he normally couldn't, to protect the victims of the crimes he is investigating. The balance of strength and weakness in his character is what really appeals to me as a writer and I believe it makes him appear more natural to the reader.

OMN: How do you see him developing over the course of a series?

DK: Tadhg's character has changed in small ways continuously throughout the first two books in the series. In his early career as a member of An Garda Siochana he was a "go getter" who was determined to rise through the ranks. But later on he became disillusioned with the job he'd worked so hard to get. He turned from a "Pit Bull" for the establishment to become a thorn in their side. In a sense his personal problems are the only thing that keeps his feet on the ground.

OMN: How true are you to the settings in the books?

DK: I try to keep the geography as close to reality as possible. The books are always set in towns or cities throughout Ireland where I have either lived or spent time and know the places pretty well. I think it's important to keep the setting as real as possible for the writing to ring true.

OMN: If we could send you anywhere in the world to research the setting for a story, where would it be?

DK: Once of my favorite writers is Arnaldur Indriðason. He is an Icelandic crime writer. I would love to experience the culture in which these stories were given life. I also love the insular, almost claustrophobic atmosphere that exists in his writing and I feel a kindred spirit with him, possibly due to the fact that both countries, Ireland and Iceland are islands on the tip of Europe but never really feel a part of it.

OMN: Suppose the Tadhg Sullivan mysteries were to be developed for television or adapted for film. Who do you see playing his role?

DK: Tadhg, in my minds eye is in his late thirties, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. I think that the Irish actor Cillian Murphy would fit the role perfectly. His performances in Peaky Blinders and The Wind that Shakes the Barley portray him as a human yet aggressive person when the need arises. He is also a leader and one that people tend to follow due to the lack of selfishness he displays in the actions he takes.

OMN: Have any particular authors influenced how and what you write today?

DK: I've already mentioned Arnaldur Indriðason, and Henning Mankell's Wallander was also a huge influence in how I see the role of a detective. Other characters like the Scottish detective John Rebus created by Ian Rankin was also an influence. I like the way these detectives are portrayed i.e. that they are not one dimensional, they are flawed and strong at the same time.

OMN: When selecting a book to read for pleasure today, what do you look for?

DK: In my earlier life I tended to read non-fiction books on history or politics. But for the last ten or fifteen years I was drawn to detective novels. I find they are great page turners and there is nothing more enjoyable on a winter's evening than to sit up in bed with a good crime novel, a bag of chocolate toffees and a cup of drinking chocolate!

OMN: What's next for you?

DK: I am currently writing my third book in the Tadhg Sullivan Series which I hope to have completed by the end of this year. I have another long term writing project which at the moment is just meanderings but I hope some day to turn it into a book. I am also studying at the moment for a third level degree in Irish Culture and Heritage Studies and have in my mind the possibility of writing a book with an historical background.

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Daithi Kavanagh lives with his wife and two teenage children in Trinity, Wexford. Up to 2012 when the recession hit Ireland, he was making a living as a musician. He then went back to adult education and completed his Leaving Certificate in 2014. He is now studying for a degree in Culture and Heritage Studies at Wexford Campus. He plays guitar and sings in many of the pubs in his hometown of Wexford, where he is often joined by his two children Ella and Rory, who play fiddle and flute. In his spare time he likes to walk his two dogs with his wife Caroline.

For more information about the author, please visit his author page on Tirgearr Publishing and his author page on Goodreads, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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The Brotherhood by Daithi Kavanagh

The Tadgh Sullivan Series

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

Detective Tadhg Sullivan's life seems to be falling apart, since being shifted to Clare from Dublin after falling out with the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner. His partner (Journalist Helen Carty) has moved out, unable to live with his bouts of depression and periodic alcoholism. He finds himself once again alone in a world that doesn't understand him.

Suddenly Sullivan is knocked out of his lethargy when a teenage girl goes missing not far from Ennis where he has been stationed. Sullivan is asked to lead the hunt by the local Superintendent and is catapulted into a world of unimaginable horror. He is confronted by Lord Charles Cromwell the leader of a sadistic cult (The Brotherhood) that derives its pleasures from the torture and murder of young women.

Sullivan's investigation is once again hampered by political interference. As he fights his way through one bureaucratic obstacle after another he discovers that The Brotherhoods tentacles have not only reached into corridors of power in Ireland but, they are being protected by powerful politicians worldwide.

To cut through this protective ring of steel Sullivan finds himself having to engage with some strange bed fellows. Which included an ex CIA agent (Simon Horowitz) who had saved his partners life during his last investigation and an IRA leader (Rory O'Connor) who has recently been released from prison.

Will this strange combination be able to destroy The Brotherhood before their murderous reign takes another young life or will Lord Cromwell destroy Sullivan and everything he loves?

— The Brotherhood by Daithi Kavanagh