Hachette Books Ireland

'A BOOK THAT ENTERS THE GAA CANON' THE 42'A MAGICAL-MYSTERY TOUR OF A GAA SEASON' IRISH INDEPENDENT'A cracking read ... a championship season as redemption song.' MICHAEL CLIFFORD"All the tension of a tight knockout encounter ... one of the books of the year." MIKE McCORMACKTwenty-one years on from his bestselling The Road to Croker, sportswriter Eamonn Sweeney set out to follow the All-Ireland championships around the country once again. But there was one problem. To make the journey, he would have to confront a secret fear that had quietly shaped his life. On the pitch, The Last Ditch captures the drama of a hurling season for the ages and a football championship that tested even the most loyal supporters - a landscape of unlikely triumphs, renaissances, shocks, cliffhangers and heartbreak. Off the field, it becomes something deeper: one man's reckoning with middle age, masculinity and a crippling travel phobia that for two decades had dictated the span of his quiet, rural existence. As he moves through towns, terraces and conversations, Sweeney discovers not just the unifying spirit of the GAA, but the possibility of reclaiming a life he thought he'd lost. Both an unforgettable sporting odyssey and a profoundly human memoir, The Last Ditch is a testament to how in Ireland, when all else fails, the GAA brings us home again.

Shortlisted for the 2026 Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award'I feel changed by this novel' Donal Ryan'An epic story' Anne Enright'Truly a book for our time' Paul Lynch'Near-perfect beauty' Irish TimesFROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE SPECKLED PEOPLE'Deeply moving, utterly readable, bursting with life' Frank McGuinness'Hamilton leaves you with images that linger' Sunday IndependentFleeing his failed marriage in Berlin, Lukas Dorn revisits the West of Ireland, the place of his honeymoon two decades earlier. While his former wife is being cancelled at work and his daughter is arrested at a street protest, he tries to make sense of his broken life with a journal as his sole companion. His inherited memory of the Nazi Holocaust comes face to face with the present when he meets a refugee from a recent warzone. As Lukas communes with the elements in this wild coastal place, he is forced into a confrontation with the past that will carry him to the edge of existence. Conversation with the Sea speaks with heart-rending tenderness to the present moment, as it explores truth, illusion and the deadly silencing of war in a captivating tale of love in a time of displacement. 'Unsettling and strangely absorbing' Irish Independent'A profound meditation ... precise, masterly' Irish Examiner

'A wonderful take on the chaos of the modern word' Louise O'Neill'Really, really good - thoughtful, funny, smart and stupid' Séamus O'Reilly'Self-deprecating, insightful and witty' Irish Examiner 'Carl has the rare gift of combining analytical clarity with maniacal vulnerability' Blindboy Boatclub'Great company ... Touching, interesting, funny and informative' Marian KeyesLike the rest of us, Carl Kinsella has spent the last ten years trying to find a way to navigate modern life, mental health and the internet. Well, maybe not quite like the rest of us. From starting a rumour that convinced much of Ireland that the Luas was free to having a breakdown at the Dolly Parton theme park, here Carl has done his best to document a journey that's been all at once relatable and ridiculous. Informed by his experiences with OCD - an illness that warped his perception of reality, convinced him he was dying, and threatened the very foundations of his life - this collection of essays reflects on stories of attention, algorithms, masculinity and madness. Honest and deeply human, At Least It Looks Good From Space is a colourful search for answers about what it means to be losing your mind and what you might find to replace it. 'Sharp, inventive and irresistibly engaging' Sophie White'Kinsella proves a sharp satirist and a shrewd observer of the minutiae of Irish life' IRISH TIMES

NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025, AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS'Vital' Sunday Independent'Compelling' Irish Times'Riveting' Irish Independent'Chilling' Irish Mail on Sunday'Every woman in Ireland needs to read Deadly Silence' The Sunday TimesThe heart-breaking account of a search for the truth behind the brutal killings that shocked a nation. Jacqueline Connolly's world was shattered when she learned that her sister Clodagh and three young nephews - Liam, Niall and Ryan - had been killed by Alan Hawe in August 2016. Thus began a heart-breaking journey to piece together the circumstances leading up to these tragic events. Here she tells that story, revealing the coercive control and manipulation that shaped her sister's final years, the profound failures in the initial garda investigation, and the shocking findings from the Garda Serious Crime Review, which starkly exposed the terrible darkness of a cold-blooded murder-suicide planned for a year in advance. Deadly Silence is a powerful account that challenges our understanding of domestic violence and family annihilators, a testament to sisterly love, and a deeply inspiring personal journey of healing from severe trauma and loss.

HATE AT FIRST SIGHT. THEN COMES THE REWRITE. 'Utterly delicious - I couldn't stop reading this' MARIAN KEYES'Warm, sexy, and full of whip-smart humour that had me cackling through each page, Love Scene is everything I crave in a rom-com. I adored it!' CATHERINE WALSH'A balm for the soul, this is a gorgeously sweet and sexy novel with characters you'll want to befriend and a soap you'll wish was real!' VICKI NOTAROTV writer Annie McDermott has finally landed her dream job. The nightmare part: she has to share an office with her nemesis. Arrogant (and distractingly handsome) Art Sullivan - who Annie hasn't seen since their college days - was supposed to be Hollywood's Next Big Thing. So what's he doing in a soap opera writers' room, apart from pushing Annie's button? oon though Annie's got a bigger distraction: someone's trying to sabotage the show. But she's not going to let her dream go without a fight. Even if it means asking for Art's help to stop them. After Annie and Art find themselves sharing a very hot kiss at the office (which they swear will never happen again), things get even more complicated. But if they can quit arguing long enough to finally admit they make a good team, there might just be another plot twist ahead ... Here's what readers are saying about Love Scene:'Forced proximity, workplace romance, a super camp villain and SO much banter with genuine chemistry ... Absolutely one to put on your TBR!' Netgalley reader'With a style of writing similar to Mhairi McFarlane this author is fast becoming one of my auto-reads. Funny, romantic ... 5 stars all round, no notes' Netgalley reader'Absolutely sensational ... The chemistry between the two is off the charts; in my opinion, an enemies-to-lovers romance is the best kind, and this is one of the best I've read' Netgalley reader'I was hooked. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry & Marian Keyes' Netgalley reader'Love Scene has completely stolen my heart ... If you are a fan of fresh, clever and modern romance novels, you'll love this' Netgalley reader'Their chemistry? FIRE! ... I absolutely loved this unputdownable modern screwball comedy' Netgalley reader'It's 1am. I couldn't stop reading Love Scene today, Anna Carey writes the BEST dialogue. Oh my days, this story is absolutely perfect' Netgalley reader

'Filled with grit, joy, laughter and sacrifice' Irish Times'A beautiful and compelling memoir ... a manual for life' Ryan Tubridy 'This book provides unique insights into the life and work of one of Ireland's most influential doctors' SR STAN KENNEDYDR HARRY BARRY's life and career has been shaped by defining events: a solitary childhood with chronic illness, a traumatic experience in school, and family tragedies that set him on a course of dedicating his life to medicine and healing. Beneath the Surface tells that remarkable story. From the halls of University College Dublin in the 1970s, to a remote hospital in Tanzania where he would meet someone who was to have a transformative effect on his approach to health, and on through decades on the front line of Irish general practice, culminating in a life-altering realisation that would see him change the course of his career. This thought-provoking and inspiring memoir shows us how, by embracing compassion and love, we can transform not only our own lives but the world around us.

'Haunting, intelligent, atmospheric' SAM BLAKEHer fate was in their hands. Now their future is in hers. Kit's summer job at the Abbaye de Saint Maurice was supposed to be a clean slate - until she fell in with 'the Olympians', a clique of wealthy young academics staying nearby. Kit, desperate to fit in, was drawn to them like a moth to a flame. Then came the incident. One night. One choice. One secret too dark to name. Kit fled, and for ten years, she stayed gone. When an invitation arrives, summoning her back to the Abbaye, Kit returns - not for redemption, but for a reckoning. A former lover is writing a book that threatens to crack open the past, and the Olympians want Kit to silence him. Again. Will Kit be able to betray the man she once loved for the good of the rest? How far are her old friends willing to go to protect themselves? And, in a place where memory is a weapon and desire cuts deep, who is Kit when the masks come off?'Lingers in your mind long after you turn the final page' GILL PERDUE'A truly hypnotic read' AMANDA CASSIDY

'Breathtaking' Irish Independent 'Powerful' Irish TimesINSIDE THE MOMENTS WHEN EVERY SECOND MATTERSIn these pages, Dr Suzanne Crowe opens the doors to a world few ever see: the charged and fragile realm of paediatric intensive care. From her earliest days as a junior doctor to becoming one of Ireland's leading specialists, she shares extraordinary stories of the children she's treated, the families who've loved them and the moments when life hung by a thread. But this is not only a book about medicine. It is about how the healing begins with a doctor bearing witness and being present. It is about what it means to offer hope when certainty is gone. At its heart lies the searing personal loss of Suzanne's own child, Beatrice - a grief that reshaped her as a doctor and as a person. Written with honesty and a clinician's eye for detail, this is a story of deep compassion and unflinching truth. A profoundly human memoir from a doctor whose work has touched many lives.

'Gripping, smart, suspenseful' EDEL COFFEY'I could not put the book down' AMY JORDANIn a village of secrets, is anyone truly innocent? 'A page-turner' IRISH INDEPENDENTOn a frosty morning, a young tourist is found dead at the bottom of the Wishing Steps at Blarney Castle. A tragic fall, the locals say. But when Dani DeMarco arrives from America to identify her daughter Jessie's body, she's convinced the truth is more sinister. Jessie had travelled to the village to find the father she never knew, a man who's now a pillar of the local community. But the story of his past, which Dani quickly exposes, soon ignites a storm of outrage, denial and fear. The local community begins to take sides, but who to believe - the man they have known all their lives, or a devastated mother with nothing to lose? As loyalties shift and tensions rise, one question haunts them all: did Jessie slip ... or was she silenced?'A thrilling mystery' GILL PERDUE

'Unputdownable' JOSEPH O'CONNOR'A roller coaster read' LIZ NUGENTTHEY WERE BEST FRIENDS. NOW THEY ARE MURDERER AND WITNESS. At the heart of the classic novel Rebecca lies a mystery ... Pearl Day has always lived in the background - companion to her childhood friend, the dazzling and unpredictable Lady Eleanor Nicholson. Their bond was forged at Alderleigh, Eleanor's crumbling country estate, but now they share a sleek London home where Eleanor's life of indulgence is spiralling into chaos. When Eleanor shoots her lover in a drunken rage, Pearl becomes the key witness in a scandalous murder trial. But she knows more than she's revealed - and with Eleanor behind bars, she sees a chance to escape her quiet desperation. Their connection, once rooted in friendship, is now warped by grief, envy and power. And Eleanor's reach is long. Set between 1930s London and the windswept Cornwall coast, this taut, gothic thriller dares to answer one of literature's abiding questions: in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, who is the woman in the water?'Dark, twisty and gripping' SAM BLAKE

BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 2025 - AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS A shocking true story of heartbreak and survival by Sarah Corbett Lynch, daughter of Jason Corbett - an Irish Times Number 1 bestseller and the subject of NETFLIX documentary A DEADLY AMERICAN MARRIAGE. 'Honest and compelling' Sunday Independent'Powerful, heartbreaking' Irish Times'An enthralling read' Irish Daily Mail'A powerful and poignant memoir that transforms loss into a legacy of love and hope' Katriona O'Sullivan, bestselling author of Poor'This book is a must-read' Irish IndependentAt approximately 3.15 a.m. on 2 August 2015, eight-year-old Sarah Corbett Lynch was lifted from her bed by a police officer and carried downstairs, shielded from the chaos that had broken out in her North Carolina home. Hours passed before she learned that her beloved father Jason was dead. And the people who had killed him were Sarah's stepmother Molly Martens and her father Tom. In A Time for Truth, Sarah reveals the startling truth of life behind closed doors in her family's home, controlled by Molly - the only mother she had ever known. And Sarah describes the traumatic aftermath as she and her brother Jack fought for justice for their father from the safety of their loving new home with Jason's family in Ireland. A Time for Truth is a unique testimony of devastation, survival and hope, against the odds.

'A remarkable story, a real page-turner' JOE DUFFY'Powerfully written ... a gripping narrative' FINTAN O'TOOLEThe remarkable story of one man's journey from the edge of death to the heart of a hidden past. Adopted at age three, Paul Cullen always felt like an outsider. After a near-fatal fall from Germany's highest peak in 2017 left him broken - physically and emotionally - he faced a personal reckoning. As he lay injured on the mountain, he knew that if he survived, he could no longer avoid the questions that had haunted him since childhood. What happened in those missing early years? Who cared for him before his adoption? And why was it so hard to find the trut? utsider follows Paul's search for answers, from a mother and baby home in 1960s London to a suburban estate in 1970s Dublin, in a house lit with love but shadowed by a darker truth. As his body heals, he pieces together the fragments of his identity, confronting the silence of a closed adoption system and the emotional legacy of a hidden past. Courageous and deeply personal, Outsider is a powerful story of survival, belonging and the enduring human need to know where we come from.

It was a holiday she would never let them forget ... Seventeen years ago, four friends returned home from a week in Ibiza with secrets to keep. They agreed never to contact each other again and all traces of their holiday were erased. Or so they thought. Now, Anna's sister Kim is still picking up the pieces after Anna abandoned her life without warning. And when a photo from Anna's trip to Ibiza surfaces unexpectedly, Kim finally has some clues to start looking into what happened to her. Julia, Cora and Faye are forced to come together when they realise someone might be digging up the past. But how far will they go to bury the truth? And what's to stop one of them from letting a 'friend' take the fall, in order to save hersel? hat readers are saying about The Girls' Trip:'If you love gripping psychological thrillers with eerie atmospheres and complex female friendships, The Girls' Trip is a must-read. It's a book that will keep you up late, racing through the pages to uncover the truth' 5-star Netgalley review'I binged this book ... I couldn't have predicted most of the twists and turns of the story which makes it a great thriller' 5-star Netgalley review'Loved this one, I was hooked from the start, and couldn't predict the end. A must on your TBR' 5-star Netgalley review'Brilliant, it packed such a punch ... a top tier thriller' 5-star Netgalley review'A super gripping psychological thriller, a bit racy, extremely suspenseful and just insanely good!!' 5-star Netgalley review

A hill that cars roll up. A bridge that plays music. A chair to cure madness. An underworld gateway. Bizarre foods, films, phrases and creatures. Welcome to weird Ireland. In a journey across the island, Brinsley McNamara - curator of the popular social media channel Weird Ireland - shares his oddity obsession to bring you an off-the-beaten-track account of unique Irish wonders. From UFOs and fairy forts to lake monsters and healing rocks, from standing stones and moving statues to fizzydrinks and fast food, Weird Ireland is a book to be cherished by all seekers of the strange, rare and peculiar. Featuring illustrations by Eoin Whelehan.

'So hopeful and romantic it lifted me for days' Marian Keyes'Heartwarming, moving and nostalgic' Louise O'Neill'Funny and tender - a gorgeous second chance romance' Sarra ManningIT'S TIME TO FINISH WHAT THEY STARTED . . . Tadhg and Laura used to be in a band together. They used to be a lot of things. Now he's a superstar, touring the world with his songs. And Laura tries not to think about all the big dreams she used to have. Then she gets an email that could change everything: Tadhg wants to finish a song they started writing together sixteen years ago. Making music again would literally be a dream come true, even if it's with a person she swore she'd never speak to again. And they can keep things professional, righ? s Tadhg and Laura start working together though, sparks begin to fly. Maybe music isn't the only thing that deserves a second chance . . . 'Tender-hearted and full of yearning' Sophie White'Warm and swoony' Edel Coffey, Irish TimesWhat readers are saying about Our Song:'An uplifting second chance love story that captures the magic of finding your musical soulmate, creating music and your way back to your person. All killer, no filler.' 5-star reader review'I loved, loved, loved this: it's everything a good romance novel should be ... A magic little book; warm, funny and sexy, and perfect if you want a summery read to put a big smile on your face.' 5-star reader review'How do I love this book? Let me count the ways ... [It] made me so happy. I looked forward to getting to pick it back up, and I was sad when I had to put it down.' 5-star reader review

'Finally, a book written by the OG of wellness. Everyone needs to read this.' GEORGIE CRAWFORD'This isn't another wellness rulebook - it's a soft place to land, helping you find balance, joy and ease in your own way.' LAURA DOWLING, THE FABULOUS PHARMACISTMeditation, movement, manifesting ... somehow wellness has become just another thing on our jam-packed to-do list. Here in Would You Be Well? popular broadcaster and health coach Clare McKenna shows you how to cut through the overwhelm to help you discover the wellness habits that fit your life - and that are easy to maintain. From mindset shifts to everyday 'small step' rituals, this compassionate, accessible and down-to-earth guide will help you find a routine that actually works for you. This isn't another book telling you to wake up at 5 a.m. or drink green juice every day (though if that's your jam, go for it!), so whether you're balancing work, family, or just trying to keep your head above water, Would You Be Well? is the permission note to slow down and start living well - on your own terms. 'Sustainable health goes far beyond surface habits and this book reflects that wonderfully.' DANIEL DAVEY