A Lethal Legacy: A History of Ireland in 18 Murders

The Instant Top 5 Irish Times Bestseller From the creator of The Irish History Podcast comes a fascinating look at Irish history through the lens of murder.

In A Lethal Legacy, Fin Dwyer charts 200 years of Irish history, opening up our past as never before, by observing the grand societal changes of our times through the intimate lens of eighteen murders and the lives and communities they altered forever.

From the creator of the critically acclaimed Irish History Podcast comes a ground-breaking exploration of the past, casting its gaze beyond the chambers of power and carnage of battle, and into the lives of the everyday people that lived through those violent centuries. From the desperate retributions of the Land War of the nineteenth century, through the unprecedented tumult of the revolutionary years, to the causes that helped to shape contemporary Ireland, these previously overlooked cases of human tragedy offer a fresh perspective on a history we think we know.

Astonishing, illuminating and compelling, A Lethal Legacy chronicles Ireland’s turbulent past through one of our most enduring fascinations – the act of killing – and in mapping the causes and aftermath of these cases, Dwyer offers us a fresh new understanding of the fires that forged modern Ireland.

In his latest book, Dwyer offers a riveting addition to the shelves of great historical books of 2023, extending its reach beyond Ireland to touch upon the wider European canvas, where the echoes of Ireland's struggles resonate with social and historical undercurrents in Britain and the rest of Europe. For readers looking to expand their understanding of Ireland's position within the greater European context in the last centuries, this book is an essential read. For fans of Colin Walsh (Kala), David Grann (Killers of the Flower Moon), Martin Doyle (Dirty Linen) and Ronan McGreevy (The Kidnapping) and Paul Lynch (Prophet Song).

© 2023 HarperNorth (Audiobook): 9780008556013

Release date

Audiobook: 14 September 2023